Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has projected that conventional fuel stations could soon transition into battery swap hubs for electric vehicles (EVs).
Speaking at the Future of Energy Conference, he noted that rapid innovation is making EV batteries smaller and more efficient, paving the way for a model where drivers can replace depleted batteries within minutes instead of waiting to charge.
“The batteries for these EV vehicles are getting smaller. What I see is that in future, these petrol, diesel or fossil fuel stations will become EV battery stations and people will no longer have to park their cars to charge their vehicles over minutes or hours. We should be able to drive through these same filling stations and just replace your battery and keep driving on. Through innovation, I am very confident that we can make use of these products or some of these filling stations,” John Jinapor remarked.
Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Ben Boakye, speaking on the sidelines of the Future of Energy Conference, urged private investors in filling stations to begin exploring how to transition their facilities to support electric mobility.
He noted that energy investors and fuel retailers must start adapting their infrastructure to align with the shift in future mobility demand.
“A lot of EVs are coming into the system. It is up to the private people who have invested in filling stations to now begin to look at how to make that shift and be aggressive at it. Try to reengineer their business model to incorporate renewable and then also electric vehicle charging point so that they are not left stranded,” he said.
