What happens if a battery is swapped?

When swapped, the driver is billed for the energy used (state of charge of the battery you’ve swapped, subtracted from the state of charge in the new battery unit), as well as a small service charge.

Are swappable batteries a deterrent to vehicle efficiency?

But once again, it’s simply a choice that manufacturers can choose to work with or around. In China, the Onvo L60’s efficiency rating slightly beats the Tesla Model Y’s, but the L60’s battery is swap-capable. Evidently, the ability of swappable batteries may not necessarily be a deterrent to vehicle efficiency.

Which EV cabs have a battery swap ecosystem?

For example, the Beijing EU5 is a common taxi cab, and it has its own battery swap ecosystem. Same with Geely’s Maple CaoCao 60. Chinese EV battery giant CATL also has announced that it is funding its own EV swap ecosystem, with GM (via SGMW) models to be some of the first models to use the technology.

Should EV batteries be swappable?

Accommodating a swappable battery locks EV manufacturers into some very specific engineering choices that some brands may not want to work with. For example, it’s not clear if a structural, cell-to-body pack design is possible with battery swapping, since removing the battery would severely compromise the car’s body integrity.

Can an electric vehicle swap its battery?

The concept of an electric vehicle that can swap its battery isn’t unique either. Low-speed EVs like the Silence S04 microcar have their own roll-out battery that can be taken inside a home or Silence store to be recharged. Electric motorcycles are doing this too.

How does Nio EV battery swap work?

You pull up to an automated station and a machine pops out your EV’s depleted battery and puts in a fully charged one. Nio has made headlines with this technology for years, but in 2024, it’s clear this is no experiment or one-off novelty. Nio has done more than 57 million battery swaps since it introduced its swapping service in 2018.