VoltUp Partners with HPCL To Create 50 EV Battery Swapping Centers

VoltUp partners with HPCL to set up 50 Electric two and three-wheeler battery swapping centers across India in the next six months.

VoltUp, a one-stop battery swapping start-up has announced its partnership with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to set up 50 electric two and three-wheeler battery swapping centers across India. partners

VoltUp envisions to scout and support technologies that will act as a global catalyst for daily transport vehicles run on sustainable and clean energy by providing EVs with services like swapping advanced Li-ion batteries and a network of swapping stations.

Recounting the partnership, the company stated, “The lack of charging infrastructure, high cost of adoption, and long charging time for EVs have been the hurdles towards the adoption of electric mobility in India. To plug these gaps, VoltUp and HPCL have come together towards setting and scaling up infrastructure – bridging the gap for network, energy, and technology.” 

It further said, “With this tie-up, VoltUp aims at providing infrastructure for instant swapping to end consumers, last-mile delivery, shared mobility providers, OEM’s and logistic players with smart lithium-ion batteries in a connected environment-friendly manner.” 

As part of the partnership, the company unveiled two such centers in Jaipur, Rajasthan, while announcing plans to open 50 battery swapping solutions centers across the country in the next six months. VoltUp already has four centers in Jaipur and three centers in Kolkata presently. 

Speaking of the partnership, the CEO of VoltUp Siddharth Kabra said, “HPCL, an already active player in the EV segment, recognizes the importance of swapping infrastructure in sync with their current model of instant fuelling. This clearly resonates with VoltUp’s business model of instant swap on a pay as you go basis thus also addressing the challenge of the higher upfront cost of EVs.”

He added, “This tie-up with HPCL will accelerate the need for safe, sustainable smart urban mobility while impacting positively the lives of future generations with cleaner air. This will enhance our network of smart swapping stations bringing smiles to owners of e vehicles.”

“There is an industry consensus that the Indian EV market will be dominated and driven by the 2-3-wheeler commercial segment. For this segment, battery swapping offers the best alternative to slow charging and helps the drivers to make optimum use of their operational hours,” said Rajnish Mehta, HPCL Executive Director, Corporate Strategy Planning and CSP Business Development.  

However, Mr. Mehta added, “To make battery swap successful, a dense and thick network is essential, so that consumers feel confident about the availability of swaps. HPCL is doing its part in making this market thick on the supply side using its wide network of retail outlets which are the natural energy refueling points for all consumers.”