Power Global, a firm located in the United States that specializes in sustainable energy and mobility solutions, announced a strategic relationship with Rap Eco Motors, a manufacturer of auto-rickshaws in Hyderabad, to offer its eZee swappable lithium-ion battery technology.
Power Global has secured a deal with the manufacturer for its RANIE, mass-market electric three-wheeler product line, which comprises passenger auto-rickshaw, delivery van, and freight vehicle L3 and L5 models.
After the initial product introduction in April 2022, the firms will collaborate to produce 50,000 electric auto-rickshaws over the next five years, furthering both companies’ “made in India” production roadmaps.
Power Global’s engineering solution enables Rap Eco Motors to skip the pricey and time-consuming process of building an in-house electrification technology in an ever-changing auto-rickshaw market like India.
Rap Eco Motors provides high-quality e-rickshaws throughout the country as well as in Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America.
With the capability to deliver 400,000 modules per year, Power Global’s domestic battery production factory in Greater Noida is set to become the nation’s leading in-country producer of lithium-ion batteries.
The collaboration with Power Global is the first stage in the Hyderabad-based company’s development of a holistic 360-degree solution for the OEM’s electric auto-rickshaws, RANIE, which will be using Power Global’s 48-volt swappable eZee battery module.
When compared to current fossil fuel-powered auto-rickshaws on the road, each RANIE vehicle is predicted to reduce CO2 emissions by 3.7 metric tonnes per year while also eliminating hazardous NOx and PM exhaust emissions that are major contributors to air pollution.
“We feel a joint obligation to commercialize a sustainable and clean solution in the world’s largest three-wheeler market.” stated Parmod Chabria, a Co-founder at Rap Eco Motors.
“Our complementing footprints in Northern and Southern India position us for important national expansion, which will assist spur the country’s adoption of more affordable, less polluting transportation for thousands of drivers,” he added.
In a country with limited infrastructure, just like India, automobile OEMs are adopting technologies such as battery swapping to further decrease the initial outlay of EVs in efforts to increase accessibility and expedite the country’s clean energy revolution.
Power Global targets to deploy 10,000 batteries and light transportation electric retrofit kits backed by their battery swapping network by the conclusion of 2022, in support of India’s FAME II directives, which are spurring OEMs to pursue electrification solutions.
