Reliance in recent years has announced big ambitions in the renewable space.
In continuation of the same, it has now showcased it’s swappable and multipurpose battery storage technology for electric vehicles (EVs).
- As part of the plan, RIL has developed a removable lithium-ion battery that can power an electric scooter, electric three-wheeler and a light commercial vehicle, besides lighting up homes during a power outage.
- The batteries can be swapped at Reliance’s battery swap stations or re-charged by households using rooftop solar panels (which also it plans to sell).
- Reliance executives told Reuters, that the idea is that a person can use one battery for mobility as well as for powering appliances at home.
- The company expects that battery swapping will help reduce the upfront and operating costs of electric vehicles, crucial for its widespread usage.
- The executives did not clarify when the company plans to start selling these batteries.
- Reliance doesn’t plan to get into EV manufacturing but will partner with the EV makers.
Swappable batteries are definitely looked as a viable solution to promote usage of EVs. Making them multipurpose is an innovative angle and if executed well, can solve multiple issues in a country like India.
However, to me it’s too early to get excited and the actual rollout would take significant time. For starters, other than proving technical stability, it needs to closely work with the auto OEMs to develop compatible vehicles.