Chinese EV maker goes all in on battery swaps

Dubai: The Chinese luxury EV maker Nio is going all in with the ‘power swap station’ technology, where EV owners can drive in and get a charged up battery. And drive off in 3 minutes.

The ‘advanced infrastructure provides a faster and more energy efficient solution compared to traditional EV charging’, according to the manufacturer. And in one shot offers a solution to ‘two of the biggest challenges facing EV adoption in the UAE: long charging times and limited charger availability’.

The Nio swap station system comes fully automated, from the autonomous parking inside the to removing and replacing the discharged battery. (There will also be a health check on the battery, motor, and electric systems.

Nio’s  first Power Swap Station in UAE opened in February, at Yas Marina Circuit. Since then, around 15% of NIO users in the UAE are actively battery swapping, a ‘number which will continue to grow as more stations are added to the network’, said a statement.

“Unlike conventional charging, that, due to charging curves, slows as the battery nears full capacity, battery swapping provides a charged replacement instantly.”