The German-Indian start-up Nunam wants to put three electric rickshaws on India’s roads that are powered by used batteries from Audi e-tron test vehicles. However, the project goes beyond pure technology.
The stated aim of the project is to explore how modules from high-voltage batteries can be reused after their use in cars and become a second-life use case suitable for everyday use – from a technical point of view. But the electric rickshaws also pursue other goals: They are to be made available to women so that they can participate in trade. If the women can transport their goods safely, their chances of earning a living increase.
The vehicles are scheduled to be available from the beginning of 2023. Audi does not give technical details in the announcement – so it is unclear whether entire battery modules will continue to be used in the rickshaws or whether the modules will still be divided into smaller storage units.
“The old batteries are still extremely powerful,” says Nunam co-founder Prodip Chatterjee. “When used appropriately, second-life batteries can have a huge impact, helping people in challenging life situations earn an income and gain economic independence – everything in a sustainable way.”
According to Chatterjee, electric car batteries are promising for initial use “for vehicles with lower range and power requirements” because of their specifications. “We are using electric car batteries again in electric vehicles in this second-life project, sort of as a lighter form of electric mobility,” says the founder. “This way we want to find out how much power the battery can still provide in this demanding use case.”
During the deployment in India, Nunam plans to continuously monitor the performance and range of the electric rickshaws. The data will also be made available to potential imitators via an open-source platform. Nunam himself is already thinking beyond the use in the Rickshas: in the third step, he says, it is conceivable to use their remaining energy for stationary applications such as LED lighting. “We want to get everything out of the battery before it goes into recycling,” says Chatterjee.
Nunam is also reportedly collaborating with micromobility provider Tier Mobility to give old battery cells from electric scooters a second life in rural India.
In addition to the rickshaws intended for road use in India, the apprentices at the Neckarsulm site are developing an additional show car rickshaw in cooperation with Nunam, which will be exhibited and used for test drives at the Greentech Festival in Berlin from 22 June. A twelve-strong team of apprentices under the guidance of Timo Engler, Head of Vehicle Technology / Logistics Training at Neckarsulm, is playing a key role in the development. “The trainees and Nunam are in constant communication with each other – we have a dedicated line between Neckarsulm and Bangalore. In building the show rickshaw, our trainees are focusing on range, charging time, and design – the result is a rickshaw with Audi’s DNA,” says Engler.
With reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany.
Keyword: Second life project takes off in India with Audi batteries