The Contribution of Smart Grid Integrated Battery Swapping Stations to the Electric Vehicle Ecosystem: A Review

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and the uncoordinated charging of their batteries have created a need for refuelling infrastructure that is convenient for users and manageable for the power grid. Battery swapping stations (BSSs) replace a depleted battery with a charged one in a few minutes, while the batteries held in the station form a controllable load and storage resource. However, a BSS needs a large battery inventory, high capital investment and standardized packs, and its grid benefits depend on how it is planned and operated. This paper reviews Scopus-indexed journal articles published from 2022 to 2026 on the integration of BSSs with the smart grid. It explains the architecture and operating modes of a grid-integrated BSS and describes its grid services, namely load shifting, demand response, battery-to-grid (B2G) supply, frequency regulation, renewable energy integration, and support for network planning and resilience. Planning and scheduling models are compared, and the contribution of BSSs to users, fleets, grid operators and the battery life cycle is assessed along with standardization and safety issues. Overall, the review supports grid-integrated BSSs as part of the EV ecosystem, while noting that most reported benefits come from simulations.