Significant majority of NIO drivers prefer battery swapping to recharging

NIO Incorporated, a Chinese multinational electric vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai, has revealed that a significant majority of drivers using NIO-branded EVs prefer swapping their vehicle batteries at a quick swap station rather than plugging in and recharging.

A study conducted by the Chinese manufacturer revealed that 60 per cent of drivers using its EVs prefer to use the services of a quick swap station rather than using a charger to replenish the battery pack.

In Asia, several automobile manufacturers are betting big on battery swap business, believing that it has a great potential to grow. NIO is also betting big on this business ever since its inception around a decade ago, in 2014. Now, it revealed that more and more drivers driving its EVs are visiting battery swap stations. It compiled data after analysing more than 6.2 billion miles (roughly 10 billion km) driven by NIO-branded vehicles in its home country of China and several European markets. The Shanghai-based EV maker operates more than 1,380 Power Swap Stations in China and Europe.

As per the manufacturer’s claims, the huge distance covered by NIO-branded vehicles, which is equivalent to more than 26,000 return trips to the moon, confirms its commitment to make huge investments in power swapping network. It is quite encouraging to note here that NIO kept investing huge amounts in battery swapping stations even as some critics always spoke against such investments.

The Chinese carmaker performed the 20 millionth battery swap earlier this month, and it took place at Hangzhou, China-based NIO Wuchang Service Centre’s Power Swap Station.

Wiliam Li, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NIO, said, “Reaching this landmark is a proud moment that confirms NIO is a trusted and proven solution for our loyal users. Our compelling range of power solutions, such as our battery swap stations, offers the freedom to travel freely, knowing a robust power solution is never far away.”

The third-generation battery swapping stations operating under NIO’s supervision are capable of swapping 408 EV batteries per day, nearly 30% more than the previous iteration. Among the whole network, a battery swap is taking place every 1.6 seconds on average.

NIO’s Power Swap Stations allow EVs to autonomously park inside a station and switch for a fresh, fully-charged battery in less than 5 minutes. In compared to a conventional battery recharging from a DC fast charger, swapping is a much faster approach if the driver is in a hurry.