Electric vehicle owners may soon be able to swap their car batteries in as little as five minutes with new groundbreaking technology set to hit the UK soon.
Nio, a premium Chinese car manufacturer, has launched the third generation of its Power Swap Stations, which allow motorists to replace their batteries in under five minutes.
As part of the Nio Power 2025 Battery Swap Station Deployment Plan, it aims to have 4,000 stations worldwide by the end of next year, with 1,000 of them located outside of China.
Across its network of Power Swap Stations, more than 20 million swaps have taken place as Nio begins its international expansion into Europe.
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Nio aims to have 5,000 swapping stations by the end of next year
NIO
The brand claims that all of its electric vehicle models are able to use the battery swap technology, with more than 56 per cent of charging for Nio models coming from battery swaps.
Nio, which is based in Shanghai, operates in Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, with 13 swap stations available. So far, more than 12,000 swaps have been completed.
The new swap stations allow drivers to have their vehicle battery swapped in just four minutes and 40 seconds – much quicker than charging an electric vehicle.
The mechanical process takes around two and a half minutes with the other two minutes seeing safety checks and vehicle positioning take place.
In its third generation, the battery swap stations can store 21 batteries, allowing many drivers to save time by avoiding needing to sit and wait for hours to let their vehicles charge.
According to Autocar, Nio is “putting the finishing touches to its plans to enter the UK” in the near future.
Nio already has an advanced engineering research and development centre located in Oxford and has primarily been responsible for early concept development.
The Chinese brand estimates that by 2025, 90 per cent of Nio drivers will be living less than three kilometres away from a battery swap station.
Another major brand, Stellantis, has signed a deal to allow for battery swapping technology from Ample, which is capable of delivering a fully charged EV battery in less than five minutes.
It is believed that it will first be used in Free2move’s car sharing Fiat 500e fleet at some point this year.
While it is still in its infancy, the technology could provide a major boost for motorists around the world who are concerned about battery range and relying on the public charging network.
Ricardo Stamatti, senior vice president of the charging and energy business unit at Stellantis, said: “The partnership with Ample is another example of how Stellantis is exploring all avenues that enable freedom of mobility for our electric vehicle customers.
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Stellantis is looking to roll out battery swapping technology
STELLANTIS
“In addition to other projects we are focused on, Ample’s Modular Battery Swapping solution has the opportunity to offer our customers greater energy efficiency, outstanding performance and lower range anxiety.
“We are looking forward to executing the initial program with our stellar Fiat 500e.”
