E-rickshaws powered by used batteries from Audi’s electric vehicles are being introduced to the Indian market by German–Indian start-up Nunam.
The vehicles will be powered by batteries taken from test vehicles in the Audi e-tron test fleet in a pilot project that will explore how modules made with high-voltage batteries can be reused after their initial life cycle.
The e-rickshaws powered by second-life batteries are scheduled to hit the roads in India in early 2023.
Nunam has developed three prototypes in collaboration with the training team at Audi’s Neckarsulm site, in a project between Audi and the Audi Environmental Foundation alongside Nunam.
The Berlin and Bangalore-based non-profit start-up Nunam based is funded by the Audi Environmental Foundation.
The e-rickshaws will be made available to a non-profit organisation, and women in particular will be able to use them to transport goods to market without the need for intermediaries.
Co-founder of Nunam, Prodip Chatterjee, said: “The old batteries are still extremely powerful. Car batteries are designed to last the life of the car. But even after their initial use in a vehicle, they still have a lot of their power.
“For vehicles with lower range and power requirements, as well as lower overall weight, they are extremely promising. In our second-life project, we reuse batteries from electric cars in electric vehicles; you might call it electric mobility ‘lite’. In this way, we’re trying to find out how much power the batteries can still provide in this demanding use case.”
The start-up’s primary goal is to develop ways to use old batteries as second-life power storage systems, to extend their lives and using resources more efficiently.
Electrically powered rickshaws on the subcontinent are often powered by lead-acid batteries, which are charged primarily with public grid power.
Nunam’s e-rickshaws will charge using power from solar charging stations powered by solar panels on the roofs of the local partner’s premises.
After the battery has spent its first life in an Audi e-tron and its second in an e-rickshaw, a third step could see the batteries’ remaining power used for stationary applications such as LED lighting.
