Niti Aayog, the think tank of the Indian government, has released the first draft of the battery swapping policy. It mentions covering all the metropolitan cities with a population above 40 Lakh in the first phase. According to the draft, battery swapping networks will be set up on priority in all such cities. It will be followed by a phase 2 where all major cities including state capitals, UT headquarters and cities with population above 5 lakh will be covered due to the growing number of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers in these cities.
The draft of the policy further states that vehicles with battery swapping function can be sold without a battery so that EV buyers can avail benefits of lower purchase costs. It also allows any individual or entity to set up a battery swapping station at any location, provided that the specified technical, safety and performance standards are strictly met. In her maiden speech during the Union Budget in the Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the Government will be soon introducing a battery swapping policy in order to overcome the constraint of space in urban areas for setting up charging stations at mass scale. The policy will boost efficiency in the EV ecosystem while adhering to industry interoperability standards.
The Niti Aayog held extensive inter-ministerial discussions for the formulation of a comprehensive battery swapping policy in February 2022. The apex body also conducted a lengthy pre-draft stakeholder discussion with all the stakeholders which included battery swapping operators, battery manufacturers, vehicle OEMs, financial institutions, think tanks and other experts. Niti Aayog has invited comments till June 5 as the draft is up for consultation.
Mr. Vivekananda Hallekere, CEO & Co-Founder, Bounce, while speaking on Battery Swapping Policy, said, "We are completely aligned with the government on the need to establish standards to promote interoperability of the swapping infrastructure. However, we would humbly request the government to form these standards and policies only after testing them on ground and not limiting the assessment only to lab tests. Technology around battery and battery infra is fast evolving and the policies and standards should not bottleneck innovation. We urge the government to kindly consider the above points before the policy and standards for battery swapping is formalised"
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A mechanical engineering dropout by choice, Mayank has been in the auto journalism biz for the past 8 years. He is currently working as an Associate Editor at Droom Discovery and covering each and every aspect of the auto industry. He has worked with a plethora of renowned Auto brands in his illustrious career so far. Being a student of English Literature, his mantras of success are the Never-Say-Never attitude and self-confidence. Mayank likes to travel, read books and listen to music during his free time.
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