Swapp Design | Developing battery swapping solution for electric four wheelers • EVreporter

Founded in 2022, Bengaluru-based start-up Swapp Design is developing an autonomous battery-swapping solution for electric 4-wheelers.

Team EVreporter caught up with co-founders Pathi Mohan Rao (L) and Buddhabrata Chakravorty (R) to understand their approach to battery swapping, solution design and level of technology readiness.

Please tell us about the target vehicle segment for Swapp Design solution.

At Swapp Design, we are building autonomous battery-swapping solutions for electric 4- wheelers. While the technology is designed to be compatible with any 4-wheeler EV, initially, we are solving for the intracity 4-wheeler cargo vehicle users with payloads up to 1.5 tons.

How is your solution different from that of other global battery-swapping companies, such as Nio or Ample?

Nio and Ample have demonstrated that battery swapping is a compelling solution. We share a few similarities with them on the ‘what’, but our ‘why’ and ‘how’ are unique.

While other companies use underground precision jigs and fixtures to facilitate under-chassis swapping, we use our proprietary SwappBots instead. SwappBots are fully autonomous special purpose mobile robots.

SwappBots give our approach the following key distinctions:

• SwappBots are designed to work in groups to serve multiple EVs simultaneously.

• They are designed to slide under the EV without needing to lift the EV, giving users a frictionless experience.

• SwappBots align autonomously with the localized orientation of the EVs, so no additional time is spent in aligning the EVs.

These distinctions help maximize the Swapp Station’s asset utilization and resilience to incoming traffic fluctuations. This is the foundation for our unique path to profitability.

Please walk us through the process of automated swapping as designed by Swapp Design.

The entire swapping duration would be less than 5 minutes. Here’s how the process goes:

• It starts when an EV drives into the Swapp Station and parks in the swapping area.

• The Swapping Protocol is initiated.

• A fleet of SwappBots approach the EV and precision align autonomously under the EV’s chassis as per the EV’s localized orientation.

• Delatch the depleted Battery Modules and carry them to the Swapp Station, where they are recharged in a controlled environment.

• These SwappBots then bring a set of pre-charged Battery Modules from the Swapp Station back to the EV.

• The SwappBots then return to the Swapp Station, concluding the Swapping Protocol.

• The EV is now at 100% charge and is good to go.

All of this happens without needing to park the EV in a specific way, without having to lift the EV, and without having to have the occupants step out of the EV.

How does your solution enable interoperability between different OEMs?

We approach it with a modular architecture. We have built a Lego-like standardized Battery Module. Multiple of these modules make up the bespoke battery system for the EV.

For integration with the EV, we have developed an adopter named Portal. The Portal sits on the chassis of the EV and houses the Battery Modules. So, while Portals are designed to meet specific EV constraints, the Battery Modules are standardized. The Swapp Stations are designed to function with standardized Battery Modules; thus, by extension, each Swapp Station caters to all the EVs on our platform.

What is the current TRL, and what kind of validation has the solutions received?

We are between TRL 4 and 5 in most cases.

We showcased our SwappBot’s autonomous capability (swapping between the Swapp Station and a retrofitted EV), although privately, to the investor community. We intend to showcase our tech publicly in the coming months.

Please tell us about the current focus of your R&D efforts and the IP created so far.

We have achieved the autonomous capability of our SwappBots. We are working on integrating our Battery Modules into the EV and iterating on the product development cycles. Next, we will look to get our technology certified. We are taking it one step at a time.

So far, we have filed eight patents and published one technical paper. These innovations allow us to build modular battery systems and swap the modules seamlessly. Our IPs range from the Battery Module to the Portal to the SwappStation and the user experience.

What are the expected economics of setting up a Swapping station with your solution?

Our Swapp Stations are designed to be modular and scalable. Variants can range from 6 to 48 EVs per hour, depending on the density of users in the locality. We will operate the first few Swapp Stations and establish a standard operating procedure. After that, we will open them up for franchising. Swapp Stations would earn back its investment within the first year of operation.

Please tell us about the investment raised so far and the plans ahead.

We were bootstrapped for about one year. Then, in October 2023, we raised pre-seed capital as part of the Sanchi Connect Pre-seed Accelerator, with investments coming in from Seafund Ventures, EV2 Ventures, ThinKuvate, and Mukesh Sharma Family Office. We are looking to raise our seed round.

Also read: EV battery swapping DRAFT policy released in India