Feng Xingya, chairman and general manager of Chinese automaker GAC Group, has urged policymakers to enhance support for the battery swap business model, highlighting its role in addressing electric vehicle (EV) charging challenges and advancing China’s carbon neutrality goals.
Feng’s proposal comes ahead of China’s annual legislative and political advisory meetings, known as the “two sessions,” set to begin on Tuesday. In an article published by GAC, he emphasized the need for stronger policies to tackle the high construction costs, fragmented infrastructure rollout, and lack of uniform battery standards that have slowed the adoption of battery swap technology.
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GAC was among the first automakers in China to explore battery swapping, announcing in 2021 that all future models based on its GEP 3.0 platform would support the technology. Its EV subsidiary, GAC Aion, built its first battery swap station in April 2022, and its sub-brand Hyper—now called Hyptec—launched a swap-enabled version of the Hyper GT in mid-2023. However, the company has since scaled back its investments in battery swap infrastructure.
In May 2024, GAC signed a strategic partnership with Nio, joining the latter’s battery swap alliance. The two companies pledged to develop a unified battery standard and create stations compatible with both brands’ EVs. However, no further updates on the collaboration have been announced.
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Feng also proposed easing restrictions on the return of defective auto parts to China, increasing integration between electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and EV technology, and promoting the development of humanoid robotics.
Nio founder and CEO William Li said in December that it typically takes around 18 months to develop a new battery swap-enabled model, predicting wider industry adoption of the technology by 2027-2028.