Title: Swappable Batteries for Electric Vehicles – Push Towards Technology Driven Manufacturing   

Abstract:

The talk will highlight the case for Electric Vehicles in Pakistan as an opportunity to develop locally relevant technologies in this area. The EV opportunity is marred by the higher upfront cost primarily because of the cost of new-age mobility batteries. The talk will highlight the case for swappable batteries in electric vehicles and the key aspects that make this an integral part of the EV rollout strategy. It will also go over the battery technology and how local design of solutions will make a clear case for fast-track implementation of EV policy targets. Intertwined will be the case for three engineering startups that are conceived and launched by students and faculty at LUMS in the Battery and Swap Station area to highlight the migration of ideas from lab to the market through successful industry-academia collaboration.

Biography:

Prof. Nauman Ahmad Zaffar is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Lahore University of Management Sciences and Director of Energy and Power Systems Research Cluster. He is part of LUMS Energy Institute and also serves as the Director of National Incubation Center Lahore (NICL) at LUMS. He is working on establishing a research base at SSE in the area of Power Electronics, Smart Grids and Renewable Energy and on working with the startups in general to take them from idea to commercialization phase. His current areas of interest include electrical storage, dc/dc converters for Solar PV applications, dc/ac inverters for grid-tie distributed energy sources and VFDs for industrial, off-grid and automotive applications. He has also worked with the power sector and various Distribution Companies in Pakistan on electricity markets and to propose solutions for Power Distribution management and smart solutions for load management. At NICL, he is helping create a culture and support structure for co-creation with industry and to help energetic, capable and driven people take their ideas from concept to product in a scalable manner.