Battery Swapping Norms Boost EV Adoption in India: IBSA

New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) India Battery Swapping Association (IBSA) on Friday said the power ministry's guidelines on battery swapping and charging stations will help reduce the initial cost bore by customers and boost EV adoption in the country.

The Guidelines for Installation and Operation of Battery Swapping and Charging Stations, issued by the government on January 10, are the first step in recognising and enabling battery swapping and Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) in the Indian electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem, IBSA said in a statement.

It is designed to support the needs of EVs equipped with swappable batteries and apply to battery swapping and charging station operators, as well as swappable battery providers, across the country, the association said.

Dilip Chenoy, Advisor at IBSA, said, "This is a key step initiated by the ministry to promote swapping in the country and provides customers with a choice and avenue to reduce ownership and operating costs. Combined with other initiatives, it has the potential to accelerate EV adoption."

During the stakeholder consultation, IBSA highlighted that these guidelines will support the transition to e-mobility in India and in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.

These guidelines are particularly important as a first step towards developing the battery swapping ecosystem since they not only reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the vehicle but also bring down the initial cost, to be borne during the purchase of the vehicle, for the consumer, it said.

"The Ministry of Power's recognition of battery swapping as a viable alternative to conventional charging marks a significant step forward in India's electric mobility journey," Pulkit Khurana, Co-Founder of Battery Smart, said.

Honda Power Pack Energy said this would provide a level-playing field between battery swapping & fixed charging system.

IBSA represents firms with over 95 per cent of the swappable batteries in operation.

There are over 3,500 battery swapping stations across India, with over 3,50,000 batteries in circulation accounting for over 7 million e-km daily.