India’s electric vehicle ecosystem is growing with the government supporting the manufacturers by introducing subsidies and schemes. However, one of the stumbling blocks in the development of Electric vehicle companies is “Charging stations”.
Charging the vehicles consume a lot of time as compared to combustion engines which can work just by refilling the tank within minutes.
On the other side of the coin, battery swapping technology will wash away all the queries and boost the transition from combustion engines to Electric vehicles.
Battery swapping technology is eco-friendly which means it does no harm to the environment, proving the long-term sustainability of the technology.
Table of Contents
Battery Swapping vs EV charging stations
Comparison
- The EV charging stations work using plug-ins to charge the electric vehicles which are provided by the vehicles themselves. Even though some manufacturers try to provide fast charging options to the vehicles, it takes a minimum of 1-2 hours to charge the E-vehicles.
- However, while focusing on the battery swapping technology, the manufacturers would need to reduce the price of E-vehicles in order to make these vehicles more affordable for the public. Swapping the batteries would ensure the long life of batteries as it restricts any unprofessional hand and under/overcharging of the batteries.
- Both the technologies have challenges in their functioning. The first one, EV charging stations, requires heavy investment for the land to build the station and the technology. Even though the manufacturers can add the electric vehicle-specific charging options to the existing stations, the entire layout of the stations has to be changed.
- However, battery swapping is more convenient when the cost is considered. People can travel throughout the day without worrying about battery life. They can plan long road trips without facing the problem of battery failure. Also, with the development of technology in this space, there is a chance of revolution and growth in the use of used batteries.
Read More: Cost of Setting up a Battery Swapping Station
Top EV Brands and Their Battery Swapping Capabilities-
Analyzing the cost-effectiveness of battery swapping
While the battery swapping technology looks feasible and easy, it loses its viability when one moves ahead of the three-wheelers and chooses large vehicles for testing the technology. The large electric vehicles especially commercial ones, use heavier battery packs which would require the need of robotics and an automation dash to successfully swap the batteries.
Battery Swapping Vs EV Charging Stations- Pros and Cons
| Basis | Battery Swapping | EV Charging Stations |
| Range anxiety | Battery swapping technology helps the customers get rid of range anxiety. | EV charging stations wouldn’t allow the customers to get rid of range anxiety. |
| Cost-Effectiveness | Battery swapping is cost-effective as it doesn’t require the companies to invest heavily in infrastructure and technology. | EV charging stations require the companies to invest in setting up the charging stations. |
| Fear of theft | Battery swapping suffers from fear of theft and damage. Therefore, it requires the batteries to be kept in a safe secure place. | No such fear of theft. |
| Reduce the cost of EVs | It can bring down the cost of EVs. | It cannot bring down the cost of EVs. |
| Increases adoption | Battery swapping technology helps in rapid EV adoption as takes 2-3minturs to charge an EV. | EV charging stations cannot help in rapid EV adoption use it takes hours to charge an EV. |
This comparison seems biased toward battery swapping technology.
By no means swapping stations are greener than the charging station.
Battery swapping required huge investments to set up swapping stations.
Charging stations requires huge land investments, and so do swapping stations.
I believe the upsides of swapping stations are low upfront cost and quick recharge time.
Nice post! Battery swapping is a good feature in the long run. You don’t have to wait hours to charge your vehicle.