EV battery swap: Industry to chart way forward, not govt

The government plans to bin an earlier proposal to dictate the size and shape of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs to qualify for incentives as it leans towards an industry-led solution to encourage battery swapping.

- Alisha Sachdev

The ministry of heavy industries will seek inputs on how to encourage the industry to come up with its own solution to ensure interoperability in battery swapping networks, Hanif Qureshi, joint secretary in the ministry, said. He added that inputs will be sought from stakeholders such as federal think tank NITI Aayog (which had first recommended fixed form factor standards), the ministry of road transport, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Automotive Research Association of India and industry participants. The meeting could be held as early as January.

Interoperability refers to compatibility of a battery with different EV models and charging stations.

The consumer affairs ministry, the nodal ministry for BIS that was to come up with battery standards, believes a market-driven solution is ideal. “We have said we can be flexible on the battery form factor and the connector dimensions," secretary Rohit Singh said. “We are in favour of what’s called horizontal standards, which are outcome-driven and not prescriptive." Standards for battery performance and safety are set by the ministries of heavy industries and road transport.

The upcoming policy will incentivize battery swapping for two- and three-wheelers, primarily for commercial fleets in e-commerce and last-mile logistics.