The world’s largest aluminium company has its eyes on everything from EV battery components to vehicle lightweighting and structural components.
26 Mar 2025 | 9663 Views | By Shahkar Abidi
Hindalco Industries, the world's largest aluminium rolling and recycling enterprise, has started making strategic moves to address the emerging EV opportunity in the country. The company is leveraging its expertise in its experience and know-how in the manufacture of non-ferrous metals such as aluminium and copper to emerge as a ...
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Hindalco Industries, the world's largest aluminium rolling and recycling enterprise, has started making strategic moves to address the emerging EV opportunity in the country. The company is leveraging its expertise in its experience and know-how in the manufacture of non-ferrous metals such as aluminium and copper to emerge as a key supplier of materials to the EV and battery industry in India.
The move also comes as Indian automakers make strategic investments in the EV transition, a shift that is likely to lead to a dramatic rise in the use of aluminium – from the typical 10–15 kg for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles – to 125 kg for EVs.
The $26 billion company is currently the world’s largest aluminium maker by revenue and the second-largest copper rod manufacturer outside China, with operations stretching from bauxite mining and alumina refining to rolling and recycling.
“We are working across the entire value chain of an EV—from inside the lithium-ion cell to the case of the cell, the battery pack structure, components for lightweighting, and even charging infrastructure,” said Nilesh Koul, Senior President and CEO of Hindalco’s downstream aluminium division.
At the heart of the Aditya Birla Group company’s EV thrust lies its upcoming Rs 800 crore aluminium foil facility in Sambalpur, Odisha, which the company had first announced in December 2023.
Expected to commence production early next year, this plant will initially produce 25,000 tonnes of battery-grade aluminium foil annually—a critical component for lithium-ion and sodium-ion cells.
The timing of Hindalco’s expansion into battery-grade aluminium foil is no coincidence. Industry estimates suggest that by 2030, India’s demand for such foil will surge to 40,000 tonnes annually.
This growth is driven by the rapid expansion of e-mobility and gigafactories for advanced cell manufacturing underpinned by government incentives like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Major players such as Reliance Industries, Tata Group, Adani Group, Exide Industries, and Ola Electric are already setting up lithium-ion battery plants.
"The foil must possess exceptional purity and strength to endure numerous charging and discharging cycles throughout a battery’s lifespan," Koul said.
To achieve this, Hindalco has invested heavily in research over the past two years. The Sambalpur facility will leverage base foil stock from Hindalco’s Rs 3,500 crore flat-rolled product (FRP) plant nearby. This integration ensures optimal thickness and durability for lithium-ion cell applications.
Koul says the company has developed a unique, patented alloy that surpasses existing market standards in strength and durability, with potential for superior performance across varying thickness requirements.
Hindalco is also exploring carbon-coated aluminium foils to enhance battery efficiency further. Once operationalized at scale, these advancements could redefine global benchmarks for battery-grade materials.
Beyond foils, Hindalco plans to leverage its expertise in specialty alumina to manufacture separators—critical barriers between anode and cathode layers in batteries. The company wants to emerge as an end-to-end solutions provider for EV battery components.
While aluminium remains central to its strategy, Hindalco is also eyeing copper foil production—a vital component in battery anodes—to complement its offerings. Although technology partnerships are already in place for copper foil production, decisions on location and investment timelines are still under review.
Hindalco has also tied up with Israel's Phinergy and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to come up with aluminium-air battery technology. These batteries, still in pilot stages, hold the promise for stationary energy storage applications like mobile tower backups.
Hindalco’s ambitions extend beyond batteries into structural innovations for vehicles. Partnering with Tata Motors, it has developed lightweight cargo boxes for EV models like the Tata ACE—a design that reduces dead weight while extending vehicle range.
The company is also scaling up production of lightweight aluminium trailers that reduce dead load by 20%, allowing higher cargo capacities without exceeding gross weight limits.