Battery-swapping policy for EVs may impact the spread of charging stations

The battery swapping policy could slow the market for zero-emission vehicles

In the latest Budget, Fin­ance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Consi­dering the constraint of space in urban areas for setting up public charging stations (PCS) at scale, a battery swapping policy will be brought out and interoperability standards will be formulated. The private sector will be encouraged to develop sustainable and innovative business models for ‘Battery or Energy as a Ser­vice’. This will improve efficiency in the EV ecosystem.” A new battery swapping policy is expected in two months.

There is no doubt that India needs a policy in place to exchange or lease batteries. But a “constraint of space for charging