🚙 Will Battery Swapping Make India Love EVs?
Indians have so far not warmed up to EVs. But can battery swapping tech help us adopt these climate-friendly vehicles? (Reading Time: 3 mins)
What do Tata Motors, Porsche, Volvo, Mercedes have in common with the governments of the world?
They are all dreaming of an electric future.
Many of these legacy carmakers are now laser-focused on delivering new and innovative electric vehicles.
Some even plan to go fully electric.
But this ride towards an electric future has so far been bumpy and full of roadblocks.
People are used to their reliable old oil-run cars which they know and understand.
Plus, with over 60,000 petrol pumps in India, the chances of running out of fuel on the road are minuscule.
But you can't get electricity to charge your EVs everywhere.
Because of this very range anxiety, EV penetration in India is at 0.8% as compared to 13.4% in China.
However, there is one tech that can solve this problem: battery swapping.
What is Battery Swapping?
What do you do when your torch or your AC remote runs out of battery? You get another battery pack and replace the drained batteries, right?
And voila, you immediately have a functioning device again.
What if you could do the same thing with your electric car batteries?
That's exactly what battery swapping tech will do.
No more waiting for hours on the road till your EV charges. You can just swap your battery and be on your way.
This battery swapping tech does more than just reduce range anxiety. It helps cut down the initial EV investment.
For instance, battery swapping startup Bounce allows you to purchase its Bounce Infinity EV scooter with or without a battery.
With battery (and without any subsidies), the cost of the scooter is Rs. 68,999 (prices may differ depending upon the state EV subsidies). But without the battery, it costs Rs. 36,000. This puts the EV on an equal footing to a petrol or diesel-based vehicle.Â
But what about the battery then? You can lease it for a subscription of Rs. 849/month. After that, you can swap the battery whenever it is dead for Rs. 35 per swap.Â
Sun Mobility also allows you to get a subscription service for an electric vehicle, a battery pack and its battery swapping service.
Fast and Furious
In the long run, the battery swapping subscription may cost you more than the charging facilities (which cost around Rs. 200-Rs. 400 for 140 kms to 170 kms).
However, for many users like e-rickshaw drivers, for whom time is money, the battery swapping tech is a Godsend.
Swapping a battery takes a maximum of 10 minutes whereas charging an EV takes anywhere from 1-3 hours.
That is, if you can find a charging station. Right now, we only have 1,640 public EV charging stations in India.
Because of this ease of use, many companies are tying up with battery swapping providers.
But before you rush to try out this new service, let's take a look at why companies like Tesla have abandoned it.
Glass Half Empty
Of course, Tesla, a pioneer in the EV space, has dabbled in this tech but found that few were interested.
You see, electric car batteries are not interchangeable. Only Tesla users could use the battery swapping tech.
If you have a Tesla car, you need a Tesla battery. You can't use a Volvo battery.Â
And there is no way automakers are going to opt for a standardised design as they would have to undo all their developments, scrap future plans, and share profits with existing battery swapping operators.
So, for electric car owners, battery swapping tech doesn't hold much promise.
Plus, the problem of infrastructure remains. Even battery swapping stations are few.
So, you may still be stranded in the middle of the road.
However, this is not a problem with two or three-wheelers. Using both battery swapping and charging together could help Indians, who have traditionally preferred two-wheelers to four-wheelers, warm up to EVs.
This is exactly why the government of India is focusing on battery swapping. It will soon launch new policies which will help regulate and develop this space further.
But many experts are against developing battery swapping tech at all.
They feel climate change has already progressed a lot. Now is not the time to experiment.
Instead, money should go towards developing and installing charging projects.Â
For instance, many companies like Ola are now developing ultra-fast EV charging, which should be our focus.
Some countries like the US have even come up with plans for solar-powered roads that can charge cars as they drive.
So, should the government work on developing these projects that may or may not work out or go for the tried and tested battery swapping tech?
Let us know your thoughts on Twitter.
Share this with your friends via WhatsApp or Twitter and help them become financially smarter! See you tomorrow :)
You can also listen to our stories because the Revolution ReadOn podcast is live!! Here: you can catch it on Spotify, Apple Podcast or Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Gaana and Jio Saavn.
If you are coming here for the very first time: Don’t forget to join us on WhatsApp to get daily updates! 👇