Industry to drive EV battery swap solution

The government plans to bin an earlier proposal to dictate the size and shape of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs to qualify for incentives as it leans towards an industry-led solution to encourage battery swapping.

- Alisha Sachdev

The ministry of heavy industries will seek inputs on how to encourage the industry to come up with its own solution to ensure interoperability in battery swapping networks, Hanif Qureshi, joint secretary in the ministry, said. He added that inputs will be sought from stakeholders such as federal think tank NITI Aayog (which had first recommended fixed form factor standards), the ministry of road transport, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), research and testing body the Automotive Research Association. India (ARAI) and industry participants. The meeting could be held as early as January.

Interoperability refers to compatibility of a battery with different EV models and charging stations.