From Pasadena to India: Local Company Aims to Disrupt $16 Billion Auto-Rickshaw Market With Cost-Saving Swappable Battery

A Northwest Pasadena energy supplier company situated thousands of miles away from the busy crowded streets of India is promising to bring a host of economic and social benefits to the Asian country.

With its new swappable battery designed for use by auto-rickshaws, Pasadena-based Power Global vows to bring clean and affordable battery technology to India’s massive three-wheeler market valued at $16 billion.

The company this week introduced its first mass market product, the eZee ™ swappable battery, which powers two to three-wheeled vehicles including auto-rickshaws.

According to the company, the eZee™ battery module is currently available by subscription pre-order, with initial distribution in Greater Noida, New Delhi in India.

“We are on a mission to improve access to clean energy solutions in India and other emerging markets by sharing our collective years of expertise in bringing affordable battery technology to market,” said Pankaj Dubey, co-founder and CEO of Power Global’s India subsidiary.

Dubey said the product will give light vehicles a new life and will help create job opportunities in India.

Aside from India, Power Global also plans to offer the product to neighboring markets in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Nigeria as well as other locations in Southeast Asia and Africa.

“The demand that we see in emerging markets is greater than those experienced by the United States, as millions of drivers are limited by options to affordably switch to electric mobility,” said Porter Harris, CEO and founder of Power Global.

“With our team’s breadth and depth of experience, there is a major opportunity to bring affordable, high-performance electric vehicle technology to these communities to serve new markets while helping these regions improve air quality and ultimately their quality of life.”

Harris told Pasadena Now the swappable batteries aim to replace the existing lead acid batteries in the market to allow for a low-cost and cleaner battery option.

“Because it is an energy as a service, we’re saving the average user up to 35% in operating costs a day,” he said.

Through the firm’s energy-as-a-service membership program, drivers can either recharge the module at home or swap the battery at Power Global’s convenient kiosks for a fully charged battery in less than a minute.

According to Harris, aside from light mobility vehicles, the product can also be used for robotics.

Harris said the company is also planning to offer the product to the US market.

Following the launch of the eZee™ battery module, Power Global officials said the company will announce its first line of Retrofit Kits to convert diesel- and petrol-fueled auto rickshaws into zero-emissions electric vehicles.

Power Global is founded in 2019. Its mission is to improve global accessibility to safe, reliable and modern clean energy technology through innovative electrification products and services.

Its facilities include its in-country battery production plant, located in Greater Noida, India, and its R&D lab and battery manufacturing facility in Pasadena which focuses on new product innovations and stationary storage applications.