Battery Swapping in Mumbai to become more accessible as VoltUp partners with Adani Electricity, Hero Electric and Zomato 

by Suman Gupta

• 10 locations with 120 docks between Goregaon and Borivali

• To add 50 more locations in the city by year end

• Targets to launch 500 battery swapping locations in Mumbai in the next 2 years that will cater to over 30,000 riders daily

Mumbai, September 07, 2022: In a move that is set to revolutionise battery swapping in Mumbai, one-stop battery swapping start-up VoltUp today announced their partnership with Adani Electricity, Hero Electric and Zomato. This is for the first time in India that a battery swapping start-up has launched operations in partnership with Infrastructure, OEM and Last Mile partners to boost smart mobility. Starting with 120 docks in 10 locations between Goregaon and Borivali, the partnership is going to add 50 locations by year-end to cover the western line from Churchgate to Mira-Bhayandar.  In their effort to set up smart electric mobility stations across the city for easy access to battery swapping, the partnership looks to operationalize 500 such battery swapping solutions centres across Mumbai by 2024, catering to over 30,000 riders daily.

The lack of charging infrastructure, high cost of adoption and long charging time for Electric vehicles have been the major hurdles and challenges toward the adoption of electric mobility in India. To plug these gaps, VoltUp, Adani Electricity, Hero Electric and Zomato have come together towards setting and scaling up of infrastructure – bridging the gap for network, energy and technology.  With this tie-up, VoltUp will be able to provide instant energy to delivery riders, for whom charging their 2-wheeler batteries prove to be challenging. In the composite ecosystem, instant battery swapping will enable delivery riders to have seamless business as usual without constantly thinking of getting the battery charged and reduce their running cost from Rs 3 per km using fossil fuel to Re. 1 per km.

VoltUp is a Battery as a Service (BaaS) platform and a one-stop solution to battery swapping for all electric 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler vehicles. Providing riders with smart swappable batteries, VoltUp ensures a nil downtime to the users and zero hassles for all battery related issues.  Speaking at the launch of the charging station and announcing the partnership, Siddharth Kabra, Co-founder & CEO VoltUp, said – “In a fast-paced city like Mumbai where time is always of essence, enabling riders to instant battery swapping will empower them to grow economically while doing away with range anxiety. Adani Electricity’s dense network, Zomato’s adoption of EV and Hero Electric’s manufacturing of advanced and affordable products resonate with VoltUp’s business model of providing a complete green solution to the EV industry. This partnership will not only act as a catalyst in pushing the envelope of Smart Mobility in India but will also integrate green energy for charging batteries.”

Keeping up with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision on Electric Vehicles and making urban cities a better place for living by reducing Carbon emissions, VoltUp is speeding up the adoption of E Vehicles in India by setting up smart battery swapping network which is hassle-free and takes less than 1 minute to swap and be on the road.  The service network will provide complete maintenance and service support to all E vehicles.

Speaking about the partnership, Adani Electricity spokesperson said., – Adani Electricity is committed to enabling Electric Mobility solutions for Mumbai, powered by Renewable Energy. Our partnership with Voltup is yet another in the space, wherein we are enabling access to our dense and reliable Network, with a strong commitment to supplying 100% Sustainable Energy.

With a mission to fully electrify its fleet by 2030 as part of its promise of climate-conscious deliveries, Zomato has been at the forefront of embracing sustainable transportation. As last-mile connectivity requires long rides without downtime, swapping is the only solution to allow delivery partners to cover distances without any anxiety of charging the battery. According to Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Zomato, “As we grow and create lakhs of opportunities in last mile deliveries, the environment must not bear the burden of this growth. Our partnership with VoltUp will accelerate the transition to EV-based deliveries helping us keep our promise of a sustainable Zomato for customers, delivery partners, employees and the planet.”

One of the hindrances towards adoption of EVs has been the high cost of products. As India’s leading OEM, Hero Electric has created an advanced and affordable product to help increase the adoption of EVs. Speaking about the partnership with VoltUp, Sohinder Gill, CEO of Hero Electric, said, “At Hero, we have always fostered the idea of collaboration to strengthen the EV ecosystem in India to deepen the EV penetration and attain zero-emission status. This smart battery swapping association with VoltUp, Adani Electricity, and Zomato will establish a dense infrastructure encouraging more riders to switch to EVs and operate smoothly without worrying about range anxiety issues. Hero Electric is the only manufacturer to have a specific product designed for delivery partner fleets given the segment’s potential to contribute towards a clean and green future,”.

Advanced Lithium batteries will be provided as a subscription to lower the initial investment in the 2 wheeler. It offers battery swapping in less than 1 minute through VoltUp’s dedicated network of charging zones to enable smooth and uninterrupted transport operations. The service networks, will provide complete maintenance, service support to battery on the platform. The smart stations will be monitored via an Ops engine to maintain battery charging temperatures and cell balancing for higher efficiencies.

About VoltUp: VoltUp platform is designed to drive change for all future mobility needs now! VoltUp is a one-stop solution to battery swapping for all 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler vehicle. We facilitate Electric Vehicle with our smart swappable batteries in 10 cities and ensure that everyone keeps driving without having to wait. VoltUp is a transparent, easy, accessible, safe, and INSTANT connected portable EV technology provider, making densely populated cities into smart cities. With a unique solution of Swapping and not Charging, provides the user a time saving and efficient way to run their vehicles. This guarantees a nil downtime to the users and zero hassles for all battery related issues.

About Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited: Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited, part of the diversified Adani Group, is an integrated business of power generation, transmission, and retail electricity distribution. AEML owns and operates the largest and the most efficient power distribution network in India. AEML serves over 3 million customers spread across 400 sq. km. in Mumbai and its suburbs meeting close to 2,000 MW of power demand with 99.99% reliability, which is among the highest in the country. AEML provides excellent customer care services with the help of advanced technologies. For more information, please visithttp://www.adanielectricity.com