Sun Mobility reveals inter-operable battery swapping station for 2- and 3-wheelers

Sun Mobility, which is advocating speedy battery swapping technology for the nascent Indian electric mobility industry, today showcased what it claims to be the world’s first interoperable battery swapping station for two- and three-wheelers in Bangalore.

The Chetan Maini-backed company, which had showcased its swappable battery technology solution for commercial vehicles at the Delhi Auto Expo 2018, in February, is betting big on the solution to address the challenges for adoption of electric mobility.

The Sun Mobility solution for two- and three-wheelers comprises three key elements:

- Modular Smart Batteries that are intelligent enough to customise themselves to each vehicle type and versatile enough to be used in combinations of one or multiple batteries to meet customers’ different performance and range expectations.

- Quick Interchange Stations that can be easily installed across a city, enabling customers to swap batteries quickly and conveniently in less than one minute, addressing any concerns around refueling time.

- Smart Network that connects modular Smart Batteries and Quick Interchange Stations, optimises battery performance and allows customers to locate stations and make payments via an app.

Speaking on the occasion, Uday Khemka, co-founder and vice chairman of Sun Mobility, said, “As we move forward on our global mission to enable mass transportation fueled by clean electric energy, we’re happy to showcase the diverse technology portfolio that can redefine the future of mobility. By enabling the electrification of two wheelers, three wheelers and buses through our comprehensive smart mobility ecosystem, we are addressing the current urban mobility crisis and consciously exploring solutions to change the way the world commutes.”

The company’s Energy Infrastructure Platform enables electric two- and three-wheelers to be cost neutral versus conventional diesel/petrol ones. This platform, according to Sun Mobility, will be offered in collaboration with multiple OEMs and solution providers and will support a range of new models as well as retro-fit applications.

Sun Mobility, along with its partners, plans to roll out this network of Quick Interchange Stations in a phased manner across various major cities, thus enabling customers to adopt electric mobility using an innovative pay-per-use model that reduces not only their initial cost of purchase but also overall operating cost.   

Speaking at the demonstration, Chetan Maini, co-founder and vice-chairman, Sun Mobility, said: “With over 18 million two- and three- wheelers sold in India last year. We are introducing the world’s first interoperable smart mobility solutions for EVs that will transform the way people commute. The solution will be cost-effective and scalable.”

Mentioning how the cost of EVs could be drastically reduced if the cost of batteries and recharging is addressed with a pay-as-you-go system, which would further allow the green vehicles to reach cost parity with conventional vehicles.

Sun Mobility claims the quick interchange station will allow consumers to swap their used battery to the one of the slots of the charging station and pay for the actual usage, and swap with a fresh charged battery, all in all under just two minutes. Sun Mobility had shown a similar concept for e-CVs at the Auto Expo 2018.

If the company is to be believed, the adoption of electric vehicles could gradually go up if the challenge of high cost, limited range, long charging time and lack of infrastructure is addressed by the battery swapping solution.

The solution, according to Sun Mobility, can be easily installed across cities and enable quick Smart BatterySwapping (in less than one minute) for electric two- and 3-wheelers. It further states that like kiosks, the quick interchange station can be set up in just one day, and can be further expanded on the basis of demand.

Also Read: Sun Mobility aims to be an EVangelist