Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) has partnered with Kinetic Green to launch Energy Café – a battery-swapping station that will replace discharged batteries of two and three-wheeler EVs with a fully charged one.
“Under the alliance, IGL and Kinetic will roll out a deep network of Battery swapping stations, starting with the Delhi region, where a range of electric three-wheelers and electric two-wheelers can avail battery swapping facility,” the company said in a statement.
Speaking on the occasion, AK Jana, Managing Director, IGL, said the battery swapping solution will greatly spur e-mobility adoption.
“We realize that good infrastructure is a precursor to enabling a vibrant, clean, and smart mobility ecosystem. Carrying forward this belief, we have partnered with Kinetic Green to present an innovative and sustainable battery solution to cater to the growing demand for electric vehicles in the capital,” he said.
Sulajja Firodia Motwani, founder and CEO, Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions Ltd said, “This solution reduces the upfront cost of EV by 50 per cent, and customers never have to worry about battery charging and replacement”.
“We are confident this solution will revolutionize the EV industry in India, especially for intra-city and last-mile transport,” she said. “Today, we have unveiled the first 2 stations, and intend to expand to set up initially 50 stations during 2022 with a focus on the New Delhi region, one of the leading states for EVs in India, with a favorable policy framework from the State Government towards battery swapping”.
“Under battery swapping concept, EVs can be sold to customers without the lithium-ion battery and drivers can avail batteries on a pay per use concept by paying a small amount for ‘battery as a fuel’,” it said.
“Vehicle re-charging time is eliminated as battery swapping takes only 2 minutes and customers need not worry about charging batteries or even buying a new one in the future,” IGL said.
“At Energy Cafe, IGL and Kinetic have conceptualized and deployed advanced technology and offered a comprehensive IoT (internet of things) based system, including a smart battery with a protocol for charging and a host of swapping operations.
“The system monitors the battery and station, which are IoT enabled and linked to an app. The Smart Network provides real-time feedback of battery location and charging status to users,” the statement said.
The users can effortlessly install Energy Cafe Mobile App on their phones, locate the nearest battery-swapping station, book batteries from available charged batteries, pay through a digital payment gateway and swap it with a discharged battery at any of the IGL gas stations, paying for only the amount of charge they consume.
The stations are modular, intelligent and connected. Its multi-platform is compatible with e-bikes, e-auto and e-rickshaw.
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