All of Nio’s models are capable of battery swapping and the stations are able to remove the battery from underneath the EV floor and replace it with a fully charged unit. The first Power Swap Station was launched in 2017, with the second-generation version arriving in 2021.
Battery swap stations, like those used by Nio, aren’t likely to replace public EV chargers any time soon, seeing as the cost of initial build and maintenance far outweighs the cost of installing a handful of charging outlets.
Ample has managed to swap out a run-down battery pack for a fresh one in just five minutes during its battery swap demonstration. The company launched its first-generation battery swap station in 2021, after developing the solution in stealth mode for seven years.
Chinese EV brand Nio installed its first fourth-generation Power Swap Stations in China. When drivers pull into a station, a tap on the dash screen triggers a robotic arm to remove the vehicle's battery pack and replace it with a fully charged one from the inventory.
Seeing as these battery packs are a lot smaller than those found on electric cars, the battery swap stations are often no larger than a typical vending machine, with the owner physically untethering their battery, slotting it in to the appropriate area and walking away with a fresh unit and 100 per cent charge.
Ample launched its first-generation battery swap station in 2021. They had been developing the solution in stealth mode for seven years. Electric vehicles fitted with 'Lego-like' battery modules could roll onto the platform and have their spent modules automatically removed and replaced with fully charged ones in under 10 minutes.