E-Rickshaw Battery Technology is making giant strides thanks to the continuous impetus on research, encouraging policies, and collaborative approach taken by the business ecosystem. With revolutionary advancements in design, material, and assembly, e-rickshaw batteries are becoming instrumental in ensuring last-mile connectivity to the masses like never before.
Many innovations have already made their way into battery technology and with no letting up in the momentum, e-rickshaw batteries are likely to pave the way for the next-level adoption of e-rickshaws in India and abroad. While several breakthroughs in e-rickshaw batteries have been witnessed lately, we pick the most significant ones to keep you up to speed with the latest in the segment:
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a) Material Upgradation: Many new materials are nowadays experimented with to build high-density batteries that are also capable of offering excellent thermal stability. While lithium continues to remain the preferred choice for now, the dramatic rise of Graphene as the most promising alternative is making waves in the industry. Graphene packs in high density, offers excellent conductivity, and comes with high thermal stability.
Silicon is not behind as it offers credible high density and what further makes it an an ideal material for e-rickshaw batteries is its cost-effective nature. The mixture of lithium and sulphur is also emerging as a strong contender for e-rickshaws as the combination offers desirable characteristics of batteries such as a long life cycle and high density.
b) Design Upgradations: In addition to experimenting with new materials, e-rickshaw batteries are also witnessing upgradation in their design technology and manufacturing technologies. Take, for instance, the emergence of solid-state batteries which have caught the attention of stakeholders across the electric vehicle ecosystem. These batteries offer significantly higher benefits such as faster charging, high density and more safety compared to their traditional counterparts.
Solid-state batteries also offer more reliability with longer operating cycles, making them ideal for e-rickshaws. In terms of manufacturing, many companies today are experimenting with 3D printing as the technique offers higher-order benefits in both the design and production of e-rickshaw batteries.
c) Rise of Supercapacitors: Owing to several unique characteristics compared to traditional battery systems, the rise of supercapacitors has become the talk of the town. Supercapacitors can easily handle up to 1,00,000 cycles of charge/discharge while regular batteries are good enough only for 2000-3000 such cycles. Further, the rapid charging makes supercapacitors suitable for e-rickshaws although the higher rate of discharge is a cause of concern that needs to be addressed.
The higher cost of the supercapacitors is another challenge as these are significantly more expensive in comparison to the traditional batteries used in e-rickshaws. However, both of these issues are likely to be resolved in the coming years as inventors are constantly experimenting with new technologies to make a breakthrough.
d) Charging Models: The rise of wireless charging is likely to become a game-changer for the wider adoption of e-rickshaws. The wireless method offers faster charging capabilities, is less prone to losses, and can be set up at a significantly faster pace. Further, the elimination of the physical infrastructure such as wires and cables makes the charging technique ideal for e-rickshaws and other electric vehicles.
In addition, the e-rickshaw space is also witnessing the emergence of many new models including battery-swapping wherein a discharged battery is replaced with a charged one within a matter of few seconds. It’s a fast, convenient, and reliable method and thanks to completely hassle-free operations, the battery-swapping model is finding favour among e-rickshaw owners.
The battery is at the heart of any electric vehicle; the same is true in the case of e-rickshaws. The active participation of the stakeholders promises to bring more transformative changes in battery technology which, in turn, will help the e-rickshaw segment to spread its reach far and beyond. To continue with this advancement, the crucial requirement is to ensure that all stakeholders including policymakers come together and collaborate to ensure the last mile connectivity to the masses.
* Note: This article is authored by Mitull Batraa, Co-founder and CEO of Udaan E- E-Vehicles. All views are personal.