Chinese battery electric vehicle (BEV) startup Nio Inc has announced it will expand its battery-swapping network in China, building another 900 automated stations this year.
The move comes as more and more BEVs are coming to market with new-generation permanent-charge batteries, offering greater range and shorter charging times, potentially reducing the need to switch charging stations in the long term.
Nio has battery-swapping partnerships with a number of automakers in China, including Changan Auto and Geely Auto. Earlier this year, the company said it aimed to have more than 3,300 battery-swapping stations in operation by the end of the year.
According to Nio, the new automated features will allow electric vehicle drivers to swap their depleted batteries for fully charged ones in minutes, up from 20 minutes previously.
The company’s CEO, William Lee, pointed out that currently only a third of Chinese BEV owners have charging facilities at home. He added that “charging facilities and technologies still need to be improved to further reduce range anxiety.”
Nio said it plans to build a new factory to produce battery-swapping stations in the Wuhan Optical Valley Digital Economy Industrial Park in Wuhan province, with production capacity exceeding 1,000 stations per year.
“Nio Moves to Roll Out Swapping Network” was originally created and published by Just Cara brand of GlobalData.
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