Bounce Infinity has partnered with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited to install its battery swapping stations at key BPCL fuel stations across the country. Starting from Bengaluru, the brand aims to establish around 3000 swapping stations in 10 major metro cities in a phased manner. And since battery swapping is as fast as refueling a vehicle, it will serve as a paramount path to the adoption of short-range 2- and 3-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs).
Recently, Bharat Petroleum has also partnered with MG Motors and Hero MotoCorp to boost EV infrastructure across the nation.
Also Read: Bounce Infinity E1 Production Commenced; Deliveries To Begin Soon
Here is the official press release from the brand for more details: –
BHARAT PETROLEUM, BOUNCE INFINITY PARTNER TO SET UP BATTERY SWAPPING STATIONS FOR 1 MILLION+ CUSTOMERS
- Service will start from Bengaluru and will be expanded to major metro cities in a phased manner.
- 3000 stations to be set up in top 10 cities across India.
- Infrastructure to support 2W’s, 3W’s and other OEM’s.
Bengaluru, 30 May 2022: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and Fortune
Global 500 company, and Bounce Infinity have joined hands to fortify the Bounce Infinity’s extensive
battery swapping infrastructure. Under this partnership, Bounce Infinity will set-up its proven and
efficacious battery swapping stations across Bharat Petroleum fuel stations in a phased manner. The
company aims to set up 3000 scooters across top 10 cities. Consumers looking to swap their nearly
drained batteries can search for the nearest swapping location on the Bounce App. The smart
framework will cater not only to the company’s retail business, but will also support the interoperable
partners (2W’s, 3W’s & other OEM’s) for ease of mobility across geographies and form factors i.e two
wheelers & three wheelers. Battery swapping as a solution would also support those 2W’s & 3W’s
that have been converted to EV from ICE.
The alliance with Bounce Infinity is a significant step by BPCL in its energy transition journey by
creating a formidable solution for the 2 wheeler and 3 wheeler customer segments who have turned
out to be the early adopters in electric vehicles and who are today the dominant segments in personal
and shared mobility. Having already taken the lead by setting up fast charging highway corridors
starting with the 900 Km Chennai-Trichy-Madurai-Chennai route, the alliance with Bounce Infinity will
mark BPCL’s strong presence in urban markets with a network of battery swapping stations.
Battery swapping forms an obvious alternative to charging given – quick replenishment of battery
charge, relief from domestic charging woes and lower upfront cost of EVs, given that battery leasing
replaces battery ownership. Given battery swapping reduces the upfront cost of the scooter by 40-50%,
we believe this would accelerate the EV adoption in the country.
The Infinity swapping stations work on similar principles to a fuel station. Here, Infinity battery
swapping stations will have charged and ready-to-go batteries that customers can easily swap with their
near-empty batteries in under a few minutes. With this infrastructure in place, customers wouldn’t
have to wait for the scooter to charge, be anxious about the range or remember to charge it.
Bounce Infinity has so far seen over 1.2M battery swaps on its energy infrastructure; this partnership with
Bharat Petroleum, which runs a distributed network of over 20,000 fuel station reiterates the companies
promise of making the swapping network accessible to consumers
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Vivekananda Hallakere, Co-Founder & CEO, Bounce, said,
“Bounce Infinity has been strategically partnering with prominent industry players to revolutionize the battery swapping scenario. This partnership reiterates our commitment towards a cleaner and pollution-free
country by making our network accessible to consumers at the same scale and convenience as refuelling.
We look forward to a long-lasting partnership between Bounce Infinity and BPCL”.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. P.S. Ravi, Executive Director In-Charge (Retail), BPCL, said, –
“BPCL has always been at the forefront of providing all forms of energy solutions for personal and commercial
mobility to our customers. As we pace ourselves for an exciting phase of energy transition towards clean
energy, we are delighted to partner with Bounce Infinity, a leading start up offering innovative and stateof-the art smart battery swapping solutions for 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler EV customers.
India’s personal mobility is primarily driven by two-wheelers who form the largest part of our valued
customer base and the two-wheeler segment has been the early adopters of electric two wheelers. We are
privileged to service over 10 million 2/3-wheeler customers every day in our country-wide network and we
look forward to offering our esteemed customers, an efficient battery swapping experience through our
partnership with Bounce Infinity especially in the urban markets where quick turnaround of vehicles is a
primary customer need for personal mobility, freight and shared mobility segments. Battery swapping
with pre-charged batteries from Bounce Infinity will significantly reduce the vehicle downtime adding
customer convenience and reducing range anxiety. The interoperability feature offered by Bounce Infinity
will help us to serve a larger spread of EV customers and will help in the growth of this important battery
swapping segment in the EV space in the country.
This partnership focussed on urban markets complements BPCL’s overall EV charging roadmap of setting
up fast charging corridors across major highways in the country inter-connecting major cities and
economic centres and will have a network of 7000 conveniently located fast charging stations along with
a host of customer amenities in the country in the next 2-3 years.”
Backed by small local businesses, fueling bunks, subway stations, cafes and restaurants, Bounce Infinity
Swapping network has a distribution of hundreds of smart stations across major Indian cities. These
stations, which were installed about 11 months back, have seen over 1.2M swaps translating to over
49M+ EV kms. It’s easy to understand why Bounce has grown in popularity, too. It’s the first in the
country to support the transition. The company aims to build an infrastructure to support a million+
scooters in the next 24 months.
The Infinity Swapping Network doesn’t just store energy – it also transmits data. The smart battery
and the station carries numerous sensors and IOT that communicate securely with the outside world.
This helps the company to scale smartly and distribute the network without creating an imbalance in the
grid. For the rider, this smart network ensures a smooth and hassle free experience. Safety solutions
powered by smart IOT’s and BMS makes assets safe. The solution supports Bidirectional charging or
popularly known as ‘V2G’ (Vehicle to Grid Technology) that goes one step further and allows the
charged power to be pushed back to the power grid to balance energy consumption and production
variations when necessary.
The Infinity Battery and the swapping station is much more than just a bright battery and a smart
station. It’s the base to a concept that every manufacturer can make use of.
