People love round numbers because they are easier to remember. NIO almost got them to celebrate the four years of its battery-swapping service. On June 28, 2018, the Chinese carmaker opened its first Power Swap station in Shenzhen, the same day it started delivering the ES8. Four years later, it made 9.7 million battery swaps and has 997 stations. Too bad it was not 10 million and 1,000 stations, right?
The good news is that NIO will be able to celebrate reaching these other milestones when it achieves 10 million battery swaps and 1,000 Power Swap stations. So far, it has 996 in China and only one in Europe. Getting to 1,000 stations should happen before the 10 million battery swaps.
Currently, all NIO vehicles have the capability to swap battery packs, and they all share the same standard. Until May 31, 2022, the Chinese carmaker sold 204,936 units of all its models, which makes the 9.7 million swaps even more impressive: it means that – on average – each NIO swapped battery pack a little less than 50 times.
CNEVPost told us about other numbers NIO has to present. More than 120,000 customers bought its home chargers, and it has 4,975 fast charging stalls. After all, NIO’s vehicles are pretty much like any other electric car. What they offer is the added convenience of spending very little time waiting for a full charge when you take road trips or just need the vehicle with more charge as soon as possible.
That is why the first Power Swap stations were installed along the G4 Expressway in 2018, with 18 stations in 14 locations. This 2,273-kilometer (1,412-mile) long highway connects Shenzhen to Beijing. Supposing a 300-mile range, that would represent five charging stops to go from one end to the other.
The battery-swap stations get NIO vehicles a fully charged battery pack in around five minutes, while fast charging will take at least half an hour if everything goes according to plan. That means that anyone driving a NIO EV can spare at least two hours with the company’s Power Swap stations. Remember that they can also do it without stressing their battery packs with fast charges. It is no surprise that other companies are pursuing the same solution. With 9.7 million swaps and almost 997 stations, NIO is more than entitled to celebrate its head start.
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