SOLshare expands to electric vehicle (EV) batteries

SOLshare, the pioneer of the world's first peer-to-peer energy exchange network in Bangladesh, has expanded to electric vehicle (EV) batteries and is developing a network of smart distributed solar-powered storage assets. 

The company successfully demonstrated its smart Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology at the Uttar Khan Dobadea electric three-wheeler charging station on 13 June, reads a press release. 

The event provided attendees with an opportunity to witness the capabilities of smart lithium-ion batteries in transforming the efficiency and sustainability of electric vehicles (EVs) in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is home to 3 million electric three-wheelers, such as "mishuks" and "easy bikes," with a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) potential of 3GW, representing more than 20% of Bangladesh's peak load, SOLshare believes that incorporating IoT technology can turn these vehicles from a burden into a support system for the national grid. By optimizing battery performance and enabling remote control, smart IoT-powered lithium-ion batteries can significantly improve energy efficiency. 

The event was graced by esteemed guests, including Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Bir Bikram, Energy Advisor to the Hon'ble Prime Minister, who served as the Chief Guest, and Matt Cannell, Acting British High Commissioner To Bangladesh, British High Commission, Dhaka, as the Special Guest.

Adviser Dr. Tawfiq Elahi Chowdhury congratulated SOLshare saying "Congratulations to SOLshare for their innovative work that is driving positive change for the common good of the public. It brings me immense joy to see how you have embraced Bangladesh's EVs or 'Beslas' and empowered them with an innovative IoT application. May your impactful work continue to inspire and spread across the nation. I am very proud of the fact that this is a home-grown effort. I want you [SOLshare] to go forward, leapfrogging the experiences of the West. SREDA, IDCOL, and the EPRC are here and they will help you finance this. The international development community should also come in addition."

Acting British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Matt Cannell said, "In the longer run, reliance on fossil fuels cannot continue, and the energy transformation behind the work SOLshare is doing here is the future of this country. Md. Alamin, the owner of the charging station, is whom we could consider here to be one of the early adopters who will change the face of road transportation in Bangladesh." 

During the event, attendees, including representatives from Power Cell, SREDA, EPRC, BPDB, A2I, IDCOL, UIU, the European Commission, and bKash, among others, had the exclusive opportunity to tour the charging station and observe the transformative potential of smart IoT devices in optimizing battery performance. The visit provided firsthand insights into the practical application of this technology and fostered discussions on sustainable financing for energy transformation.

After having pioneered the world's first peer-to-peer microgrid, SOLshare is determined to unlock even more potential from underutilized resources, by turning millions of toxic lead-acid batteries into smart lithium-ion batteries, starting with Bangladesh's electric three-wheelers. Once achieved, the country will reap the benefits in terms of energy efficiency, but also by facilitating a more aggressive renewable energy pathway by making available storage solutions via a virtual power plant offering.

"Bangladesh has more EVs on its roads today than Tesla has sold globally to date. Let's make these EVs count!" commented Dr. Sebastian Groh, founder and managing director of SOLshare. Isa Abrar Ahmed, Director of Product & Business Development, pointed out that "those smart lithium batteries are already more economical than their lead-acid counterpart if sustainable financing is in place. In total this will require USD 4.5bn for the entire three million strong fleet of EVs." Aziza Sultana Mukti, Director of Operations at SOLshare stressed that "the import duties for the lithium cells, which then can be assembled locally into smart batteries, need to be waived to pave the path for a larger uptake."