[deep_bang]

The main advantage of battery swapping, when viewed from an entrepreneur's perspective is that it changes the battery cost from being a Capex investment to an Opex investment. This enables companies to have a more cost efficient structure and a more flexible to scale up or down.

So I think till we have better battery technologies available, the swap technologies will exist and must exist. But since this is likely to be stop gap, the investments in this space are likely to be more operational in nature than in ground breaking research (like IEEE standards etc).

[micky]

I don't think battery swapping will become mainstream in the near future. It will only be restricted to specific use cases.

1. Doesn't make sense for 4 Wheelers - too heavy. It's like changing the engine of a car.

2. 3 wheelers can make sense but only for specific use cases when someone needs to drive continuously. But this is also not mainstream. Theres a 2-4 hour gap in workload and commercial use cases can be adapted to fixed charging.

3. 2 wheelers for personal use - very difficult. We tend to be very emotional about our vehicles (even worship them in some states). Putting a battery everyday doesn't sound logical.

4. 2 wheelers for commercial - it can make sense here especially with zomato, swiggy, ola etc. where drivers aren't too attached to the vehicles and would love the flexibility to move whenever they want. Even the charging stations can be made at these locations which will cater to the commercial use.

The all inclusive cost of battery swapping comes to around Rs. 1.7 per km (2w) and Rs. 2.5 (3w) which doesn't make sense for so much hassle. Hence I don't think battery swapping will become mainstream.

[inner_roadster]

I voted no because I believe battery-swapping technology has many obstacles and downsides. The main disadvantage of battery swapping is that it requires specialized infrastructure and precision engineering to ensure that batteries are swapped safely and quickly without causing damage to the vehicle or battery. It also means dealing with the logistics and management of battery stocks.

There will also be compatibility issues with battery swapping due to different brands and models of electric vehicles. There is a risk of receiving a low-quality battery that may not perform as well as the original.

This is why I feel traditional charging stations are best, as they involve connecting the vehicle to an electricity source and waiting for the battery to recharge. This method is comparatively slow and could take several hours for a full recharge. However, it is considerably simpler as it requires less infrastructure than battery swapping.

[Raskolnikov.R]

Originally Posted by shamanth

Most of the Old apartments wont allow putting any wiring for charging station at your parking, due to fire safety issue, then only option is to charge outside or take your scooter in cargo lift inside your home and charge.

Shamanth,

I decided not to use any of the existing power lines and ran a new set of wires from my meter to my designated parking. This was to avoid tampering with the existing connections and safeguard myself against any potential risks. It cost me more, but I'm glad I chose to do so.

Of course, not everyone's case may be the same as mine.

Therefore, I concur with your assessment.

Thanks for contributing!

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov.R

I decided not to use any of the existing power lines and ran a new set of wires from my meter to my designated parking.

Good that its allowed in your apartment. For us blanket ban on installing any power supply to parking area. Earlier few had installed from their meter to parking, that also have been removed now.

[Raskolnikov.R]

Originally Posted by shamanth

Good that its allowed in your apartment. For us blanket ban on installing any power supply to parking area. Earlier few had installed from their meter to parking, that also have been removed now.

That's a myopic perspective, Shamanth. I sure hope and pray apartment resident welfare committees improve their understanding of EV infrastructure.

I hope and pray people change their attitude towards EVs.

In my case, it was more a case of a neighbor's envy about what someone else owns rather than a question of how useful the infrastructure is. The Chairman wanted to make it a common charger to benefit all apartment dwellers, and at my expense, I had my electrician enclose the entire setup using a steel box and add a lock to it.

And promptly invited my cousin, who lives a kilometer away, to use my infrastructure rather than invest in one at his apartment.

For the two of us, the setup turned out to be a good experience to experiment with two-wheeler electric infrastructure before purchasing an EV four-wheeler.

Thank you!