Techno-Economic Analysis of BEV Service Providers Offering Battery Swapping Services (Presentation)

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could significantly reduce the nation's gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions rates. However, both the upfront cost and the limited range of the vehicle are perceived to be deterrents to the widespread adoption of BEVs. A service provider approach to marketing BEVs, coupled with a battery swapping infrastructure deployment could address both issues and accelerate BEV adoption. This presentation examines customer selection, service usage statistics, service plan fees and driver economics. Our results show it is unlikely that a battery swapping service plan will be more cost-effective than ownership of a conventional vehicle. A battery swapping service plan may be a more cost-effective solution than a directly owned BEV for some single-vehicle, high-mileage consumers. However, other factors not considered in this analysis could decrease the viability of such a service.