Nio has reassured current vehicle owners that their battery swap experience will remain unaffected following the announcement of a strategic partnership with Chongqing Changan Automobile, a major player in the automotive industry.
William Li, founder, chairman, and CEO of the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, shared in a statement on the Nio app that the collaboration with Changan aims to introduce the next generation of mass-market battery packs capable of supporting ultra-fast charging. He emphasized that Nio’s existing vehicle owners can anticipate an improved battery swap experience.
The partnership, unveiled in Chongqing, involves the joint establishment of standards for swappable batteries, the creation and sharing of a battery swapping network, the development of swappable vehicles, and the implementation of an efficient battery asset management mechanism, according to Nio’s official announcement.
While specific details about the partnership were not disclosed, internal discussions held by Li on November 20 shed light on the company’s plans. Addressing concerns about the sustainability of Nio’s battery swap business, Li highlighted that it is now time to open up this significant first-mover advantage to the wider industry.
“Our battery swap business has reached a point where it is ready to be opened to the public, and we will be sharing our standard for the next generation of battery packs, the 800 V high-voltage, fast battery swap platform, with the entire industry,” stated Li during the internal talk.
This implies that Nio’s existing 2,000-plus battery swap stations will remain exclusive to the brand’s users, while the next-generation stations, likely to be installed in the future, will be accessible to partners in the industry.
Nio, having initiated its battery swap journey with a station in Shenzhen in 2018, has evolved its technology through second and third-generation stations. The company now boasts 2,113 battery swap stations in China, delivering over 32 million battery swap services to date.
Looking ahead, Nio is set to introduce its first model under the sub-brand codenamed Alps, based on the advanced 800-volt NT 3.0 platform. This platform promises several upgrades over the current NT 2.0 models, including the adoption of the widely acclaimed 800-volt high-voltage architecture, ensuring an even superior charging experience for Nio’s expanding user base.
