Nio, a Chinese electric vehicle maker, has partnered with Changan Automobile, a state-owned company, to develop electric vehicles (EVs) that use battery-swapping technology. This technology allows for a discharged battery pack in an EV to be quickly replaced with a fully charged one. It’s seen as a potential solution to the long charging times currently associated with EVs.
The partnership between Nio and Changan Automobile will focus on various domains including vehicle ownership. The first passenger car using Nio’s battery-swap network is planned to be launched in 2025. Nio already operates more than 2,100 Power Swap stations worldwide and its customers have performed more than 32 million battery swaps.
Changan Automobile’s premium electric vehicle (EV) subsidiary Avatr Technology recently closed a new round of funding, which will aid in future expansion. Avatr was initially founded as Changan Nio by Changan and Nio on July 10, 2018, but Nio’s stake in the company is now below 1 percent.
Battery swapping technology could potentially revolutionize the EV industry by making EV charging infrastructure much easier to roll out. This, coupled with the short time it takes to change a battery, could eliminate barriers to entry around charging that hold many people back when it comes to buying an EV.
However, it’s important to note that there are still challenges to be addressed. For instance, to swap out the battery pack quickly, some EVs, like the ones Nio manufactures, are built with a modular battery that’s designed for quick removal. For EVs already in circulation, a different approach is needed.
