Tesla (TSLA.O), GM (GM.N) and Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) say they are not exploring battery swapping right now.Ī GM spokesperson told Reuters that swappable batteries "are not part of our strategy at present."Ī VW spokesperson said the company originally considered battery swapping to avoid waiting times at charging stations, but that advances in fast charging and the lower costs of non-swappable batteries had led it to shift focus to the latter. "Then how do you differentiate your product?" John Holland, wireless EV charging company Momentum Dynamics' commercial director for Europe and the Middle East, said convergence on batteries created a quandary for automakers. "You'll never ever get carmakers to agree to swappable batteries," said Andy Palmer, former CEO of Aston Martin and currently head of EV maker Switch Mobility. automakers to abandon their own battery designs and adopt standardized ones. Industry executives are divided over whether China's push can overcome the reluctance of European and U.S. It trialed swapping in the United States years ago and abandoned it. Such plans clash with the views expressed by global EV pioneer and leader Tesla in March 2021 when it dismissed the viability of large-scale battery swapping in China. It has more than 800 swap stations in China and has just set up its first in Europe. customers battery-swapping services by 2025, the company's North American head Ganesh Iyer said. Nio, among China's top EV makers, plans to offer U.S. You'll receive more concrete information soon," said CATL, which supplies about half of China's market and more than 30% of the battery cells used in EVs globally. "We are accumulating experience in the Chinese market and at the same time communicating closely with overseas partners. Ningde-based CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Ltd) (300750.SZ), the world's biggest battery maker, told Reuters it was developing swapping services not only for China, but "to meet the demand of global markets". The Ministry of Industry and Information (MIIT), a major supporter of battery swapping, did not immediately respond to a request for further comment about China's battery swapping strategyįurthermore, big Chinese players are also looking overseas. Estimates vary widely as to how many will have swappable batteries. The Chinese swapping plans, announced piecemeal in recent weeks and months but not widely known outside the domestic auto sector, are part of Beijing's broader plan to make 25% of car sales fully electric by 2025, or more than 6 million passenger vehicles based on current forecasts. If China is successful in making swapping successful on a large scale, though, the shift could undermine the business models of global brands like Tesla, Volkswagen and General Motors, whose EVs are designed for and powered by their own proprietary batteries and, in Tesla's case, its own charging network.Įven slight changes of fortune in the country can have significant consequences for these carmakers, whose futures rely on achieving success in the world's largest car market.
Car battery replacement san francisco drivers#
Swapping could help mitigate the growing strains placed on power grids as millions of drivers juice up, yet specialists caution it can only take off in a big way if batteries become standardized industry-wide. In fact, China is pushing hard for swappable batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) as a supplement to regular vehicle charging, with the government throwing its weight behind several companies advancing the technology.įour companies - automakers Nio and Geely, battery swap developer Aulton and state-owned oil producer Sinopec (600028.SS) - say they plan to establish a total of 24,000 swap stations across the country by 2025, up from about 1,400 today.īattery swapping allows drivers to replace depleted packs quickly with fully charged ones, rather than plugging the vehicle into a charging point.
DETROIT/BEIJING, March 25 (Reuters) - A year ago Tesla dismissed the alternative path of electric car battery swapping as "riddled with problems and not suitable for widescale use".
0 kommentar(er)
