When NIO coursed out its plan for electrical automobile development and client comfort, it broke ranks from the remainder of the electrical automobile business. The corporate determined it might present a battery swapping possibility along with typical EV charging. I, like many, questioned early on if this could truly work. In spite of everything, the Israeli startup Higher Place, which centered on battery swapping, folded after just a few years, and Tesla claimed that its drivers didn’t present a lot curiosity in a route in California the place the corporate trialled it (although, there’s a little bit of controversy round that story). However one factor has been clear previously couple of years, NIO is proud of and happy with its battery swapping improvements — and the corporate has a ton of battery swapping stations within the discipline now.
In whole, as of Might 1, NIO had 1,384 battery swapping stations in operation in China. (The corporate additionally has some in operation in Europe now.) Of these 1,384 battery swapping stations, 366 are situated alongside highways, clearly aimed toward aiding fast and handy long-distance journey in a NIO EV.
Throughout Labor Day week, we acquired to see what which means so far as buyer use. NIO reviews that 432,191 battery swap companies had been carried out throughout that vacation week, 138,552 of them being free (complimentary) battery swaps. Essentially the most had been carried out on the primary day of the vacation — 68,748 on April 29, 23,460 of them executed at freeway swapping stations. Greater than 60,000 swaps had been carried out throughout 6 of these 7 days, after which the final day of the week noticed 48,458 swaps to tip the overall over 400,000.
Evidently, NIO prospects recognize the battery swapping possibility, and use it! These EV drivers may have charged their vehicles at charging stations as a substitute, however they selected to do fast battery swaps.
So far as the free/complimentary swapping talked about above, some early NIO patrons acquired limitless battery swapping as a part of the bundle once they purchased their vehicles. Nevertheless, most NIO house owners at the moment have an allowance of 4–6 battery swap periods a month. Naturally, a vacation weekend is a well-liked time to money in on these swapping periods.
In late January, NIO set a document with 62,356 battery swaps carried out in a single day. Clearly, that was surpassed by the 68,748 battery swaps carried out on April 29. Nevertheless, extra notably, that January document was surpassed on 5 separate days throughout Labor Day week. NIO’s EV gross sales proceed to develop, and so do its EV battery swaps. I think about that subsequent yr the corporate may break 100,000 battery swaps in a single day.
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