Battery swapping for electric vehicles, especially in the two- and three-wheeler space has seen a wider acceptance in India with several local and global players entering the fray.
Considering its potential advantages in proliferating electric vehicles in the country, NITI Aayog held an inter-ministerial discussion in February 2022 to formulate a draft policy framework for two and three-wheeler centric battery swapping. However, the proposed policy is one of the many other policy instruments such as FAME and PLI already under implementation to promote electric vehicles in the country stated Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
He further stated that NITI Aayog continues to hold discussions with a wide spectrum of stakeholders representing battery swapping operators, battery manufacturers, vehicle OEMs, financial institutions, CSOs, think tanks, and other experts.
Gadkari acknowledged that the EV battery ecosystem is a complex domain involving a variety of technologies that are still evolving and it must be noted that India’s present Battery Swapping practice is as per global best practices.
To have a prudent policy in place for battery swapping that promotes electric vehicles without adversely impacting technological innovation, more deliberations on the draft Policy are being done by the NITI Aayog, Bureau of Indian Standards, Department of Science and Technology, and other stakeholder departments.
