Electric vehicle startup Nio plans to set up an additional 1,000 battery swap stations in China this year as part of its dual strategy to push both battery charging and swap facilities for customer convenience, reports Nikkei Asia. Nio has been building a network of battery swap stations since 2018, with more than 1,300 in China. Of the 1,000 it plans to install this year, 900 of them will be third-generation models that can exchange up to 408 batteries per day, or up 30%.
When a vehicle is parked in front of the station, the car automatically drives inside, and its battery is replaced. The entire operation is completed in four minutes and 40 seconds, 1 minute quicker than the company’s previous stations.
Battery swapping can replenish an EV’s range faster than charging. Smaller batteries can also be replaced with high-capacity ones for long-distance travel.