In a first, Bescom to set up 20 EV battery-swapping stations in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a move to adapt to evolving technology, Bescom is revving up Bengaluru's EV infrastructure by setting up the city's first 20 battery-swapping stations.

Having focused primarily on traditional EV charging stations, the electricity supplier is now stepping up to meet the changing needs with the growing popularity of battery swapping.

"Our analysis showed that many new models coming to the market are adopting the battery-swapping technology. While we have successfully set up a large number of charging stations, we, as a government entity, have not ventured into setting up swapping stations. This will be our first step towards promoting the technology,” a senior Bescom official said.

In the first phase, the swapping stations will be set up only in Bengaluru under a public private partnership (PPP) model. While Bescom will provide the land in its sub-divisional offices to set up the swapping stations, the operators will set up the infrastructure for the stations and share the revenue with Bescom.

Experts believe battery swapping is crucial in promoting EV adoption, especially in the two- and three-wheeler category.

“Mainstreaming battery swapping could accelerate the adoption of EVs in the city. This will especially help promote the use of two-wheeler and three-wheeler EVs and commercial fleet vehicles,” said Chaitanya Kanuri, Associate Director (Electric Mobility), WRI India.

Currently, Bengaluru has only a few battery-swapping stations, mostly established by private entities in partnership with car manufacturers. Experts believe that generic swapping stations set up by Bescom could be highly beneficial.

"Battery standards will be crucial to catalyse the uptake of battery swapping. Today, EVs with swappable batteries must find stations within their specific network for a swap, limiting options and reducing the ease of access across the city," Kanuri added.

The swapping stations are being planned at the Bescom sub-divisional offices in Vidhana Soudha, Indiranagar, Shivajinagar, and several other areas.