Battery-as-a-service (BaaS) startup VoltUp announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with BSNL to set up electric vehicle battery swapping stations across the country. In the first phase, battery swapping stations will be set up in four locations across Gurugram, with an infrastructure of more than 150 charging docks. It will then be expanded to 30 more locations across Haryana and other cities later this year.
In a later phase, the partnership will be expanded to major cities with high car density as well as encouraging last-mile connectivity dealers to use electric two- and three-wheelers in everyday use. Nikhil Mathur, Sales Director of VoltUp Circle, said: “In cities, space is a major constraint and the availability of charging points can be a challenge for electric two-wheelers and tricycles. death.
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With the addition of new battery swap locations in Gurugram, VoltUp now has over 110 swap stations with over 1,300 charging stations across ten cities and eight states. By the end of 2024, the company aims to bring the number of stations to around 2,000.
Battery swapping is considered a better alternative to EV charging stations as it consumes less time and also overcomes the challenge of space constraints. Swapping batteries can also be seen as a solution to EV battery fires.
In the case of battery swaps, the EV battery can be cooled when charged outside the vehicle while it is charged inside the vehicle greatly reducing the possibility of cooling. Thermal irregularities such as higher temperatures can be one of the causes of electric vehicle-related fires. In such cases, swapping batteries could be the answer to burning EVs.
Date of first publication: March 22, 2023, 15:58 pm IST
