Blinq Mobility Raises ₹4.3 Cr to Build India’s First Battery-Swapping Electric Cars
In a significant move that challenges the conventional "plug-and-wait" charging model, Gurugram-based EV startup Blinq Mobility has raised ₹4.3 Crore in a pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by 8i Ventures, with participation from IIMA Ventures, AIC Banasthali Vidyapith, and marquee angel investors.
The fresh capital will be deployed to accelerate the development of Blinq’s proprietary modular electric cars, which are designed from the ground up for rapid battery swapping—a feature currently dominant in the 2-wheeler segment but largely unexplored for passenger cars in India.
Solving the "Downtime" Dilemma for Fleets
For commercial fleet operators (like ride-hailing services), every minute a car spends parked at a charging station is lost revenue. While fast charging has improved, it still requires 45–90 minutes for a meaningful top-up.
Blinq Mobility is addressing this by treating the battery as a separate, swappable asset. Their modular vehicle architecture allows a depleted battery to be exchanged for a fully charged one in minutes, mimicking the refueling speed of petrol/diesel vehicles. This "zero downtime" model is poised to drastically improve operational efficiency for urban fleets.
Strategic Utilization of Funds
According to the company, the ₹4.3 Cr infusion will fuel four key areas :
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Product Development : Finalizing the prototype of their modular 4-wheeler EV.
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Infrastructure : Building the proprietary battery-swapping stations required to support these vehicles.
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Pilot Deployment : Launching pilot fleets in closed environments (such as large campuses) to validate the technology.
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Vehicle Certification : Accelerating the homologation process to get road-ready.
The Team: IIT Delhi Alumni & Tesla Expertise
Blinq Mobility is led by a team of engineers with deep roots in automotive innovation, primarily alumni of IIT Delhi and the Formula Student racing circuit.
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Nikesh Bisht (Founder & CEO) : An IIT Delhi alumnus and former CTO of Vecmocon Technologies.
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Ankit Kumar (Co-founder & CTO - Mechanical) : Formerly an engineer at Tesla, bringing global EV manufacturing expertise.
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Abhilasha Marmat (Co-founder & CTO - Electrical) : Expert in battery management systems (BMS).
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Sushmita Patil (Co-founder & COO) : Leading operations and fleet strategy.
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Yashdeep Singh (Co-founder & CPO) : Heading product design and user experience.
The startup has also been incubated at ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India), lending significant credibility to their technical approach.
Investor Confidence
The lead investor, 8i Ventures, is known for backing early-stage disruptors. Their support signals a shift in investor sentiment: the market is ready to explore battery swapping for 4-wheelers, a segment previously considered too complex for swapping due to the size and weight of car batteries.
By decoupling the battery cost from the vehicle, Blinq also aims to lower the upfront acquisition cost of electric cars, making EV adoption more financially viable for fleet owners.