Chinese electric automaker NIO has once again added a new player to support its pursuits to establish a unified battery standard through its battery swap technology. According to the press release, NIO partnered with GAC for electric vehicle battery charging and swapping on May 8.
NIO, GAC partner for battery charging and swapping
NIO and GAC officially inked a strategic cooperation agreement with a focus on battery charging and swapping in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province on Wednesday after just two weeks of signing a similar deal with Lotus.
The partnership will revolve around several relevant matters, such as battery standards, electric vehicle R&D and customization, battery asset management and operations, and swapping network development and operations.
The two Chinese automakers also pledged to support and promote the opening of their individual charging platforms to each other.
“The cooperation will amplify the two companies’ respective strengths in technology and operations, and push forward the unification of battery standards and operational and management systems, so as to make swapping a more approachable solution, and provide users with experiences as hassle-free as refueling.”
NIO CEO William Li
Primary objectives
NIO and GAC outlined some of their primary objectives under the newly signed strategic cooperation agreement, including the following:
- Establish a unified battery standard
- Co-develop passenger electric vehicles with battery swap tech
- Build battery swap stations compatible with EV models from both brands
- Rollout new EVs with swappable batteries designed under the standards established by both brands
- Accelerate the implementation of the battery swap stations for both NIO and GAC vehicles
- Launch an interconnection of battery-swapping networks that runs on a unified operational and management system
- Set up a larger, standardized, and unified power infrastructure network to achieve economies of scale
“Going forward, with the growing NEV population, battery swapping will unleash unlimited market opportunities, especially in cities. Because it actually solves a pain point for many users who don’t have dedicated parking spots. I’m glad to see that NIO and GAC can partner in this area.
The strategic cooperation agreement that we signed today is also a foundation and guidance for our future cooperation. With it as a starting point, we hope to build more battery swap stations with which our GAC Aion users will have a better swapping experience.”
GAC Group president Feng Xingya
NIO’s quest for a unified battery standard
NIO has emerged as a global leader in electric vehicle battery swap technology. It has recorded more than 30 million battery swaps globally as of October 2023.
NIO has also started encouraging several Chinese players to aid in establishing a unified battery standard in China (or even beyond).
On November 21, 2023, NIO partnered with Changan for the joint development and sharing of a battery swap network in China. They also committed to launch battery swap-compatible EV models.
Geely became the second external member of the NIO-led battery swap alliance when it signed a deal last November 29. JAC and Chery followed on January 11 with the same objectives.
During the 2024 Beijing Auto Show last month, NIO and Lotus announced their new partnership for the joint-development of charging and battery swap technologies. All that said, NIO’s battery swap alliance now has 6 major Chinese players.
Battery swapping is indeed a feasible alternative to the traditional plug-in and charge process. Now, NIO seems dedicated to continuously recruiting more players to standardize its technology, potentially streamlining the battery swap process regardless of brands or models.
