Of the many concerns EV owners have today, the biggest one by far is range anxiety. The fear of running out of charge in the middle of the road has kept people away from buying EVs; even present EV owners constantly have one eye on the battery gauge.
With expanding charging infrastructure and improving range figures, the situation is certainly improving. However, in worst-case scenarios, if you find yourself stranded and out of charge, you can now order a fast charger right to your location.
- Mobile chargers will offer fast charging capabilities
- Swapping service offered for two-wheelers
- Aim to have 100 mobile charging and swapping stations by 2022
Chennai-based start-up GoFuel will soon be introducing a mobile charging service. The company started off by delivering diesel to customers’ locations, a service primarily aimed at users of diesel gensets. It is now expanding its operation to offer mobile charging and swapping stations for electric two, three and four-wheelers. What’s more, the company plans to have these mobile units charged using solar energy, thus using only clean energy.
For four-wheelers, the mobile charging solution will comprise of a van with on-board energy storage, which can be dispatched to your location and charge your vehicle. The system is being designed to offer fast charge with a rate of up to 200kW.
For two and three-wheelers, where the battery packs are often removable, GoFuel is also offering mobile battery swapping solutions, where it will dispatch fully-charged battery packs to your location, allowing you to get back on the go in minutes. Furthermore, it is also offering swapping subscription packages, where it offers users battery swapping services overnight.
While data shows most owners charge their EVs at the home or office, the mobile charging service will certainly offer peace of mind, especially given that EVs, once dead, should not be towed and rather taken on a flatbed to a charging location.
The first mobile charging vehicle should be ready this year-end and founder and CEO Vinodhraj says the company intends to “expand its network and reach multiple charging vehicles, which we will initialise, both ourselves and via our GoFueler franchisee model.” GoFuel’s franchisee model is currently operational in Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab and the company hopes to have a pan-India footprint soon. In terms of business GoFuel says its diesel delivery service has generated revenue of Rs 5 crore in a period of 5 months. While it is looking to expand into other fuels like petrol, it also plans to set up 100 mobile charging and swapping stations powered by solar energy, by mid-2022.
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