The jury is still out if China (and the rest of the world) is migrating to battery swapping instead of recharging, but I can’t deny that it’s super cool. The complaints about range anxiety related to long waits and long charge times at DC fast chargers vanish because battery swapping is so much faster.
I drove a few new electric vehicles from Nio and its new brand Onvo while in China a few weeks ago. There, I was able to watch and initiate the swaps themselves. This ain’t no joke folks, these batteries swap very quickly — watch in real-time as the car maneuvers itself into the swap station, and removes and replaces its battery — all in less than five minutes.
The car I’m driving in the video is the Onvo L60. Onvo is Nio’s latest brand, a moderately priced EV brand meant for Chinese families. The L60 is tit-for-tat the same size and a direct competitor to the Tesla Model Y. However, unlike the Model Y, the Onvo L60’s batteries can be swapped out instead of charging using Nio’s swap stations.
In this video, I’m at a Generation Four swap station. The first one went online this past summer, but notably, these new generation stations are designed to accommodate a wider range of batteries. The Onvo L60 has a slimmer battery made by BYD and only comes in 60 or 84 kWh, compared to the 75, 100, or 150 kWh found in the more upscale Nio vehicles. Also, Nio says there have been some improvements to the stations themselves. Nio says the swap can now happen in as little as 144 seconds.
It’s a very smooth process. After the car backs itself in, it places itself into neutral and does a quick system check. Then, it cuts the car’s main power (the infotainment screen and blower motor will continue to function), raising the vehicle. The battery is removed, and the car is placed back on its wheels. The automated battery cabinet finds a fresh battery, raises the car once more, and installs it. The car does one more self-check as it’s lowered back onto its wheels. When the car’s speedometer and gear selector reappear, it’s time to drive away.
If we count from the time it took me to maneuver the car into its space and start the swap process, it took three minutes and 44 seconds for the whole swap to take place, including the time the car spent maneuvering itself into the swap station itself. Before I could grasp what was going on, the L60’s battery swap was complete. Even the fastest DC fast charging couldn’t beat this. This might be faster than the last time I got gas. It’s no 144 seconds, but man, it’s pretty damn quick.
Of course, not every swap is perfect. It took me two tries to actually get the car into the swap cabinet, mostly because an impatient driver cut me off while the car was attempting to back itself into the swap station, forcing me to restart the entire process. Still, it’s very impressive.
So, what do you think? Do you want your next EV to have a swappable battery?
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
