SUN Mobility to scale its battery swapping stations for faster EV adoption in Bengaluru
SUN Mobility will work with BESCOM and BMRC to enable a robust network of battery swapping infrastructure in the city, and has partnered with MetroRide for clean last-mile connectivity.
has announced its plan to roll out 100 battery swapping stations, called Swap Points, in Bengaluru by the end of 2021.
Speaking to , Chetan Maini, Co-founder of Sun Mobility, said that this will be their first foray into their home-turf Bengaluru after expanding in nine cities nationally.
"These battery swap stations will available for all forms of shared mobility including e-rickshaws, bikes, and will be available for food and courier delivery riders too," says Chetan Maini.
The company has started with four Swap Points station at IOCL bunks in Bengaluru and in suburbs such as Indiranagar, Jayanagar, Koramangala, and HSR Layout.
Sun Mobility will soon increase this to 100 stations with other partners in the Bengaluru city limits.
Chetan Maini says that eventually, these stations will support vehicles such as electric cars and smaller trucks.
SUN Mobility also announced its partnership with , a sustainable and environmentally-friendly shared mobility solution to solve the first and last-mile connectivity to and from metro stations. MetroRide’s fleet of Piaggio Ape E-City electric three-wheelers will make use of SUN Mobility’s Swap-Points deployed at prime IOCL outlets.
“Our Ape’ E-City, with the swappable battery solution, will provide an easy, clean and comfortable metro station commute, which is the need of the hour for a fast, young and cosmopolitan city like Bengaluru. We have delivered an initial lot of vehicles to MetroRide, and hope to increase the fleet of this unique offering with them. This will, in due course of time, transform the metro commute, benefitting not only daily commuters but also providing better earnings to the drivers,” said Diego Graffi, Chairman and MD, Piaggio Vehicles Private Ltd.
Swap Points by Sun Mobility
The Chief Minister of Karnataka, B S Yediyurappa, said:
“The Government of Karnataka has envisaged a systematic growth of Bengaluru, with one of the focus areas being shared mobility. As part of our efforts to make the state and its urban landscapes cleaner and greener, this support and collaboration is a significant step in furthering our vision to establish Karnataka as the EV capital of India. Bengaluru will lead the change with an environment that historically has nurtured innovation. I am excited that we will see innovative technologies and models in shared mobility emerge here, like battery swapping, that can be taken to the rest of India and the world.”
Good infrastructure is a precursor to enabling a vibrant, clean and shared mobility ecosystem in a city like Bengaluru. A great example of this is the three-wheeler market that has 180,000 three-wheelers, supported by 85 LPG stations.
Soon, when someone gets out of Namma Metro, they will have access to MetroRide to hail an EV- based shared mobility e-rickshaws or bikes.
“There is a need for reliable and efficient transport solutions for Metro Rail which can greatly increase its ridership. With our focus on metro riders, the partnership with SUN Mobility will help make last-mile commuting easy, safe and eco-friendly for everyone,” said Girish Nagpal, CEO and Co-Founder, MetroRide.
SUN Mobility will work with infrastructure enablers, BESCOM and BMRC, to enable a robust network of battery swapping infrastructure in the city. This will enable the Government of Karnataka’s goal of providing one charging station in a 3km radius grid in Bengaluru, as part of its EV Policy released in 2017.
Edited by Kanishk Singh