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BusinessChina EVs

Chinese EV industry pits battery swapping technology against ultra-fast charging

The duelling technologies are aimed at soothing consumer anxiety about driving ranges

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Visitors look at a fast-charging battery from CATL. Photo: AP
Daniel Renin Shanghai

Efforts by the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) industry to reduce consumer anxiety about driving ranges have pitted battery swapping technology against ultra-fast charging capabilities, even though both save time for drivers.

“Carmakers and consumers now have two options as they choose which kind of EVs to buy,” said Davis Zhang, a senior executive at Suzhou Hazardtex, a supplier of specialised batteries, in an interview last week. “Each of the technologies has its own advantages and disadvantages, but they will coexist over a long period of time.”

The battery swap model allows EV owners to exchange a spent pack for a fully charged one in just 100 seconds. And fast-charging technology gives a vehicle 400km of driving range in five minutes.

Shanghai-based carmaker Nio has made its name as the pioneer of swappable batteries and it operates more than 3,000 swap stations across mainland China. It also entered partnerships with a number of carmakers including Geely Auto, the nation’s second-largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest EV battery producer, to promote its technology.
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