UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Rethinking battery strategy in India: the case for sodium-ion technology

Q1. With reference to the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage, consider the following firms as reported up to end-2025: 1. Reliance New Energy 2. Ola Electric Mobility 3. Tata Chemicals 4. Rajesh Exports Which of the above are correctly identified as beneficiary firms that have been awarded capacity under the PLI-ACC Scheme?

  1. Reliance New Energy
  2. Ola Electric Mobility
  3. Tata Chemicals
  4. Rajesh Exports
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. In the context of sodium-ion battery technology being developed in India, what does the term 'NASICON' refer to?

  • A. A family of crystal structures (Sodium Super Ionic Conductor) that provides a stable framework enabling fast sodium-ion transport in electrodes
  • B. A sodium-salt liquid electrolyte indigenously commercialised by ARCI in 2025
  • C. A proprietary nano-coating process used to passivate sodium-vanadium-phosphate cathodes
  • D. A Bureau of Indian Standards specification for ACC sodium-ion pouch cells

Q3. With reference to sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for India, consider the following statements: 1. Sodium is more abundantly available in the Earth's crust than lithium, reducing dependence on imported critical minerals. 2. Sodium-ion batteries currently offer significantly higher gravimetric energy density than lithium-ion batteries of comparable size. 3. The NASICON-type sodium-ion battery developed by JNCASR can be charged to about 80% in six minutes and endures over 3,000 charge cycles. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Sodium is more abundantly available in the Earth's crust than lithium, reducing dependence on imported critical minerals.
  2. Sodium-ion batteries currently offer significantly higher gravimetric energy density than lithium-ion batteries of comparable size.
  3. The NASICON-type sodium-ion battery developed by JNCASR can be charged to about 80% in six minutes and endures over 3,000 charge cycles.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Which of the following is the lead Indian institution that developed the Sodium Vanadium Phosphate (NVP)-based sodium-ion pouch cell technology being commercialised under the December 2025 MoU with Voltasun Technologies?

  • A. International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad
  • B. Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru
  • C. CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi
  • D. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras