What’s becoming big in China currently is the new Power Swap Station for electric cars. This is the new concept that enables drivers to just swap their run-down car battery and replace it with a fully charged one. The disposed battery is then recharged for the next customer. This now negates the need to wait around for 30 to 40 minutes.
The system is set up to enable your car to reverse autonomously into a charging station once you have parked it in a designated section of the charging station and then all you do is sit in your car whilst your car’s battery is replaced in minutes.
The first charging station has already been launched in Norway, just south of Oslo. The company starting this venture is called Nio and they think this new concept will catch on in a big way because it’s not only cost-saving but time-saving too. All you have to do is book a time slot on Nio’s app, park in the designated area within the car markings on the ground, and wait in your car for your turn to have your battery completely swapped over.
This way you will always have a healthy battery and extends the lifespan of your car too. The new stations will be able to handle around 240 swaps per day. There are now plans for a further 20 charging stations in Norway. The key factor also is, that Nio has partnered with the energy giant Shell to have charging stations installed across Europe. The target will be to have 1000 rolled out by 2025. The network of charging stations will enable electric car drivers to navigate all over Europe.
Cheaper all round for the consumer
Nio’s business model will be for customers to buy their electric cars and lease the battery. The most expensive component of the majority of electric cars is the battery. Having the battery on lease will reduce costs by around £7,700 off the purchase price. All the buyer will then do is take into consideration the monthly subscription of between £120 to £215 a month, depending on the size of the battery. Another advantage of this business model is that the consumer will always have available to them the latest battery technology when launched.
Nio is not alone
Nio is one of a few newcomers from China using the same technology, such as the likes of Xpeng, Voyah, and Hongqi. These will be the front runners, leading the way in rolling out the new-age charging stations across Europe. As it stands now, there are around half a million electric vehicles on the country’s roads and the aim is to have every new car functioning as a zero-emission vehicle by 2025.
Just in Norway alone, 83% of all new cars sold from January to March 2022 were fully electric, and 6% were diesel or petrol-driven. It is widely known that Norway has been the test market for electric cars due to the country’s very favourable incentives for electric cars. The Chinese brands have certainly taken advantage of this, so it’s a win-win for all parties involved.
Nio may not be so well-known in Europe but the tech company sold more than 90,000 cars last year, the vast majority of which were sold in China. It also operates around 800 battery-swapping charging stations. Backed by the Chinese technology giant, Tencent, Nio has the financial backing to continue expanding in new markets across the globe, with Europe for now being its main focus.
One other interesting fact is, that Nio does not share any of its battery-swapping charging stations with any other carmakers at this time, but not to say it won’t consider any car manufacturer in the future.
The big question is, with the fast-growing market of faster-charging stations, will the battery swap stations be widely taken up across Europe? Only time will tell.
Testing the waters before going fully electric
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