UNIDO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with a unique mandate to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial and economic development. The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is an international business association that promotes a sustainable decentralised renewable energy industry for the 21st century, activating markets for affordable energy services and creating local jobs and inclusive economies. Both UNIDO and ARE joined hands together to identify and publish case-studies on e-mobility solutions powered by decentralised renewable energy (DRE) in rural and peri-urban regions of emerging economies globally. BILITI Electric’s innovation around an integrated vehicle and battery swapping system has been identified as a unique and scalable DRE solution to accelerate the transition to sustainable and decarbonised mobility by showcasing innovative real-life examples from emerging economies.
According to the case-study, mobility challenges in emerging economies such as the lack of infrastructure, financial barriers and regulatory environment impact economic and social development. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the development of EV markets in emerging countries are still slow except for China. The mobility sector plays a crucial role in such emerging economies by acting as the cornerstone of economic activities. To facilitate national and international trade, the movement of people, and the transport of goods, a well-developed, sustainable and low-carbon mobility sector is vital.
“We are happy for being able to put India on the global map by developing a unique and robust DRE system through battery swapping for our e-vans. The advantages to a battery swapping system are obvious – quick battery recharge, relief from domestic charging woes and the lower upfront cost of EVs, given that battery leasing will replace battery ownership. The swappable batteries can be charged during the off-peak periods when the electricity tariffs are low. This may also help the serving DISCOMs flatten their respective power demand curves and better manage the load emanating from battery charging” said Harsha Bavirisetty, Co-Founder and COO of BILITI Electric.
As electricity demand increases further with the use of EVs, DRE systems can both supply electricity and enable the uptake of various e-transport options for rural communities. As a result, a global sustainable mobility transformation can be achieved. DRE systems can be understood as independent power generation and distribution units which are run by clean and renewable energy sources like solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, bioenergy and other clean sources.
“With an increase of e-mobility solutions powered by decentralised renewable energy (DRE) in rural and peri-urban regions of emerging economies, the potential for these regions to become the frontrunners of the future low-carbon mobility sector is high. This hypothesis is best exemplified by the case studies featured in the publication. We thank BILITI Electric for their contribution and support to this project” said Deepak Mohapatra, Senior Officer, Business and Market Development at Alliance for Rural Electrification.
This publication is dedicated to all companies taking pioneering steps by incorporating DRE solutions to power e-mobility. This not only boosts labour and economic productivity but also, on a broader scale, increases overall energy efficiency, thereby contributing to the decarbonisation of the mobility sector. The target audience for the publication is private sector companies and investors looking to enter the e-mobility space, the public sector entities considering establishing favourable environments for DRE-powered e-mobility solutions in their respective countries and regions and lastly, international organisations, civil society, and local communities who are crucial at all levels of the project cycle to ensure their long-term sustainability.
The timing of the recognition for BILITI’s battery swapping by international platforms backed by the United Nations is perfect, with the Indian government likely to come up with a battery-swapping policy by the end of Jan ’23 as per the reports. Earlier in her Budget Speech of 2022–23, the Hon’ble Finance Minister of India announced that the Union Government will introduce a Battery Swapping Policy and interoperability standards to improve efficiency in the EV ecosystem.
Biliti’s Taskman is a popular last-mile delivery vehicle that is deployed in 12+ countries across the globe including UK, France, Portugal, Germany, Lebanon, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, Nepal, Japan, USA, Bangladesh, Middle-East and India and has covered over 20 million miles. In addition to the manufacturing facility in India, it is setting up assembly plants in the US, Portugal, and Kenya. Taskman is being used by Amazon, IKEA, Wasoko (Sokowatch), BigBasket (Tata), Zomato, Flipkart (Walmart), Delhivery among others.