TimesEV
TimesEV
TimesEV
TimesEV
TimesEV
TimesEV
More
    HomeEV BusinessBattery-Swapping: Industry Wants Inclusion of Higher-Range Vehicles in Policy

    Battery-Swapping: Industry Wants Inclusion of Higher-Range Vehicles in Policy

    Battery swapping for electric vehicles (EVs) should focus on higher-range vehicles, as lower availability of docks initially would force users to make detours for a swap, industrialists said.

    This came in response to a draft policy by government think tank Niti Aayog.

    They, however, agreed that swapping was a welcome move to jump-start the adoption of EVs despite fundamental questions about its viability.

    IT industry body Nasscom, in its response to Niti Aayog’s Draft Battery Swapping Policy, has recommended that batteries with a higher range, at about 80-100 kilometres a swap, should be encouraged to meet demand to go longer distances “without having to take detours to find a battery swap dock.”

    Nasscom, which has among its members EV brands such as Ather Energy, has also pointed out that EV riders are likely to rush to a swap dock due to “range anxiety”, meaning users could initiate swap before the battery runs out.

    The budget had outlined a battery swapping policy for EVs.

    The Niti Aayog draft policy drives battery swapping as an alternative to charging to reduce downtime and focuses on light EVs such as two-wheelers and e-rickshaws/e-carts.

    It also envisages demand-side incentives for buyers and battery providers.

    An EV user would purchase a vehicle without a battery, significantly cut upfront costs, and become a subscriber with a battery provider and pay regular charges for battery services throughout the vehicle’s lifetime.

    Industry representatives, EV makers and academics have also welcomed the policy, though they say that several issues – from interoperability of battery packs to pricing to range predictability – remain.
    EV company Altigreen, which successfully tested a 150-km drive on its electric three-wheeler for last-mile recently, believes the “lack of ownership” of the battery by the user would work against the battery swapping concept itself.

    “For instance, if a driver were to drop a battery during the swap (or some other time), do we think he will report it at the BSS (Battery Swapping Station)? Will such an impact be determined immediately, or will it cause problems for the BSS or the next driver?” Amitabh Saran, founder-CEO of Altigreen, said.

    There has been some criticism of battery swapping itself.

    A senior executive of a Mumbai-based EV charging infrastructure developer said: “While swapping is of some preliminary interest for scooters and e-rickshaws, it is fundamentally economically unfeasible and adds so much unnecessary cost into the ecosystem. Secondly, it homogenises batteries to enable interoperability, and that will massively inhibit R&D into batteries because the mandate will be to make all batteries the same.”

    Academics agree that battery swapping needs to be promoted even as charging infrastructure is developed, in order to offer users additional flexibility.

    “Many of them (foreign countries) are going towards ultrafast charging. However, the latter requires significantly additional investments to build that infrastructure. I believe India made a good decision to go for swapping batteries which is more realistic,” said Aravind
    Kumar Chandiran, assistant professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT-Madras.

    In Europe, carmakers and fuel retailers have been combining to roll out fast-charging stations. In April, Volkswagen announced a strategic tie-up with bp to roll out over 8,000 stations across Germany, UK and other countries by 2024.

    Related Post

    Most Popular

    Best Picks

    WISE Testing Solutions: Comprehensive Products and Services for Vehicle Development and EV Battery Testing

    WISE Testing Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a privately held company registered as a limited company, aims to provide a comprehensive range of products and services...

    Anton Paar: Revolutionizing EV Battery Testing with Standardization Initiatives

    Anton Paar, a distinguished company specializing in the development, production, and distribution of precision laboratory instruments and process measuring systems, alongside delivering customized automation...

    Exploring the Challenges and Testing Methods for Electric Vehicle...

    Aimil Ltd. is an esteemed organization celebrated for its exceptional expertise spanning multiple domains such as electric vehicle battery testing (both electrical and mechanical),...

    “The core idea behind u-blox has always been to...

    u-blox develops some of the world’s leading IoT communication and GNSS modules, chips and services supporting the industrial, automotive and consumer markets. Recently Andreas...

    PRAGYATMIKA: Empowering EV, Automotive, and E-Mobility with Cutting-Edge Technology...

    PRAGYATMIKA stands out as a leading provider of effective technology solutions for the EV, automotive, and e-mobility sectors. Their comprehensive services go beyond technological...

    Jean-Louis CHAMPSEIX, VP, Head of Corporate Sustainability, emphasizes :...

    ST addresses twofold imperatives - i.e. making technology itself more sustainable, and using technology to become more sustainable. ST is one of the largest...

    Exploring the Impact of Aarjay International’s Testing & Automation...

    Aarjay International is widely recognized for its outstanding expertise in delivering comprehensive test and automation solutions. Their wide range of services encompasses electronics and...

    Future of High Voltage EV: Wide Band Gap Semiconductors

    Article Courtesy: Sterling Gtake E Mobility Limited INTRODUCTION: Wide band gap semiconductors (SiC & GaN) are regarded as the next-generation power semiconductor for automotive applications...

    Motor Control and Human Interface Technologies from Virtual Forest...

    Forests are a vital part of human existence thus it relies upon them how to conserve the forests and maintain the ecological balance. Over...

    Must Read