Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer NIO has launched trial operations of its third-generation battery swapping station, Power Swap Station 3.0, in China. The move is part of Nio’s efforts to make battery swapping a more viable alternative to rival EV makers’ rapid-charging technology. The new stations are faster and more efficient, and can store up to 21 battery packs each. According to Shen Fei, Nio senior vice president for power management, the station can speed up battery swapping to less than five minutes, and reduce the service cost per swap.
Nio has set a target of having 2,300 battery swapping stations globally by the end of this year, with 1,323 already in operation as of March 23. The company aims to have 900 of the latest power swap stations operating this year.
Shen Fei added that nearly 60% of power replenished for Nio cars in February was via battery swapping, while 23% was from home chargers. In contrast, fewer than 10% of Nio users used public chargers, while 80.5% of the power charged from Nio’s 14,000 chargers nationwide was for non-Nio users, including Tesla and BYD vehicles.
Battery swapping allows drivers to replace depleted packs quickly with fully charged packs, rather than plugging the vehicle in to a charging point. Swapping could help to ease the strain on power grids at peak times when drivers recharge, but industry analysts and executives expect it would only become feasible if batteries become more standardised.
While Nio is one of the few EV makers betting on battery swapping as a major power option for electric cars, rival Tesla has dismissed battery swapping as “riddled with problems and not suitable for widescale use”. However, Nio’s success with battery swapping indicates that it could be a viable alternative for certain types of EV drivers. As Shen Fei notes, “Battery swap is not only a refuelling solution but a service solution.”
