Catering to wide solutions in the field of electric vehicles including BMS, smart battery swapping solutions, charging solutions, Esmito has dipped its hands in variety of energy storage related segments.
An IIT Madras incubated company with technology co-developed with Centre for Battery Engineering and Electric Vehicles (CBEEV), Esmito boasts of having its battery manufacturing facility in Navi Mumbai that can manufacture up to 2,500 batteries (2kWh each) in a month, and its Hyderabad-based swap station facility can manufacture 100+ swap stations in a month.
Briefing Aishwarya on Esmito’s latest collaborations and solutions, Hasan Ali, Co-Founder, Esmito discussed about their battery swap stations and role of sustainable solutions in India’s ecosystem.
Offering wide range of e-mobility services, what differentiates Esmito from its competitors?
We are a tech-first EV swap services enabling company that has developed the entire technology stack and is now propagating it in the market. We have achieved significant success in this endeavour. When it comes to competition today, both battery technology and core swapping technology are lacking. At our facility in Navi Mumbai, we manufacture our own batteries, which are AIS156 Phase 2 approved by ARAI. Additionally, we have fully automated, cloud-connected swapping stations that are supported by our app. No other company currently offers this end-to-end 360-degree solution for swapping. Our ability to build the complete technology stack sets us apart from our competitors and provides us with a clear long-term differentiation.
Majorly known for providing battery-swap services across the country, tell us about Esmito’s cloud-based platform that offers battery analytics.
Esmito differentiates itself through its comprehensive battery analytics capabilities, predictive maintenance features, personalized charging recommendations, seamless integration with battery-swap services, and a scalable and reliable cloud-based platform. These factors contribute to Esmito’s reputation as a leading provider of e-mobility services with a strong focus on battery optimization and customer satisfaction. Esmito’s cloud-based platform stands out from its competitors in the e-mobility industry due to several key differentiators. We have two software platforms in our cloud-based system. The first one is a mobile app designed for end users, providing a convenient interface for swapping, making payments, and accessing swap history. Users can view their past swaps, the number of swaps they have done, and the timestamps for each transaction. The second platform is specifically developed for operators who own the assets in the field, such as logistics service providers or OEMs. This platform focuses on asset management rather than operation. Operators can manage assets, track battery utilization, station utilization, and enable/disable user access. Additionally, the platform provides analytics on swapping activities and battery performance, ensuring both the battery’s performance and safety are monitored closely. These two cloud-based platforms serve different purposes. The first platform is geared towards the operational side, enabling users to interact with the assets, while the second platform focuses on asset management, allowing operators to efficiently oversee and optimize their asset base.
In this era of clean mobility wherein sustainability plays a vital role for every business, what measures do Esmito employ to make their processes and services sustainable?
Our business plays a central role in the sustainability equation, with a specific focus on reducing GHG emissions. To date, we have achieved nearly 1000 tons of GHG savings as of May 31st. This progress is primarily driven by our aggressive efforts to convert more ICE vehicles to EVs and onboard customers through battery sales and swapping services. Looking ahead, our goal is to save between 4000 to 5000 tonnes of annual GHG emissions by mid-2024. Over the next three years, our target is to exceed 50,000 tonnes, making a significant contribution to emissions reduction. Achieving these targets would be a huge milestone and a measure of our success.
Regarding its recent collaboration with ElectricFuel, how does Esmito’s technology supports ElectricFuel fleet services?
We collaborate with three or four types of players. Firstly, we work with logistics companies or those looking to convert their logistics fleet into electric vehicles. These are the people we engage with to provide our services. Secondly, we collaborate with OEMs who want to establish swapping services for specific geographies or customers. They seek our assistance in rolling out these services. The third type of customer we work with primarily includes charging infrastructure providers such as ElectricFuel. Here the endeavour is to complement their existing fixed-type chargers by offering swapping services to their customers. We enable swapping services for these providers as well. This is a broad categorisation of our key customers. However, there is another emerging category in our case: quick commerce and e-commerce platforms, often operated by third-party logistics companies or e-commerce platforms. They are interested in incorporating swapping services into their operations, and we help establish swapping networks across their delivery hubs. In summary, these are the three or four types of customers we cater to. ElectricFuel is an example of one such customer that primarily focuses on charging services and wants to complement them with our swapping services.
Mention about Esmito’s Vehicle Control Unit and features of Bulk charger?
Regarding the features of our VCU, we are currently not in the business of making VCU, though we have done early pilots with VCU, commercialization of that product is not part of our current plans. Second product is bulk charger or a swap station. A swap station functions like a battery vending and charging machine. Users can walk up into any of these stations and, with the assistance of our app, exchange their discharged battery for a charged one. These swap stations have several automated features and operate through the app, allowing cloud connectivity and relaying battery data. Most swap stations have an IP67 rating, ensuring durability and water resistance. To enhance security, we have implemented the LockSmart feature, which enables battery swapping only at specific substations. This prevents users from charging the batteries at home. Our swap stations are state-of-the-art and can be customized based on specific requirements. Currently, our feature set is already advanced compared to our competition, but we are continuously working on developing four or five additional features. You can expect to hear about these exciting new features from us in the near future.
Additionally, we offer both variants of the swap station: air-cooled and HVAC cooled swapping stations. Specifically, the second type is handy when temperatures exceeds 45 degrees Celsius. Since India is a tropical country, this feature is useful, although the cost. However, it ensures safety and helps maintain batteries at their normal operating temperatures in certain areas.
Any future plans on expansion or any upcoming project the company is currently working on?
We have extensive expansion plans in terms of both our installed capacity for swap stations and batteries, as well as the expansion of our swapping services. Currently, we have partnered with more than 15 OEMs. We are actively collaborating with logistics service providers, e-commerce platforms, and quick commerce solution providers. Our partnerships span both the two-wheeler and three-wheeler segments. Over the next two to three years, we have exciting plans to expand our swapping services in the top 10 cities. Additionally, we aim to establish partnerships with a diverse range of customers, including those mentioned earlier. These strategic initiatives will drive our growth and presence in the market.