What happens when an industry prioritises needs over ownership? Battery swapping is transforming India's three-wheeler market—shifting mobility value from vehicle ownership to systems that prioritise operating time, affordability and electrification.
Meet Basanti. Mother. Driver. Entrepreneur. Her day starts before Delhi wakes.
For Basanti and women like her, battery swapping isn’t just a convenience—it’s a lifeline. In a city where charging infrastructure still lags, she’s part of a revolution on three wheels, proving that clean mobility can be inclusive, resilient and built from the ground up.
Delhi barely moves. Choked roads, chaotic junctions and creaking public infrastructure turn every commute into a test of patience. Air pollution, largely from vehicles, dust and industry, regularly ranks among the world’s worst, stinging lungs and shortening lives. Electrification offers hope.
As cities globally strain under the weight of congestion and climate pressure, demand is tilting towards cleaner, smarter and more autonomous mobility. Preferences are shifting to shared, electric and increasingly driverless alternatives—from robotaxis to industrial drones. Logistics is also being transformed, as automation reshapes the movement of goods and people.
As this pivot accelerates, governments, consumers and companies will converge around regulatory mandates, economic advantages and market demand—all underpinned by data and shared systems. Mobility is being rewritten by software.
Electric commercial vehicles are charging ahead. Buses and rickshaws are already reaching very high levels of electrification. India has emerged as a proving ground for clean transport: electric two- and three-wheelers are fast becoming the default on many Indian roads, their adoption driven by affordability, policy shifts and sheer necessity.
At dawn, India’s streets hum with the whirr of more than 2m electric rickshaws—zippy, open-air chariots piloted mostly by small-scale operators. Cheap, nimble and tailpipe-free, they are now the lifeblood of last-mile transit, ferrying commuters, schoolchildren and crates of mangoes alike.
Delhi's gig workers, predominantly from working- and middle-class backgrounds and usually living in densely populated areas, are up against a charging challenge, explains Gaurav Mittal, a researcher in mobility governance at the University of Oxford's Transport Studies Unit. “A lot of times [drivers] are not even able to take their vehicles to their homes because the roads are not motorable or they are very narrow,” he says.
Even with improvements in battery life, e-rickshaws cannot remain unplugged indefinitely. If drivers wait to charge during their shifts, even the fastest options will cost them about 30 minutes of earnings.
Simply swapping a rickshaw’s depleted battery for a charged one, however, takes time, but is essential to keep income flowing. Dr Mittal notes that the technology has become “almost necessary for them to be able to operate”. Grassroots demand has fuelled innovation.
Basanti starts early, weaving through Delhi’s thick morning traffic. She’ll swap her rickshaw’s battery two or three times a day, usually in less than five minutes. No waiting. No lost fares. She pays via mobile wallet. With more uptime, her income has increased, and, in a system not built for her, Basanti now has more agency than ever before.
Battery swapping is the real game changer. Most stations are informal, tucked inside auto shops, or run by ex-drivers. These micro-businesses are being digitised fast: fintech apps, QR codes and IoT-enabled batteries are making informal systems data-rich and scalable.
The data collected accumulates to provide insights with real world impact. And Delhi’s model proves that affordable, decentralised innovation can power clean transport in some of the world’s densest and most polluted cities. It’s a blueprint for inspiring change from Nairobi to Jakarta to Santiago.
Although electrification offers hope, a lack of co-ordinated planning and holistic smart mobility ecosystems could perpetuate old inequalities. “Innovations cannot happen in rigid frameworks,” notes Dr Mittal. India's government he adds, often treats auto rickshaw drivers as passive recipients of policy decisions, rather than as active stakeholders.
“Increasingly comprehensive yet strategically designed mobility ecosystems are emerging—structured around the specific needs of distinct consumer groups. This is leading to business models that emphasise diversity and personalisation rather than conforming to a standardised global ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.”
Underlying technology for electrification continues to improve. In the coming years, several next-generation battery technologies will reach commercialisation. The gap between advancing battery technology and equitable access indicates why governance matters as much as innovation.
Behind the smooth ride lies a sharp surge in demand for the minerals that power it. Lithium, copper and rare earths are the foundation of next-gen technologies, such as AI, robotics and smart grids.
Demand for lithium rose by nearly 30% in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency. But as appetite intensifies, investors and buyers increasingly require proof of responsible sourcing, while water scarcity in extraction regions threatens operations. Miners are turning to more efficient extraction methods that use less water and energy, cutting costs while meeting stricter regulatory standards and investor expectations.
New approaches promise a cleaner path: direct lithium extraction (DLE) methods are emerging across Chile's Atacama Desert and beyond, transforming the way we make the things that keep our cities moving.
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