What the site does
Kalamassery, on the northern edge of Kochi, hosts KINFRA's industrial park and sits within easy reach of the port city's logistics network. Kerala has an active electric two-wheeler and three-wheeler market and has run state electric bus programmes. The diagnostics bench opened in 2023 so that Kerala's batteries could be graded inside the state instead of being trucked to Tamil Nadu or Karnataka.
At 7,000 TPA it is the network's smallest grading site, focused on two-wheeler, three-wheeler and small commercial packs. Kerala's coastal humidity is a real factor for batteries awaiting testing, so storage is climate-controlled and packs with any sign of water ingress are identified and handled separately before they reach the benches. Reusable modules are sent on to second-life works, and the remainder to processing sites in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
What arrives at the gate
Feedstock at Kalamassery, Kerala reflects its catchment and plant type. Every consignment is weighed, photographed and logged against the originating manifest before it enters the process area.
- Electric two-wheeler packs from across Kerala
- Electric auto-rickshaw batteries
- Small commercial fleet packs
- Public-transport pilot fleet retirements
The process, step by step
The 3 operating lines — module soh bench, eis diagnostics laboratory, ai optical cell grading — run the sequence below.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Intake & safety triage | Packs are logged, thermally imaged and screened for swelling, coolant ingress or venting before entering the bench area. |
| Controlled de-energising | Residual energy is discharged to a safe state of charge with regenerative load banks and recorded per serial number. |
| Module-level capacity test | Full charge-discharge cycling at C/3 establishes usable capacity, internal resistance and cell-to-cell balance. |
| EIS fingerprinting | 1 mHz–10 kHz impedance sweeps separate SEI growth, lithium plating and contact resistance degradation modes. |
| AI optical inspection | Machine-vision inspection of busbars, welds and cell cans flags mechanical defects that block second-life reuse. |
| Grade assignment | Grade A (≥85% SOH), B (75–85%), C (65–75%) and D routes are assigned, with D-grade material released to refining. |
What sets the site apart
In-state grading. Grades Kerala's packs locally, cutting transport time and cost for small consignments.
Small-pack focus. Benches configured for two- and three-wheeler formats.
Humidity-controlled storage. Climate-controlled storage limits moisture exposure while packs wait for testing.
Where material goes next
Material that Kalamassery, Kerala does not finish on site moves to the nearest specialist facility in the network, keeping transport distances and dwell times down.
| Facility | Role | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Nagpur — Butibori Second-Life Works | Second-Life BESS Works | 1,242 km |
| Chennai — Sriperumbudur Recovery Campus | Hydrometallurgical Refinery | 510 km |
Field note