Battery Swapping Policy 2022: Everything You Need to Know

The Indian government recently announced its Battery Swapping Policy 2022, which outlines the regulations and requirements for implementing a battery swapping system for electric vehicles (EVs) in the country. The policy aims to encourage the adoption of EVs by addressing some of the major concerns of consumers, such as range anxiety and high battery replacement costs. In this article, we will discuss the key points of the policy and what it means for the EV industry in India.

General Requirements The policy requires that all swappable batteries should be Battery Management System (BMS) enabled and should have appropriate BMS in place to protect the battery from conditions such as thermal runaway. To ensure battery safety and security of assets, swappable batteries will be equipped with advanced features like IoT-based battery monitoring systems, remote monitoring and immobilization capabilities, and other required control features.

Battery and Swapping Station Unique Identification Number (UIN) To implement unique traceability across the battery lifecycle, a Unique identification number (UIN) shall be assigned at the manufacturing stage for tracking and monitoring EV batteries. The required technical data of the battery will be mapped by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with UIN of battery pack at the manufacturing stage. Similarly, a UIN number will be assigned to each Battery Swapping Station.

Testing & Certification for Battery Swapping Components The policy mandates that batteries should be tested and certified as per AIS 156 (2020) and AIS 038 Rev 2 (2020) standards for safety of traction battery packs. For EVs with swappable battery functionality, vehicle OEMs shall be required to get ARAI approval for their vehicles to accept interoperable swappable batteries.

Battery Charging and Swapping Infrastructure Each battery swapping station (BSS) should serve at least 2 EV OEMs and set up battery swapping stations at locations like retail fuel stations, public parking areas, malls, etc. Standards for battery charging station (BCS) and BSS will be developed or approved by BIS/ Ministry of Power (MoP) or other competent authorities. The Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) used at the swapping station must be tested and approved by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) or agency appointed by the central nodal agency for battery swapping.

Data Sharing Information to support ease of consumer access and use of battery swapping services, on availability, battery type, compatibility, and performance for batteries at all BSS, must be made openly available in a standard format by battery providers.

Tariff for Supply of Electricity to Public Battery Charging Stations The policy advocates bringing Battery Charging Stations (BCSs) under existing or future Time-of-Day (ToD) tariff regimes as stipulated by the appropriate Commission so that the swappable batteries can be charged during off-peak periods when the electricity tariffs are low.

Provision of Land at Promotional Rates for Public Battery Swapping Stations The provisions mentioned in Section 9 of the revised consolidated Guidelines and Standards for Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles issued on 14th January 2022 will be applicable to Public BCSs.

Proposal for Applicable Rates of Goods and Services Tax The policy proposes reducing tax rate differential existing between batteries and EV supply equipment which is 18% and 5% respectively by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) council.

Rollout of Battery Swapping in Phases The target vehicle segments for battery swapping are E2Ws & E3Ws segments which are heavily concentrated in urban areas. The rollout of battery swapping stations (BSS) will, therefore, be phased in the following manner: