Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Longi Green Energy Technology to incorporate the Chinese solar panel maker’s products into its battery swap stations. The partnership, established on January 3, aims to promote the use of photovoltaic power at charging and battery swap stations.
Under the agreement, Nio and Longi will collaborate on the implementation of photovoltaic power at charging and battery swap stations, as well as on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) initiatives. The companies also plan to jointly establish industry standards for carbon-neutral mobility to contribute to carbon reduction goals in the transportation sector.
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The first Hybrid Passivated Back Contact (HPBC) photovoltaic battery swap station resulting from this collaboration is operational at the Olympic Sports Center in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China.
William Li, founder, chairman, and CEO of Nio, expressed confidence that the partnership with Longi will facilitate the widespread adoption of photovoltaic power in the automotive industry. The initiative aims to enable more new energy vehicles (NEVs) to rely on photovoltaic power as their primary energy source, supporting the advancement of the smart EV sector.
Longi, headquartered in Xi’an, holds the distinction of being the world’s largest photovoltaic company by market capitalization. The company’s products are reportedly used at Tesla’s Giga Austin in Texas.
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Nio unveiled its fourth-generation battery swap station at Nio Day 2023 on December 23, equipped with 23 battery compartments and an increased capacity for 480 services in a single day, reducing service time by 22 percent. The new generation of stations will also feature 60 square meters of photovoltaic systems, saving nearly 18,000 kWh of electricity per year per station.
Installation of these stations is scheduled to commence in April 2024. Nio has been actively working on integrating photovoltaic panels into its battery swap stations, with earlier initiatives in collaboration with Unisun Energy announced in October 2021.
