NIO Launches Daily Battery Flexible Upgrade Service

On July 20, NIO Power Day 2023 was held in Beijing, where NIO unveiled its innovative "Daily Battery Flexible Upgrade Service," along with new battery-swapping pricing standards and cutting-edge V2G charging stations—alongside other groundbreaking services, technologies, and products. Additionally, the company officially announced the completion of the Power Journeys Silk Road electric vehicle charging route. Among these announcements, the daily battery rental service resonated most deeply with attendees. As soon as Qin Lihong, Co-founder and President of NIO, introduced this new offering, it immediately drew gasps of excitement from several NIO media owners present at the event. Notably, during his presentation, Qin repeatedly emphasized the importance of "avoiding industry-wide cutthroat competition and instead focusing on delivering the best possible experience to our users." At the event's conclusion, he solemnly addressed the media, urging the automotive industry to steer clear of internal competition that pits companies against each other in a zero-sum game—and instead prioritize enhancing the fundamental user experience for electric vehicle drivers.

At NIO Power Day 2023, the "Battery Flexible Upgrade Daily Rental Service" was officially launched. This flexible battery upgrade service supports cross-location returns—pick up in one city, return at any station nationwide—and allows users to pick up or drop off their batteries at any swap station along their journey. The standard range battery pack upgrade to the long-range version comes with a base daily rate of 50 yuan, capped at 880 yuan for a 31-day period.

The brand-new battery-swapping pricing structure was officially unveiled at NIO Power Day 2023 and will take effect starting August 1. The cost for a single battery swap is now comparable to that of ultra-fast charging. Meanwhile, NIO continues to enhance its battery-swapping capabilities: features like pre-prepared batteries, parallel battery swapping, and an advanced "one-click parking" function—designed to speed up the automated parking process during swaps—are all set to roll out this third quarter. Additionally, the non-stop power supply feature during battery swaps will debut in the fourth quarter, allowing users to enjoy continuous airflow, keep their car’s onboard screen illuminated, and even continue listening to music while the swap is underway.

This event marks the official launch of NIO's 20kW V2G charging station. The V2G charger not only features rapid charging capabilities but also includes a discharge function, enabling electric vehicles to absorb energy when grid demand is low and release it back into the grid during peak periods. This innovative feature fosters greater interaction between vehicles and the power grid, helping to optimize grid operations by smoothing out fluctuations in supply and demand.

Additionally, NIO has partnered with Qilian Mountain National Park to build the world’s first V2G photovoltaic self-circulating energy-replenishment system, which will officially go into operation in August. Battery swapping has always been a hallmark of NIO, and the company remains committed to continuously enhancing this seamless experience. Powered by NIO’s battery-swapping energy-replenishment system, users can fully recharge their vehicles in just 3 minutes—and hit the road with a full charge. Moreover, NIO’s flexible battery-swapping policies have made it easier for customers to enter the electric vehicle market: with the separation of vehicle and battery, users can opt for battery leasing instead of outright purchase, helping them sidestep hefty acquisition taxes and lowering the overall cost of ownership. This allows customers to choose battery packs of varying capacities based on their specific needs.

The battery-swap model enables full utilization of the battery pack throughout its lifecycle and facilitates the recycling and reuse of battery packs, helping to conserve 17–30% of battery resources. Additionally, battery swap stations optimize battery charging currents, reducing charging losses and extending battery life. As natural energy storage facilities with a capacity of 2.1 megawatt-hours, these stations charge batteries at night and swap them during the day, effectively smoothing out peak demand, balancing supply and demand, and stabilizing grid frequency—thus supporting the integration of more clean energy into the power grid while minimizing energy waste. Meanwhile, Qin Lihong also highlighted that battery swapping plays a crucial role in enhancing battery safety: each time a battery is swapped, NIO conducts rigorous inspections to ensure that all available batteries remain in optimal, healthy condition.
This time, NIO officially announced the completion of the Power Journeys Silk Road route on July 19. The journey begins in Xi'an and travels through Zhangye Danxia Geological Park, the Mogao Caves, Tianshan Tianchi Lake, and Sayram Lake, ultimately arriving at the Horgos Port. The entire route spans 3,133 kilometers and features 33 charging and battery-swapping stations. As of now, NIO’s Power Journeys have successfully connected a total of 60 routes across China. This year, more routes will be unveiled one after another, including the Gannan Line, the Shenzhou Dongji Line, the Qiandongnan region, and the Xilingol Grassland Route. Additionally, NIO plans to expand globally, launching its electric vehicle travel network across five European countries: Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Translated from Sina Auto

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