With the spread of electric cars, problems such as charging time and range come to the fore. As a solution to these problems, Nio, an electric car company, began developing battery replacement technology. Thanks to battery replacement technology, drivers can replace their batteries with a new battery in a few minutes instead of charging.
China’s Nio, a pioneer in battery replacement technology, is preparing to enter the European market in this field. Nio opened the first battery changing station in Europe in Norway at the beginning of 2022. Since then, Nio has installed ten more battery replacement stations in Europe and seven more will be operational soon.
Battery changes in under 3 minutes
Charging times continue to be a challenge for electric vehicle owners. Even the latest models and fastest stations need around 20 minutes for a 10% to 80% charge. However, Chinese electric car start-up Nio aims to provide a full charge in a quarter of this time with its new generation battery replacement technology.
Car service stations can replace a battery in less than three minutes, while the entire process, including vehicle alignment and safety checks, takes less than five minutes. That’s one minute faster (a 30 percent improvement) than the second-generation stations currently used by Nio in China. Similar to an automatic car wash, drivers simply enter the changing bay, are told when and where to stop, and the automatic station pulls the car’s battery out from under it and replaces it with a fully charged unit.
Nio and Shell had collaborated
One of Nio’s battery changing stations in Europe was developed in partnership with Shell. Despite being the world’s largest gasoline retailer, Shell has shown it’s starting to invest in electric mobility. Shell has acquired small chargers, sought to offer zero-emission solutions, and collaborated with electric car manufacturers such as BYD.
Nio and Shell signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2021. As part of this agreement, Nio and Shell planned to install co-branded battery replacement stations and fast charging stations. The first co-branded battery replacement station opened in the Netherlands this month. Based on their success in Europe, Nio and Shell aim to open more battery changing stations, especially in the UK.
Nio’s battery changing stations in Europe offer electric car drivers more convenience and choice. Thanks to Nio’s battery swapping technology, drivers can shorten the charging time and switch between batteries of different capacities. Nio’s expansion plans in Europe seem to increase competition in the electric car market.
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