The Indian government's battery swapping policy for electric vehicles (EVs) is set to arrive soon. But it may not be the panacea to push EV adoption rate in the country. For battery swapping to succeed in India, challenges on interoperability and battery inventory need to be addressed first.
But fortunately, the EV ecosystem is proactive in the country now, and private players are taking the lead on many front. And so we are set for India's first interoperated battery swapping network.
EV makers Crayon Motors and Bounce Infinity are collaborating to establish this interoperated battery swapping network. Battery swapping forms an alternative to charging as it offers quick replenishment of battery charge, relief from domestic charging woes and lower upfront cost of EVs, given that battery leasing replaces battery ownership.
What does Crayon-Bounce partnership entail?
Under this partnership, the customers of Crayon Motors --- which makes electric scooters, can choose to buy a 2W or 3W without battery and make use of Bounce Infinity’s 'Battery-as-a-Service'. Bounce, which also makes its own e-scooter Bounce Infinity E1, claims that 'battery swapping' pushes the running costs of the scooter down substantially, by as much as 40% compared to conventional scooters. Battery swapping, as the name suggests is simply replacing a depleted battery with a fully charged one at a battery swapping station in a jiffy.
This interoperated network will largely be available at Crayon Motors’ dealerships, residential complexes, petrol bunks, restaurants, cafes, co-living spaces, corporate offices, kirana stores, etc. The association shall extend battery as a service to all 'low powered' and 'high powered electric two-wheelers manufactured by Crayon. Bounce Infinity would also be extending its 'Battery-as-a-Service' to Crayon’s sister 3W brand - 'Singham', one of India’s electric 3W brand. This proposition shall allow Singham vehicles to be now sold under a new variant - 'E-Rickshaw with Battery-as-a-Service.'
Mayank Jain, Co-Founder and Director of Crayon Motors, said, "as we aim to expand to other regions, we wish to address the various difficulties that must be solved for a successful and seamless EV adoption in India. Along with our country-wide roadside assistance, we will also now be offering battery swapping. This step will go a long way in offering leading comfort and peace of mind to our customers."
Crayon Motors, which has its manufacturing unit in Ghaziabad, is focusing on high-speed two wheelers and has made investments in R&D to establish manufacturing plants for key components such as motors, controller, prototypes etc.
Bounce has committed $100 million for R&D, manufacturing of e-scooters and expanding the battery swapping infrastructure across India. Bounce is backed by investors such as Accel, Accel US, Sequoia Capital India, B Capital, Falcon Edge, Qualcomm, Chirate, Omidyar Network, Maverick Capital etc; and has raised over $220 million so far.
