The New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP), in collaboration with EV infrastructure firm RACEnergy, launched the region's first battery-swapping station in Tirupati on Friday to test five retrofitted Electric Vehicles (EV). RACEnergy's solution assists in the conversion of diesel auto-rickshaws to electric. The retrofit kits, along with the battery swapping stations and RACEnergy-made swappable batteries, provide a well-integrated, cost-effective, and scalable solution, allowing drivers to swap their discharged batteries for charged ones in under two minutes, allowing them to stay on the road for longer periods, according to the company. According to the company, the advanced technology integration of hot-swapping the batteries eliminates any manual intervention of plugging connectors, making the entire process much safer and completely handled by the company. Reddy said that drivers can purchase retrofit kits and convert their diesel vehicles to electric vehicles through this one-of-a-kind solution. For the driver community, battery swapping makes financial sense because after the vehicle is converted, their operating costs drop by 30% and their earnings increase. RACEnergy, a Hyderabad-based company founded by BITS Pilani alumni Arun Sreyas and Gautham Maheswaran in 2018, primarily designs and manufactures battery swapping stations and swappable batteries. According to the press release, the company's innovative technology and solution aims to lower the cost of electric vehicles and address key adoption challenges such as high vehicle costs, long charging times, a lack of swapping infrastructure, and range anxiety. RACE also claims to be working on a one-of-a-kind electric three-wheeler powertrain. The company is offering these powertrains as retrofit kits to convert existing ICE auto-rickshaws in the first phase. Image Source Also read: Indian Oil plans to set up 10k EV charging stations in India