Nio's battery swapping stations are about to take a step forward in China

One of the major problems with electric cars is that they take too long to charge the battery. But what if this problem could be solved by swapping used batteries for fully charged ones? This operation could be carried out in a very short time and would leave the car ready to run for many more kilometres. This is the concept that the Chinese company Nio is applying, and it seems to be working for them.

China is advancing very rapidly when it comes to electric mobility, and proposals such as Nio’s are helping to make that possible. The company operates more than 2,100 battery swapping stations worldwide and is preparing the opening of 1,000 more in Chinese territory alone. And now, it has just announced its partnership with the Chinese state-owned company Changan.

Over the last few years, Nio has offered more than 32 million battery swaps, so it can be said to be a fairly significant success. With third-generation battery swapping stations, the battery can be changed in just three minutes, which makes it very practical. With Changan on board, it is expected to go even further.

Changan operates several brands, such as Changan, Deepal, Avatr and Kaisheng, in addition to collaborating with other brands, such as Ford. The collaboration between the two companies will lead to the development of batteries that can be used both in Nio cars and in those manufactured by Changan, so that the service stations can be used by all brands.

The management of used batteries is also part of the agreement promoted by both companies. The agreement is backed by the Chinese government, which is seeking to establish a standard in order to advance more quickly in this segment, electric mobility. That said, although the agreement has been made public, there is still no set timetable for adapting Nio’s stations to this new reality and to the equipment for the new batteries.