Micro Mobility start-up Yulu has launched AI-enabled battery charging & swapping solution ‘Yulu Max Network’ to help users swap their batteries with zero downtime and reduce the range anxiety of EV users.
According to the company, this will be India’s first AI-powered, vertically integrated battery infrastructure for electric 2-wheelers. In a press release, the company said that Max stations will solve the problem of range anxiety with electric 2-wheelers by having the battery swapping stations within two kilometres of a rider’s reach.
To enable this, Yulu will create 500 stations across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR regions by the middle of 2022.
As per the company, these stations will be strategically located in areas of high movement density, making EV's a convenient and practical mobility solution. In addition, this network will be scaled to more than 2,000 stations by the end of 2022, eventually putting these stations within one kilometre of a rider’s reach. The first batch of 10 stations was launched in Bengaluru.
The inauguration was held on 16 November 2021, in Castle Street, Bengaluru Central Business District (CBD), in the presence of V Manjula, Commissioner, Directorate of Urban Land Transport, Dr BR Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru City, and M N Reddi, Former Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City.
Yulu Co-founders R K Mishra and Naveen Dachuri were also present at the event. Max Network in Bengaluru will be quickly scaled to 30 by the end of this month and 100 within the next three months. These will have the capacity to increase the initial outlay of 10,000 battery swaps per day to 25,000 batteries per day by the end of the next quarter in the Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR regions.
By the end of next year, the network will have the capacity for 150,000 battery swaps per day and will cover electric 2-wheeler users across an area of 750 square kilometres in these three cities.
Amit Gupta, Co-Founder, Yulu Bike, said, “People see the long-term value of switching to electric mobility. The unprecedented demand for EVs and shared electric mobility has been a clear indicator to us about shifting consumer preferences.
Max Network will be available to all Yulu users to start with, where they get their battery swapped at a location of their convenience.'
Manjula said, “With the city battling increased pollution and congestion problems, such disruptive innovations can go a long way in improving the situation.
Charging facilities like Yulu Max Network will encourage more people to use shared electric vehicles for their transport requirements. This will serve as a role model for India’s vision towards a sustainable ecosystem and shared electric vehicle adoption.'