India is introducing a battery swapping coverage as a part of a push to spice up EV gross sales, Reuters has reported. “Considering the constraint of space in urban areas for setting up charging stations at scale, a battery swapping policy will be brought out,” stated India’s Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman. 

The thought is change out depleted batteries for freshly charged ones, probably saving time in comparison with charging. You might have first heard concerning the thought when Tesla launched battery swapping stations in 2014, then quietly dropped the concept resulting from lack of use.

India plans to scale back “interoperability standards,” presumably in order that battery-swapping tech can be utilized between totally different EV makes and fashions. “The private sector will be encouraged to create sustainable and innovative business models for battery and energy as a service, improving the efficiency of the EV ecosystem,” stated Sitharaman. 

India’s Sun Mobility and Honda recently set up a battery sharing service in India, beginning with three-wheelers, but it surely’s nonetheless in a really early part. The thought has gained some traction elsewhere with scooters from Gogoro, which just lately launched its battery swapping tech in China. Gogoro reportedly plans to enter the Indian market in partnership with the nation’s largest two-wheeler producer Hero MotoCorp. 

India’s push for EVs is a key part of its Paris settlement dedication to scale back carbon emissions by as much as 35 p.c by 2030. It plans to present $6 billion price of incentives to corporations that construct clear automobiles and produce batteries regionally. The nation has almost 975,000 registered EVs, however just one,028 public charging stations, in response to the Hindustan Times.