Building Sri Lanka's First EV Battery Swapping Ecosystem

Design and build the infrastructure, software, and hardware for Sri Lanka's first EV battery swapping network.

When Sling Mobility set out to create a last-mile EV delivery network in Sri Lanka, there was no battery swapping infrastructure in the country. Riders would run out of charge mid-route, battery degradation was rapid, and there was no data-driven visibility into vehicle or battery health. The product challenge was to design an end-to-end hardware-software ecosystem — cabinets, apps, sensors, and a command centre — entirely from scratch.

As the first employee and sole Product Lead, I owned every layer: hardware design spec, software architecture, mobile app, command centre, and operational SOPs. I liaised with the country's largest electrical product producer for cabinet manufacturing, coordinated with an Indian sister company for battery production, and led a 34-person team spanning software developers, mechanics, and riders.

No existing reference architecture — battery swapping at this scale had never been attempted in Sri Lanka. Severe terrain variability across the island required custom battery and motor configurations. Limited engineering budget demanded that every hardware investment be validated with data before scaling. Rider behaviour was unpredictable, making software design for real-world conditions especially difficult.

I conducted deep research into electricity consumption patterns, fuel economics, bike wear and tear, terrain elevation challenges, and electronic component failure modes. Rider interviews revealed that range anxiety and unplanned downtime were the two biggest trust-killers. Data from early deployments showed that most battery degradation was caused by irregular charging cycles, not battery age.

Built an automated lock/unlock cabinet system that identifies the rider, the discharged battery, and the nearest fully-charged battery — completing a swap in 15 seconds. Designed a command centre to monitor vehicle movements, battery voltage, motor health, and ride routes in real time. Created a revenue-share cabinet model for roadside garages to expand the network without capital spend. Launched battery tokens enabling the public to fund new-gen batteries and receive revenue shares — funding 100 batteries through community capital.

Designed Sri Lanka's first battery swapping cabinet in partnership with the country's largest electrical product manufacturer. Implemented a digital tracking infrastructure for every bike and hardware component, with routine service alerts. Built a rider-facing navigation feature that tracked battery voltage and directed riders to the nearest swap station before power cut-out. Rolled out an anti-theft battery system with remote subscription-based shutoff. Deployed a rider incentive scheme tied to ride streaks and performance data.

Extended battery range from 60KM to 100KM per charge through command-centre optimization of charging cycles. Doubled battery lifetime from 2 to 4 years, dramatically reducing hardware replacement costs. Grew daily ride counts from 25 to 62 per rider per day. Reduced roadside assistance requests by 75%. Launched 3 battery swapping stations with a revenue-share model that grew network revenue by 30%. The battery token programme funded 100 new-generation batteries through community investment.