Swappable EV battery model not feasible solution to EV adoption: Ather Energy – EQ Mag Pro
Electric vehicles are today the talk of the town in the automotive industry the world over. The contenders in the electric race include renowned and established names in the business and startups alike.
The EV industry which is still in its very early stages of development has varied opinions on matters like the best ways to charge a battery, better forms of battery packs, approach to BMS development, etc.
Ather Energy has worked its way up to a position where it is considered one of the best electric scooter manufacturers in the country. So, to understand the brand’s ethos on these matters and more, we got into a conversation with Tarun Mehta, Co-founder, Ather Energy.
‘Electric scooters will soon replace part of the 100-125cc segment in India’
The electric scooter and the idea behind it are starting to penetrate markets beyond metro cities in the country. While semi-rural and rural regions currently depend on 100-125cc motorcycles owing to the fact that they’re fuel-efficient and easy to maintain, electric two-wheeler can offer even more savings and low maintenance than these ICE counterparts.
Charging infrastructure development is currently slow in regions outside metropolitan cities but when the shift from ICE to EV begins in these regions, that is when India can expect a quicker transition to electric mobility.
‘Battery swapping is not a feasible solution’
Ather Energy’s 340, 450 and then 450X electric scooters were never offered with a portable or swappable battery pack. Tarun Mehta opines that swappable battery packs are not a solution since the model poses to actually reduce the efficiency of the vehicle.
For example, a customer brings home an electric scooter that delivers 90 km on a single charge. However, they’ll need to swap the battery once their’s drains out and the battery pack they get at the swapping station could have depleted capacity and delivers only about 70-80 km. This will impact consumer sentiment in a negative way, he said.
EV battery fire
The Indian climate and road conditions are harsh and contribute to the faster degradation of batteries if not addressed properly. Therefore it is highly important that these factors are well considered during BMS hardware design, mechanical design, cooling strategies, smarter system performance deration algorithm during charging or discharging at lower SoC and extreme temperatures and a thorough product validation plan.
The ideal approach is to design batteries specifically for the harsh and demanding Indian conditions. In the event that OEMs are importing batteries or technology platforms, it is imperative that they not only modify them for Indian conditions but also invest enough time and effort in on-road testing before they start commercial production. That phase of testing and validation cannot be compromised.
Newer approach to EVs for the near future
Electric vehicles benefit from the government’s FAME II scheme in the form of a subsidy that brings down that initial cost of ownership. Plus, there are also subsidies offered under EV policies of various states as well. However, Mehta states that once these incentives and subsidies run out which could happen within this decade, EV prices would appear to shoot up. OEMs, he says, need to be prepared for it and design and develop their products considering that FAME II and other incentives will not assist for a lifetime.
Hence, in terms of new products, Mehta says that Ather will continue to keep improving its existing 450X electric scooter. For example, the company updated its Eco mode to Smart Eco very recently. There will also be new Ather electric vehicles launching in the near future.
Source: PTI
