Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) has developed a project to create a fast battery replacement station. Thanks to its special design, the equipment will allow you to change the battery of electric scooters and bicycles in a matter of seconds, which is especially beneficial for delivery couriers and other services that are interested in saving time.
Courier services are constantly faced with the problem of e-bike downtime due to battery replacement. As a rule, after 40 km of running, the battery runs out, and recharging takes from three to eight hours. During this time, couriers lose about 30% of their revenue.
Maxim Zavyalov, a second-year student at the Faculty of Mechatronics and Automation at NSTU-NETI, offered his solution to this problem. He is developing the VoltSwap S 1 robotic station, which is capable of changing the battery in just 10 seconds.
The equipment consists of a small metal floor cabinet with 12 cells, each of which stores a standardized 48-volt battery for electric bicycles. The built-in "hand-carriage" mechanism automatically changes the discharged battery to a working one as soon as the user has paid for this action via an NFC card or QR code.
"The cost of the station, thanks to the use of mainly domestic components, will be about 650,000 thousand rubles, which is much cheaper than its foreign counterparts. In addition to the low cost, the ultrafast station is environmentally friendly and simple in design. Simply put, there is nothing to break," said Maxim Zavyalov.
According to the developer, the resources of NSTU-NETI and the workshop of the REACTOR startup center will be used to implement the project to create a quick battery replacement station for bicycle batteries. The team will be formed from university students of technical fields. In the future, it is planned to launch the production and sale of stations to operators of sharing and courier services.