With the rapid growth of the new energy vehicle market, how to effectively and quickly charge electric vehicles has become an important concern for the public. Battery swapping technology is seen as a possible solution.
Previously, the battery swap mode was also supported by national policies. Issued by the State DepartmentNew Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)andGuiding Opinions on Further Building a High-quality Charging Infrastructure SystemThe application of battery swap mode is clearly encouraged.
Battery swapping technology allows electric vehicles to be on the road immediately with a quick battery change, with no waiting time for charging. At present, the energy supplement of new energy vehicles is still mainly based on charging. China Charging Alliance January 2024Data showsThere are 3,642 battery swap stations nationwide, and the charging infrastructure reaches 8.861 million units. Beijing is the whole countrySwap stationsAs of October 2023, there are 313 battery swap stations in Beijing.
What are the challenges in the application of battery swap technology in cities, and how to use it to alleviate energy anxiety and make urban transportation more efficient? Recently, researchers from The Paper Research Institute visited several battery swap stations in Beijing and interviewed new energy vehicle owners and policy researchers.
Battery swapping is most applicable in specific areas
At the NIO automatic battery swap station located in the Langham Building on Beijing's East Fifth Ring Road, researchers observed the battery swap process. The owner can complete the automatic battery replacement within 5 minutes, and the cost will be automatically deducted from the owner's account. Battery swapping not only greatly reduces the waiting time, but also alleviates the owner's concerns about battery aging.
A NIO ES8 owner said that the current monthly lease of the battery is about 1,100 yuan, and the battery can be replaced 6 times for free. There are a variety of payment options available in different regions. Car owners can check the information of battery swap stations through the mobile app. At present, the battery replacement fee, depending on the peak period and the trough period, the price per kilowatt-hour is between 0.8 yuan and 1.8 yuan, in addition to the service fee of 30 yuan each time. The battery is replaced 5 times a month, which usually meets the needs of the car owner. Based on this calculation, there is not much difference between the current battery swap and charging prices.
Under the premise of unified vehicle brand and standardized battery specifications, the battery swap mode can meet the demand for fast charging. In particular, large vehicles such as heavy trucks have high energy efficiency and load capacity, and the construction of battery swap stations to solve their energy supply in specific scenarios can effectively improve efficiency.
With the current charging technology, it takes 1-1.5 hours to charge a typical heavy-duty truck battery pack (282kWh capacity), while the whole battery swapping process takes only 3-5 minutes with a heavy-duty truck. according toTerminal card dataIn 2023, a total of 14,693 battery-swapped heavy trucks will be sold throughout the year, a year-on-year increase of 18.2%, and the market share will reach 43%.
The investment in the battery swap station is large, and there are many restrictions
Wang Qing, deputy director and researcher of the Institute of Market Economy of the Development Research Center of the State Council, told the researcher that battery swapping technology is feasible for specific scenarios, especially at the commercial (B2B) end, such as buses, airports and fixed operating lines. But in the broader consumer market (B2C), battery swapping technology presents a number of challenges. For example, the construction of battery swap stations needs to take into account the density of the site, the capacity of the battery (capacitance), the voltage requirements, and the safety of operation. However, site selection, land approval, and capacitor expansion, which directly affect the service capacity of the site, are often difficult to coordinate or require greater cost investment.
In addition, operating costs such as battery reserves, charging, and routine maintenance must also be considered. A person close to the National Development and Reform Commission added that these battery swap stations not only need to provide battery swap services, but also ensure a stable supply of batteries.
In terms of cost, some studies have analyzed that the total cost of building a small battery swap station is about 3.13 million yuan, of which about 2.53 million yuan is required for equipment-related investment, including 1.5 million yuan for battery swap station facilities and 1.03 million yuan for batteries. In addition, about 600,000 yuan will be invested in infrastructure construction. The monthly operating cost is expected to be 45,500 yuan, mainly including site rental, power consumption, service expenses and personnel operation expenses.
GCL-ET, an A-share listed company, in 2022announcementThe above information is also corroborated. The investment required for a single passenger car battery swap station is 4,907,200 yuan, of which 2,607,200 yuan is invested in the battery swap station, and the investment required for a single heavy truck battery swap station is 9,141,400 yuan, and the investment in the battery swap station is about 4,201,400 yuan. The payback period is 5.22 years (after tax) for a single battery swap station for passenger cars, and 5.21 years (after tax) for a single heavy-duty truck battery swap station.
In contrast, the investment in charging piles is less and the payback period is shorter. Previously, Mr. Wang, a business owner who operates charging piles, told researchers that the investment of a charging station with six piles in the city center is about 1.5 million yuan, and the return on investment is 2 to 3 years.
Harmonizing battery standards is a challenge
The battery standard is not uniform, which has become an obstacle to the popularization of battery swapping technology. Different brands of electric vehicles use different battery specifications. This means that companies that provide battery swapping services need to prepare multiple models of batteries to suit different vehicle needs.
The main operators of battery swap services in China include Aodong, NIO and Botan Technology. Aodong mainly provides services for commercial vehicles such as taxis and ride-hailing, and is expanding into the private car and commercial vehicle markets, while NIO is mainly targeting the private car market and building a battery swap network for cities and highways, while Botan Technology focuses on the commercial vehicle market, and its services cover a variety of models such as passenger cars, logistics vehicles and buses, realizing the compatibility of battery swapping.
Car manufacturers also have their own battery types and corresponding technologies. This makes the battery brands and models on the market very large, which brings challenges to the unified battery swap standard. For example, the brand positioning, performance indicators and cost considerations of the vehicle design directly determine the specific way the battery is installed. For example, NIO and Tesla prefer to use vertical insertion, while brands such as Zotye and Lifan choose to insert sideways, and BAIC New Energy mainly uses end-face battery swapping.
In view of the application potential and challenges of battery swapping technology in cities, Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the National Passenger Car Market Information Association, gave some policy suggestions. The first is to adapt to the exploration of specific scenarios for battery swapping. Encourage the construction of battery swap stations in development parks, factories, ports and other areas with fixed transportation routes and transportation tasks.
The second is to encourage the unification of battery standards for heavy-duty trucks. Relevant government departments can work with vehicle manufacturers and battery manufacturers to develop unified battery specifications and interface standards to reduce the complexity and cost of battery swapping technology. Promote battery modularization, improve battery interchangeability and compatibility, and provide standardized solutions for battery swapping of large vehicles such as heavy trucks.
Third, the battery swap station and the charging station complement each other. In the planning of urban charging infrastructure, the battery swap station and charging station should be reasonably arranged to ensure that the two complement each other and meet the needs of different users.
The fourth is to explore the interaction mode between the battery swap station and the power grid. Carry out smart grid technology research, so that the battery swap station can be carried out with the power gridTwo-way interactionIt can not only obtain electricity from the power grid, but also feed back the battery energy storage to the grid when the grid load is low, so as to realize the optimal distribution and utilization of energy.
Fifth, explore the use of green electricity in battery swap stations. Encourage the use of renewable energy such as wind and solar energy in battery swap stations to reduce fossil energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions. Government subsidies, tax incentives and other policy measures can be used to encourage the use of green energy and promote the use of clean energy.