Battery swapping is an alternative to charging the Electric Vehicle which involves exchanging discharged batteries for charged ones. Battery swapping is popularly used for vehicles such as 2 and 3 wheelers which have smaller batteries. 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 2 and 3-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. Battery Swapping is already operational in India and more new swapping stations are coming up every year in the country. NITI Aayog continues to hold stakeholder discussion with a wide spectrum of stakeholders representing Battery Swapping Operators, Battery Manufacturers, Vehicle OEMs, Financial Institutions, CSOs, Think Tanks and other experts. Electric Vehicles' battery ecosystem is a complex domain involving variety of technologies which are still evolving and it must be noted that India's present Battery Swapping practice is as per global best practices. In order to have a prudent policy in place for Battery Swapping which promotes Electric Vehicles without adversely impacting technological innovation, more deliberations on the draft of the Policy are being done by NITI Aayog, Bureau of Indian Standards, Department of Science and Technology and other stakeholder departments.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

 

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