Keeping the EVs sector’s fast charging needs in mind, the Government of India (GOI) expressed interest in battery swapping technology in the FY 2022-23 budget session . Following this, a draft battery swapping policy was released on April 20, 2022.

This is a holistic policy that aims to catalyse the large-scale adoption of EVs by ensuring efficient and effective use of scarce resources like public funds, land, and raw materials for advanced cell batteries for delivery of customer-centric services. The policy is battery technology- and business model-agnostic and is applicable for all Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACCs).

The draft policy also aims to streamline technical and operational requirements to provide impetus to the battery swapping ecosystem. It also talks about the provision of direct and indirect financial incentives to various stakeholders to promote battery swapping. Re-use and recycling of batteries after first life and end-of-life have also been considered in the policy.

Finally, there is an institutional framework put in place to ensure smooth implementation of the policy.