Homologation filings have revealed that Ford’s partly-owned Chinese EV maker, Changan, will introduce its first EV with battery swap capacity to the Chinese market.
According to CarNewsChina, the technology will debut on Changan’s sub-brand Oshan in the S20 sedan, and is designed to curtail the time constraints associated with EV charging.
Unlike typical EVs, drivers will not have to plug in their cars at a public charging station on a long journey.
No need to charge? This EV giant you may have never heard of is targeting the Tesla Model Y with a new low-cost electric SUV boasting battery swapping technology
Major EV breakthrough: Chinese brand Nio testing electric car with 1000km range to battle Mercedes-Benz EQE and Tesla Model S
Will these two new cheap electric car brands come to Australia? Chinese manufacturer Nio announces 'Firefly' and 'Alps' sub-brands
Rather, they’ll be able to swap out their depleted battery for a fully charged one at strategic partner Nio’s fourth generation battery swap stations.
They operate much like a drive-in car wash. Drivers pull into a swap station where their car’s near-flat battery is swapped out from underneath with a new one.
The whole process takes 144 seconds – less than three minutes – and includes a battery health inspection.
Nio launched its fully-automated battery swap stations in China back in 2017, though its most efficient fourth generation station started rolling out across the country in June.
The tech brand says its newest breed of stations can provide 480 swaps a day and accommodate a total of 23 batteries. The brand currently operates 2432 stations across the country.
In the case of the S20, the batteries will be made of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and supplied by United Auto Battery Co, a joint venture between industry-leading battery manufacturer CATL and SAIC motor.
CarNewsChina reports that the S20 will be an entry-level sedan for the Oshan brand, with power being derived from a single 105kW electric motor.
Nio is currently the global leader in battery swapping technology, which is widely considered as a cost effective way to encourage greater EV uptake.
Customers may purchase the vehicle body and lease the battery pack via a subscription service, reducing the initial upfront cost by thousands of dollars.
It’s also pitched as a more environmentally friendly method of battery charging, given it charges the battery slower than fast-charging stations, which improves a battery's lifespan and helps to reduce electronic waste.
Stations can also put excess energy that is developed through sustainable methods, such as solar, back into the grid during quiet periods.
American clean technology start-up Better Place originally released the technology back in 2007, however, it filed for bankruptcy in 2013 due to a low-take up of its subscription service.
Tesla briefly employed the technology in 2013 for the Model S sedan before scrapping it in 2015 in favour of its more profitable plug-in charger network.
San Franciso-based company Ample has since picked up the battery-swap shortfall in the US, operating its facilities, albeit on a smaller scale than Nio, in the US, Europe and Japan.
Nio continues to grow its battery swap infrastructure thanks to its huge manufacturing capacity, which allows it greater oversight over its battery and vehicle production.
In addition to its partnership with Changan, Nio has similar partnerships in China with Geely Group, the owners of Volvo, Polestar and Zeekr, as well as Chery Automobile and JAC Group.
Nio is China’s third largest EV producer behind BYD and Geely Group, although it is unclear whether the company has plans to release its vehicles locally.
For the time being, it appears to be primarily focused on the European and Asian markets.
.jpg)
.jpg)
