Battery-Swapping Battery Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The “separation of vehicles and battery” is of great significance for building a green energy ecology, lowering users’ costs for vehicle purchase, alleviating mileage and charging anxiety, and prolonging the battery degradation cycle. The state supports the popularization and application of such mode in specific areas around the world and encourages enterprises to develop battery-swapping mode pertinent to application scenarios. The construction of battery-swapping infrastructure and battery-swapping model demonstration and application are of great significance for promoting the in-depth integration of regional NEV industry and energy industry, constantly optimizing and perfecting the application scenarios and environment, and boosting the development of local new energy industry.

The “separation of vehicles and battery” is of great significance for building a green energy ecology, lowering users’ costs for vehicle purchase, alleviating mileage and charging anxiety, and prolonging the battery degradation cycle. The state supports the popularization and application of such mode in specific areas around the world and encourages enterprises to develop battery-swapping mode pertinent to application scenarios. The construction of battery-swapping infrastructure and battery-swapping model demonstration and application are of great significance for promoting the in-depth integration of regional NEV industry and energy industry, constantly optimizing and perfecting the application scenarios and environment, and boosting the development of local new energy industry. This Section, based on the data of models accessed to National Monitoring and Management Platform, analyzes the battery-swapping vehicle promotion and application, battery-swapping vehicle operation, and battery-swapping characteristics, summarizes the current achievements of battery-swapping industry and the key problems, and proposes the suggestions for the development of the industry.

6.1 Industrial Policies and Standard System for Battery Swapping Mode

The upper-level planning was more detailed and specific as battery-swapping model was encouraged.

In November 2020, the General Office of the State Council issued the New Energy Vehicle Industrial Development Plan for 2021 to 2035, which explicitly proposed to step up the construction of battery charging and swapping infrastructure, scientifically laying out charging and switching infrastructures, and strengthening the integration and coordination with urban and rural construction planning, electric power grid planning, and property management, and urban parking. The application of battery-swapping mode has been encouraged by strengthening the research and development of new charging technologies such as intelligent and orderly charging, high-power charging, and wireless charging, in a bid to improve charging convenience and product reliability. The state has further clarified the macro trend for the development of NEV battery-swapping mode, which laid a solid foundation for the construction and development of battery-swapping mode and network construction. On December 15, 2022, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Outline of the Plan for the Domestic Demand Expansion Strategy (2022–2035) (the “Outline”), which specifies that “efforts shall be made to optimize the distribution of urban transportation network for vigorous development of intelligent transportation; to promote the transformation of vehicle consumption from purchase management to use management; and to promote the development of vehicles towards electrification, networking, and intelligence and strengthen the construction of supporting facilities such as parking lots, charging piles, battery swapping stations, and hydrogen refueling stations. “

Relevant ministries and commissions encourage the exploration of pilot programs for battery swapping in different fields, and the battery-swapping vehicle industry is expected to grow faster.

On October 28, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Notice on Starting the Pilot Application of New Energy Vehicle Battery-Swapping Mode (“Notice”), deciding to start the pilot program on the application of new energy vehicle battery-swapping mode. 11 cities were included in the scope for pilot application of battery swapping, covering 8 cities for comprehensive application (Beijing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Sanya, Chongqing, Changchun, Hefei, and Ji’nan) and 3 heavy-duty trucks featured cities (Yibin, Tangshan, and Baotou). The Notice aims to promote more than 100,000 battery-swapping vehicles in pilot cities and build more than 1,000 new battery-swapping stations. In February 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other seven ministries launched a pilot program for comprehensive vehicle electrification of vehicles in the public sector, requiring that the proportion of NEVs in urban buses, taxis, sanitation vehicles, postal courier carriers, urban logistics and distribution vehicles reaching 80%.

The competent authorities and industry associations and organizations have been striving to form relevant standards on battery swap into a system that covers energy industry and automotive industry. Pursuant to the Report of the Study of Standardization of Pilot Cities for New Energy Vehicle Battery Swap released by the Electric Transportation and Energy Storage Branch of the China Electricity Council, nearly 50 standards have been approved for the battery swap system in China, and the Technical Committee for the Standardization of Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities has completed more than 30 standards on battery swap, including Communication Protocols for Swapping Battery Pack of Electric Vehicle (GB/T 32895-2016) and other four national standards issued by the Standardization Administration; Code for Design of Electric Vehicle Battery-swap Station (GB/T 51077-2015) issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development; General Technical Requirements for Chassis-type Battery Replacement Systems for Pure Electric Passenger Cars (NB/T 10434-2020), Code for Construction and Completion Acceptance of Electric Vehicle Charging/Battery Swap Infrastructure (NB/T 33004-2020), and Safety Requirements of Electric Vehicle Battery Swap Station (NB/T 10903-2021) issued by National Energy Administration; Dimension of Traction Battery for Electric Vehicles (GB/T 34013-2017) and Coding Regulation for Automotive Traction Battery (GB/T 34014-2017) issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Local governments have been formulating policies to encourage battery swap in line with industrial development.

The development of battery-swapping mode helps further extend the automotive industry chain and develop new growth poles for the industry, thus providing strong support for regional economic development. In addition to the national policy support for battery swap, Sichuan, Chongqing, Shandong, and other provisions or regions also issued support policies and specific subsidies related to battery swap or battery-swapping stations in 2022 (Tables 6.1 and 6.2). Sichuan gave an additional subsidy of RMB300 perkWh for the purchase of a battery-swapping heavy-duty truck. Chongqing, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Shanghai, and other provinces and regions gave a lump-sum subsidy for the battery-swapping stations in operation: RMB 1 million per station. Guangdong and Guangxi are working on the subsidy for the battery-stations already built.

Table 6.1 Support policies for battery-swapping industry in some cities or regions in China since 2022

Table 6.2 Subsidy policies for battery swapping and battery swapping facilities in some cities or regions in China since 2022

In terms of local standards, a guiding document Technical Requirements for Battery Swapping of Electric Heavy-duty Trucks was issued in Tangshan, Hebei; in April 2022, the Technical Specifications on Battery Swapping Pack System for BEV Heavy-duty Trucks in Jiangsu Province was issued in Jiangsu, regulating the physical dimensions of the battery packs and the interchangeability indexes of power interfaces of new energy heavy-duty trucks in the application scenarios of batter swapping on the city level; and the opinions Compatibility of On-board Battery Swap System for Battery Electric Heavy Duty Trucks—Part 1: Battery Swap Electric Interface and other four local standards have solicited in Yibin, Sichuan for regulating the battery swapping cooling interface, battery swapping mechanism, battery swapping battery pack, and vehicle and battery pack communication protocols.

In November 2022, the Technical Specification on Battery Swapping Stations for Electric Medium- and Heavy-duty Trucks and Vehicle Battery Swapping System was issued in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, involving eight group standards that regulated the technical requirements for battery swapping box and battery swapping bracket, battery swapping connectors, and battery swapping controls of battery swapping vehicles, the technical requirements on technical safety and communication protocols of battery swapping facilities, the technical requirements on data safety management and risk early warning, and the requirements on planning layout, installation, and protection of battery swapping stations.

6.2 Promotion of Battery-Swapping BEVs and Infrastructure

6.2.1 Promotion of Battery-Swapping BEVS

• (1) National promotion

As of the end of 2022, China has promoted over 290,000 battery-swapping BEVs, with battery-swapping BEV private passenger cars in the majority.

According to the National Monitoring and Management Platform, as of the end of 2022, over 290,000 battery-swapping BEVs have been accessed to the platform on a national scale, including 279,999 battery-swapping passenger cars and 11,000 commercial vehicles, accounting for 96.1% and 3.9%, respectively, with battery-swapping passenger cars in the majority. The battery-swapping commercial vehicles accessed to the platform are all vehicles for special purpose.

Battery-swapping BEV passenger cars played a major role in the battery-swapping passenger cars. By the end of 2022, 156,000 battery-swapping BEV private passenger cars have been accessed to the platform, accounting for 53.7% of the total, followed by 62,000 commercial passenger cars and 46,000 rental passenger cars, accounting for 21.4% and 15.9%, respectively. In the field of battery-swapping BEVs, logistics Vehicle for special purpose s took a dominant position, with a number of 0.9 million accessed, accounting for 3.1% of the total in China (Fig. 6.1).

Fig. 6.1

Cumulative access volume (in 10,000) and proportion of battery-swapping BEVs by type

Battery-swapping passenger cars face great market demand, and the market for battery-swapping commercial vehicles was growing rapidly.

From the perspective of the access of battery-swapping BEVs over the years (Fig. 6.2), the access volume grew rapidly in 2022 to 147,000 vehicles, an increase of 51.5% compared to 2020. The battery-swapping passenger car is the key model for promotion over the years, with the access volume of 96,000 and 137,000 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In the field of battery-swapping commercial vehicles, with the implementation of “dual-carbon” strategies, the access volume witnesses rapid growth, with a record 941 and 10,461 in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Fig. 6.2

Access volume of battery-swapping BEVs of different types over the years

• (2) Market concentration

Featuring a high market concentration of battery-swapping vehicles, the cumulative access volume of TOP3 manufacturers of battery-swapping passenger car and TOP3 manufacturers of battery-swapping commercial vehicle accounted for 87% and 61% of the national total, respectively.

The market concentration of battery-swapping BEVs was relatively high. As to the passenger cars, by the end of 2022, NIO had accessed a total of 175,000 battery-swapping BEVs to the platform, accounting for 62.7% of the cumulative amount nationwide (Table 6.3). BAIC Motor, BAIC BJEV, and BAIC Yunnan Ruili Automotive Co., Ltd. under BAIC Group focused on rental and leased passenger cars, with a total access volume of 45,000, 22,000 and 2,300 battery-swapping passenger cars, respectively.

Table 6.3 Cumulative access of vehicle manufacturers of battery-swapping BEVs in China–by segment (vehicle, %)

In the field of commercial vehicles, battery-swapping BEV trucks became the key breakthrough for the electrification of heavy-duty trucks under the “dual-carbon” strategy given less time consumption and higher operational efficiency of battery swap. With the support of national and local policies, the leading commercial vehicle manufacturers in China stepped up the strategic distribution, launching a variety of models to the market. In terms of the promotion by the manufacturers of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks (Table 6.3), Hanma Technology and XCMG ranked the top two, with cumulative access of 2,655 units and 2,126 units, respectively, accounting for 25.3% and 20.3%., respectively.

The leading enterprises in the industry have been stepping up the pace of distribution in the segment of battery swap. Geely Automobile, for instance, set up a joint venture Livan Automobile with Lifan Technology in January 2021, with battery-swapping plans for e-taxis for business end and consumer end. Livan Automobile plans to build more than 5,000 intelligent battery-swapping stations by 2025, In addition, Maple, a subsidiary of Geely, also plans to engage in batter-swapping businesses. In the field of commercial vehicles, Geely New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group acquired part of the shares of CAMC in July 2020, and CAMC officially changed its name to Hanma Technology in November 2020. With focus on the research, development, and manufacturing of heavy-duty trucks, heavy-duty Vehicle for special purpose s, and core components, Hanma Technology has been making efforts in battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks. By the end of 2022, Hanma Technology has accessed a total of 2,655 battery-swapping commercial vehicles to the platform, accounting for 25.3% of the national total.

• (3) Regional concentration

By the end of 2022, the TOP 10 provinces had a total of 231,000 battery-swapping vehicles accessed, accounting for 79.5% of the national total.

As to the promotion of battery-swapping BEVs in TOP10 provinces (Fig. 6.3), Beijing had a total of 55,000 battery-swapping BEVs accessed, accounting for 19% of the total in China; Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Guangdong also recorded more than 30,000 vehicles accessed respectively, each accounting for more than 10% of the national total.

Fig. 6.3

Cumulative access volume and proportion of BEVs in TOP10 provinces

By the end of 2022, the TOP 10 cities had a total of 168,000 battery-swapping vehicles accessed, accounting for 58% of the national total.

The promotion of battery-swapping BEVs was highly concentrated in cities (Fig. 6.4). In specific, Beijing had the highest cumulative access of battery-swapping BEVs, reaching 55,000 vehicles, accounting for nearly 20% of the national total; Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou also had 15,000 vehicles accessed, each accounting for more than 5% of the national total.

Fig. 6.4

Cumulative access volume and proportion of BEVs in TOP10 cities

By the proportion of cumulative access volume of battery-swapping BEVs by region (Fig. 6.5), East China had a higher proportion of 42.2%, followed by North China, with a proportion of 23.8%. Battery-swapping BEV commercial vehicles were centrally distributed in North China, with the proportion of cumulative access volume reaching 64.2%.

Fig. 6.5

Proportion of cumulative access volume of battery-swapping BEVs by region

In terms of the proportion of cumulative access volume by city tier (Fig. 6.6), the proportion of cumulative access volume of battery-swapping BEV passenger cars in first-tier, new first-tier, and second-tier cities totaled 91.1%, of which the proportion in first-tier cities reached 39.8%; while battery-swapping BEV commercial vehicles were mainly promoted in third-tier cities, with the cumulative access volume accounting for more than 50%.

Fig. 6.6

Proportion of cumulative access volume of battery-swapping BEVs by city tier

6.2.2 Promotion of Battery-Swapping Heavy-Duty Trucks

New energy heavy-duty trucks were driven by environmental protection policies, while battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks driven by users’ demands for efficient operation. In order to thoroughly implement requirements under the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Comprehensively Strengthening Ecological and Environmental Protection and Resolutely Fighting the Uphill Battle for the Prevention and Control of Pollution and the Three-year Action Plan for Keeping Our Sky Blue issued by the State Council, and strengthen the excessive emission control of diesel trucks, in November 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other 10 ministries jointly issued the Action Plan for Pollution Control of Diesel Trucks, which explicitly requires that, by 2025, the emission of nitrogen oxides from diesel trucks nationwide shall drop by 12%, and the holding volume of trucks with new energy and under China VI emission standards should exceed 40%.

Under the background of national and local policy support and product supply in diversified forms, battery-swapping heavy trucks have become the highlight of the industry of new energy heavy-duty trucks. In 2022, a total of 12,431 battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks were sold within China, accounting for 48.8% of the sales volume of new energy heavy-duty trucks, a year-on-year increase of 273.6%. The battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks have become the key model under the new energy heavy-duty trucks (Fig. 6.7). The commercial operation mode of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in such enclosed scenarios as steel mills, power plants, mining areas (short haul) and short-distance transportation in ports is going matured, as the market of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks is under rapid development.

Fig. 6.7

Sources cvword.cn and evpartner.com

Sales volume of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks over the years.

The market concentration of heavy-duty trucks was high, and the sales volume of TOP3 enterprises accounted for over 50% of the national total.

In 2022, Hanma Technology sold 2,434 battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks, with a market share of 19.6%, ranking first in China. The sales volume of traditional heavy-duty truck manufacturers, including XCMG, SAIC Hongyan, and Dongfeng Motor, also exceeded 1,000 respectively, accounting for more than 10% of the national total (Fig. 6.8).

Fig. 6.8

Sources cvword.cn, evpartner.com, and truckview.cn

Sales volume and proportion of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in China (vehicles, %).

By the end of 2022, more than 10,000 battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks accessed to the National Monitoring and Management Platform, with tractor-trailer heavy-duty trucks as the main type for promotion.

According to the statistics of National Monitoring and Management Platform, by the end of 2022, China had a total of 11,402 battery-swapping BEV commercial vehicles accessed (Fig. 6.9), including 454 battery-swapping BEV vans below 12 tons and 10,948 battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks above 12 tons, mainly involving battery-swapping BEV dump trucks, battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers, battery-swapping concrete mixers, and other models. This Section focuses on the battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks.

Fig. 6.9

Cumulative access volume and structure proportion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks by type (vehicles, %)

By application scenarios (Fig. 6.10), special logistics vehicles were the leading model for promotion. As of the end of 2022, the cumulative access volume to special logistics vehicles amounted to 7,885, accounting for 69.2%, while that of special sanitation vehicles and special engineering vehicles reached 1,952 and 1,565, respectively, accounting for 17.1% and 13.7%, respectively.

Fig. 6.10

Cumulative access volume and structure proportion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks by scenario (vehicles, %)

The regional concentration for promotion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks was high, mainly in resource-oriented cities.

The regional concentration for promotion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks was high. By the end of 2022, a total of 6,057 battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks in He’nan accessed to the National Monitoring and Management Platform, accounting for 55.3% of the total. The cumulative access volume of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks in Shanxi Province and Shandong Province amounted to 598 and 581, respectively, each with a national share of more than 5% (Fig. 6.11). By city (Fig. 6.12), in Tangshan, a total of 3,212 battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks accessed to the platform, accounting for 29.3% of the national total and 43.9% of the volume of new energy Vehicle for special purpose s for promotion within the city.

Fig. 6.11

Cumulative access volume and proportion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks in the TOP10 provinces

Fig. 6.12

Cumulative access volume and proportion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks in the TOP10 cities

Tangshan, as an important port city and industrial powerhouse in the Bohai Economic Rim for the transportation of bulk materials (iron and steel) and goods, was listed in the pilot cities for application of NEV battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2021. The frequent short haul within plants and trunk movement from the outward transportation of finished crude steel within the city have become important application scenarios for the electrification of freight vehicles. Given the less time consumption and high operational efficiency for power replenishment, battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks are now the key model promoted in Tangshan. Other port cities and heavy-industry cities, such as Qinhuangdao, Maanshan, Handan, and Cangzhou, recorded a cumulative access volume of more than 300 battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks on average, accounting for more than 35% of that of new energy Vehicle for special purpose s locally.

According to the regional distribution of the cumulative access volume of the battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks (Fig. 6.13), Tangshan held a large proportion of the cumulative access volume and the Vehicle for special purpose s for various purposes were mainly distributed in North China. By city tier (Fig. 6.14), the battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks were concentrated in the third-tier cities, and the cumulative access volume accounted for more than 40% of the total.

Fig. 6.13

Cumulative access volume and proportion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks by region

Fig. 6.14

Cumulative access volume and proportion of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks by city tier

6.2.3 Construction of Battery-Swapping Infrastructure

According to the statistics of China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance (EVCIPA), by the end of 2022, there were 1,973 battery-swapping stations for passenger cars within China, of which 289 were built in Beijing, accounting for 14.6% of the total. Operators of battery-swapping stations mainly included NIO, Aulton, and First Technology whose service covered private cars, operating passenger cars, e-taxis, and rental cars. In the field of battery swap for heavy-duty trucks, since the commissioning of the first batch of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks and the first battery-swapping station in China in July 2020, nearly 400 battery-swapping stations for heavy-duty trucks have been put into operation nationwide, covering more than 70 cities across China. The operators of heavy-duty truck battery-swapping infrastructure represented by State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) and State Grid Commercial Electric Vehicle Investment Co., Ltd. have been engaged in pilot demonstration under enclosed scenarios like mines, steel mills, harbors, urban slag dumps, and power plants, forming matured technical solutions and business models.

6.3 Operation Characteristics of Battery-Swapping Vehicles

By selecting battery-swapping BEVs on the National Monitoring and Management Platform, this Section compares and analyzes the operation characteristics of various types of vehicles and summarizes the travel characteristics of battery-swapping vehicles and the progress of battery-swapping pilot work, in a bid to provide experience and reference for the operation of battery-swapping vehicles towards more extensive application.

6.3.1 Operation Characteristics of Battery-Swapping Passenger Cars

The actual battery-swapping rate of operating passenger cars increased significantly with the gradual improvement of the battery-swapping infrastructure.

As for passenger cars, the actual battery-swapping rate of BEV passenger cars in different types of battery-swapping increased sharply year on year. The actual battery-swapping rate of private cars in 2022 was 91.4% (Fig. 6.15), while that of taxis and cars for sharing reached 97% and 99.2%, respectively, with the number of battery-swapping vehicles increasing significantly. The actual battery-swapping rate in the field of operation significantly increased thanks to the constant improvement of battery-swapping infrastructure and rapid growth of the quantity of battery-swapping vehicles.

Fig. 6.15

Actual battery-swapping rate of battery-swapping BEV passenger cars in 2022—by type (Note Actual battery-swapping rate = Quantity of battery-swapping BEVs with actual battery-swapping behavior in the year/Cumulative quantity of battery-swapping BEVs accessed to the National Monitoring and Management Platform)

The average monthly battery-swapping times of taxis were obviously higher than those of private cars, showing a higher battery-swapping frequency.

As shown in Fig. 6.16 on the distribution of the average monthly battery-swapping times per battery-swapping BEV passenger car, 87.9% of the BEV passenger cars had battery-swapping behavior, and the average monthly battery-swapping times of the vast majority of such cars were less than 10, with a proportion reaching 83.4%. 85.9% of the battery-swapping BEVs and 71.7% of the battery-swapping BEV cars for sharing had less than 10 battery-swapping times per month. The distribution of battery-swapping times was relatively dispersed, and the proportion of taxis with more than 30 battery-swapping times per month reached 22.0%.

Fig. 6.16

Distribution of average monthly battery-swapping times of BEV passenger cars in 2022—by type

The average monthly battery-swapping frequency of taxis was relatively scattered, and more than 90% of taxis had battery-swapping behavior.

The distribution of the average monthly battery-swapping times of taxis were decentralized. In terms of the distribution of the average monthly battery-swapping times per battery-swapping BEV taxi in typical cities in 2022 (Fig. 6.17), more than 90% of the battery-swapping taxis in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou had battery-swapping behaviors, while all of the battery-swapping taxis cabs in Kunming had so. By the distribution of the average monthly battery-swapping times per vehicle, the proportion of vehicles with more than 30 battery-swapping times per month per vehicle in typical cities was over 20%, namely one battery swap per day for a single vehicle. 36.2% of battery-swapping BEV taxis in Shanghai had at least one battery swap per day.

Fig. 6.17

Distribution of average monthly battery-swapping times of BEV taxis in 2022

The average single-time mileage of passenger cars upon a single battery swap increased year by year, and the single-vehicle mileage of private cars upon battery swap was longer.

The average monthly single-time mileage for private cars in 2022 was significantly higher than that of taxis and cars for sharing (Fig. 6.18). The average mileage of private cars upon a single battery swap represented by NIO reached a high level to 262 km. The average monthly mileage of taxis and cars for sharing upon a single battery swap was 203 km and 234 km respectively.

Fig. 6.18

Average mileage of BEV passenger cars upon a single battery swap over the years—by type

The average monthly mileage of battery-swapping passenger cars upon a single battery swap showed significant seasonal differences.

In terms of average monthly mileage upon a single battery swap (Fig. 6.19), the average monthly mileage of battery-swapping private cars upon a single battery swap was generally higher than that of operating vehicles. Since the battery-swapping private cars were mainly high-range models and the battery-swapping operating passenger cars had high requirements on operational efficiency and were sensitive to the remaining driving range, the mileage per battery-swapping operating passenger car upon battery swap was in general lower than that of battery-swapping private car. By season, the mileage of some battery-swapping passenger cars upon a single battery swap was affected given the charge–discharge characteristics of power batteries and the use of air conditioning within the vehicle under the low temperature in winter. In consequence, the mileage upon a single battery swap in winter was significantly lower than that (basically between 250 and 300 km) in other seasons.

Fig. 6.19

Comparison of the average monthly mileage of battery-swapping BEV passenger cars upon a single battery swap in 2022

The average daily travel characteristics of battery-swapping passenger cars in operation was quite different from those of private cars. As indicated in Table 6.4, the average daily mileage and duration of battery-swapping private cars in 2022 was 47.7 km and 1.4 h, respectively. Since the battery-swapping private cars were mainly distributed in first-tier and new first-tier cities, with longer one-way commuting mileage to and from work, the average daily mileage of battery-swapping private cars was significantly higher than the average daily mileage of new energy private cars in China.

Table 6.4 Average daily travel characteristics of battery-swapping BEV passenger cars in 2022—by type

The average monthly battery-swapping initial SOC of all types of battery-swapping passenger cars was generally lower than the average charging initial SOC.

Based on the comparison of the average battery-swapping initial SOC of battery-swapping BEVs by type (Fig. 6.20), the battery-swapping initial SOC of all types of passenger cars was generally lower than their average monthly figures, mainly due to the long driving range and low battery-swapping initial SOC of passenger cars.

Fig. 6.20

Comparison of average initial SOC between battery-swapping vehicles and BEVs of the same type in 2022

From the distribution of the starting SOC of power exchange for different power exchange vehicles (Fig. 6.21), the starting SOC of power exchange for private cars is generally concentrated in more than 20%, and the percentage of vehicles reaches 68.3%; the starting SOC of power exchange for rentals/network taxis and shared rental cars is mainly concentrated in 30–40%, and the percentage of vehicles reaches more than 18%.

Fig. 6.21

Distribution of SOC at the beginning of power exchange for pure electric passenger cars in 2022

6.3.2 Operation Characteristics of Battery-Swapping Heavy-Duty Trucks

Battery-swapping commercial vehicles mainly include battery-swapping BEV logistics vehicles below 12 tons and battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks above 12 tons. Due to the small quantity of battery-swapping BEV light logistics vehicles, this Section, with focus on the battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks above 12 tons, analyzes the overall battery-swapping characteristics of battery-swapping commercial vehicles in three types, namely dump trucks, tractor-trailers, and sanitation vehicles.

The actual battery-swapping rate of heavy-duty trucks significantly increased, and that of heavy-duty dump trucks was higher.

In 2022, the actual battery-swapping rate of heavy-duty trucks increased significantly year on year, and that of all types of vehicles exceeded 50%. The actual battery-swapping rate of dump trucks reached a high level of 80.7% (Table 6.5). The battery-swapping dump trucks are mainly used in short haul scenarios such as steel mills, power plants, and coal yards as well as medium and short-distance transportation scenarios like urban slag cars. Given the fixed routes and highly regular operation, it will be more convenient and less-consuming for battery-swapping dump trucks if battery-swapping facilities are provided along the way for the purpose of continuous operation.

Table 6.5 Actual battery-swapping rate of heavy-duty trucks in 2022—by type

Nearly 80% of the battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in China had battery-swapping behavior, and 24.9% of the heavy-duty trucks had battery swap over 30 times per month.

From the distribution of the average monthly battery-swapping times of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in China (Fig. 6.22), nearly 80% of the battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in China had battery-swapping behaviors, which could meet the demands under some scenarios. In addition, the proportion of vehicles recording over 30 average battery-swapping times per month reached 24.9%, indicating that nearly 1/4 of the battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks basically had a battery swap one day in daily operations.

Fig. 6.22

Distribution of monthly average battery-swapping times of heavy-duty trucks in China in 2022

According to the distribution of the average monthly battery-swapping times in typical cities (Fig. 6.23), there were significant differences in the battery-swapping behaviors of heavy-duty trucks in different cities given such factors as quantity of vehicles for promotion and degree of improvement for the network of battery-swapping facilities. Tangshan has promoted a large number of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks, of which 51% recorded less than 10 battery-swapping times per vehicle per month. In comparison, 33.7% of such heavy-duty trucks in Yulin had 50 to 60 battery-swapping times per vehicle per month, some of which featured high operating efficiency.

Fig. 6.23

Distribution of monthly average battery-swapping times of heavy trucks for a single vehicle in key cities in 2022

The mileage of heavy-duty trucks upon single-time battery swap had little difference in seasons.

The average mileage of BEV tractor-trailers and battery-swapping BEV dump trucks upon single-time battery swap was 117 km and 116 km, respectively. Based on the comparison of mileages upon single-time battery swap by month in 2022 (Fig. 6.24), the average mileage per vehicle upon battery swap was around 100 km for both battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers and battery-swapping BEV dump trucks. In the second half of 2022, battery-swapping BEVs had satisfactory operation effects and slight difference in the mileage upon single-time battery swap.

Fig. 6.24

Comparison of monthly mileage of battery-swapping trucks upon single-time battery swap in 2022

In terms of the distribution of the mileage upon single-time battery swap (Fig. 6.25), such mileage of battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers was mainly distributed within 80 km and between 120 and 160 km, with the proportion of vehicles accounting for 36.9% and 28.4%, respectively; and such mileage of battery-swapping dump trucks was mainly concentrated within 100 km, with the proportion of vehicles accounting for more than 60%.

Fig. 6.25

Distribution of mileages of battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks upon single-time battery swap in 2022—by type

Battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks are mainly used for short- and medium-distance transportation for now, indicating space of further development of medium- and long-distance transportation scenarios.

In 2022, the average daily mileage of battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers and battery-swapping BEV dump trucks was 208.9 km and 183.7 km, respectively, and the average daily driving duration was 10.2 h and 8.9 h, respectively (Table 6.6). In terms of the distribution (Fig. 6.26), the average daily mileage of battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers and battery-swapping BEV dump trucks was mainly distributed in the range of 80 km to 120 km. Another 23.9% of battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers had an average daily mileage exceeding 320 km, mainly serving the medium- and long-distance transportation scenarios on trunk lines.

Table 6.6 Average daily travel characteristics of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in 2022—by type

Fig. 6.26

Distribution of daily average mileage of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in 2022—by type

From the distribution of charging heavy-duty trucks driving at different hours of the day (Fig. 6.27), the proportion of ordinary charging heavy-duty trucks and battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in all hours of the day was above 40%, which basically met the daily operational demands. At all hours of the night, the proportion of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in operation was higher than that of charging heavy-duty trucks.

Fig. 6.27

Distribution of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks running at different hours of the day in 2022

The battery-swapping mode could effectively alleviate the demand of new energy heavy-duty truck fleet for power supply efficiency.

BEV heavy-duty trucks are now mainly used in the way of battery swapping on top lift, with 4 min of battery swap for a single time and a success rate of more than 99%. With constant breakthroughs of intelligent and fast battery-swapping technology, the degree of battery-swapping automation was basically fully automatic and unattended. The battery-swapping time was equivalent to the refueling time of fuel vehicles, and the development of battery-swapping technologies could effectively alleviate mileage anxiety. By the distribution of charging initial and end SOCs of power batteries of battery-swapping vehicles, the battery-swapping initial SOC of more than 50% of the heavy-duty trucks fell in 20%-30%, and the battery-swapping end SOC of more than 80% of heavy-duty trucks was above 90% (Fig. 6.28) indicating that, once the power batteries under the battery-swapping mode was replaced, the driving mileage was longer, and the convenience was higher, which could help alleviate the user's mileage anxiety to a certain extent.

Fig. 6.28

Battery-swapping initial SOC and battery-swapping end SOC of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in 2022

6.4 Promotion Achievements of Battery Swapping Vehicles in Pilot Cities

In 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology included 11 cities into the scope of battery-swapping pilot program in accordance with the Notice on Initiating the Pilot Application of Battery-Swapping Mode for New Energy Vehicles. This Section, with focus on the battery-swapping vehicles in the cities with comprehensive applications and the heavy-duty trucks featured cities, analyzes the promotion of battery-swapping vehicles, the construction of battery-swapping ecosystem, and the operation characteristics of the vehicles in the two cities for the past two years, in a bid to provide reference for the market promotion of battery-swapping vehicles towards a certain scale.

6.4.1 Promotion Outcome in Cities of Comprehensive Application

The pilot cities of battery-swapping had some experience in the field of battery-swapping BEVs. By the end of 2022, the eight pilot cities of comprehensive application of battery-swapping had a total of 82,634 battery-swapping BEVs accessed to the platform, of which Beijing held a major share, with private passenger cars and rental passenger cars as the mainstay; while the other pilot cities of comprehensive application all focused on the promotion of battery-swapping passenger cars (Figs. 6.29 and 6.30).

Fig. 6.29

Cumulative access volume of battery-swapping BEVs in pilot cities of comprehensive application over the years

Fig. 6.30

Promotion structure of battery-swapping vehicles in pilot cities of comprehensive application in 2022

The average monthly mileage of single battery-swapping vehicle in pilot cities of comprehensive application is shown in Fig. 6.31, the mileage of battery-swapping vehicles upon a single battery swap presents significant seasonal characteristics, for which the mileage in winter was far lower than that in other seasons. In respect of the mileage of battery-swapping vehicles upon a single battery swap over the years, the average monthly mileage of battery-swap vehicles upon a single battery swap in 2022 was generally higher than that in 2021.

Fig. 6.31

Overview of average monthly mileage of battery-swapping vehicles upon a single battery swap in pilot cities of comprehensive application

In view of the mileage of battery-swapping vehicles upon a single battery swap in pilot cities of comprehensive application by month (Fig. 6.32), in such cities as Changchun and Beijing at high latitude featuring lower temperature in winter (December, January and February), the mileage of battery-swapping vehicles upon a single battery swap was markedly low. In other cities, such as Sanya, due to the small temperature difference throughout the year, the monthly distribution of mileage of battery-swapping vehicles upon a single battery swap was basically the same.

Fig. 6.32

Monthly distribution of mileage of battery-swapping vehicles upon a single battery swap in pilot cities of comprehensive application

6.4.2 Promotion Outcome of Heavy-Duty Trucks Featured Cities

Based on the operation data of battery-swapping vehicles on the National Monitoring and Management Platform, this Section selects Yibin, Tangshan, Baotou, and other battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks featured cities, as well as Chongqing, Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Ordos, Ma'anshan, Handan, Cangzhou, and other typical application cities for battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks to summarize the average daily travel characteristics of battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers and battery-swapping BEV bump trucks in 10 key application cities for battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks.

A study shows that, in the field of tractor trailers (Fig. 6.33), the average daily mileage of battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers in port cities like Tangshan and Qinhuangdao, mineral resource cities like Maanshan and Ordos, as well as Chongqing, exceeded 200 km, with the application scenarios covering ports, mines, and medium- and long-distance logistics transportation. In the field of dump trucks (Fig. 6.34), the average daily mileage of battery-swapping BEV dump trucks in Qinhuangdao, Cangzhou, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Maanshan, and Chongqing exceeded 200 km, and the average daily travel duration in Qinhuangdao, Cangzhou (Huanghua Port), and other port cities was more than 12 h, with a lower speed mainly for short-distance transportation within the port. However, the velocity of the battery-swapping BEV dump trucks in Chongqing was higher, is probably due to the fact that some of the vehicles were used for transportation on trunk line.

Fig. 6.33

Average daily travel characteristics of battery-swapping BEV tractor-trailers in typical cities in 2022

Fig. 6.34

Average daily travel characteristics of battery-swapping BEV dump trucks in typical cities in 2022

In terms of vehicle promotion and application, according to National Monitoring and Management Platform, by the end of 2022, three heavy-duty trucks featured cities had 3,924 battery-swapping BEVs accessed to the platform, including 3,431 battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks. By city, Tangshan, Yibin, and Baotou had 3,212, 86 and 133 battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks accessed, respectively.

By application scenario (Fig. 6.35), special logistics vehicle and special engineering vehicle were the major models for promotion. 100% the battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks in Yibin were special logistics vehicles; over 71% of the battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks in Tangshan were special logistics vehicles; while 75.9% of the battery-swapping BEV heavy-duty trucks in Baotou were special engineering vehicles.

Fig. 6.35

Structure of promotion scenarios of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in heavy-duty trucks featured pilot cities in 2022

By type (Fig. 6.36), battery-swapping tractor-trailer and dump truck in Tangshan were the major models for promotion; battery-swapping dump truck was the major model for promotion in Yibin, accounting for 97.7%, battery-swapping concrete mixer and battery-swapping dump truck were the major mode for promotion in Baotou, accounted for 58.6% and 39.8%, respectively.

Fig. 6.36

Access structure of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in heavy-duty trucks featured pilot cities in 2022

The drivers for each of the three heavy-duty trucks featured cities varied with highly different work paths and progress in pilot program. Tangshan: Environmental protection driven, application oriented, focusing on the development of the battery-swapping operation industries.

With more than 100,000 heavy-duty trucks, Tangshan has clear goals on the pilot work under efficient coordination within the whole city in face of huge pressure on environmental protection. The government has provided support in the planning of land for battery-swapping stations, power expansion, and facility construction, such as the issuance of green pass for new energy heavy trucks and financing support for battery-swapping stations. In particular, a specialized power battery asset management company was established, which played an important role in the efficient utilization of battery resources and ensuring safety operations. By the end of 2022, the quantity of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks put into operation in Tangshan exceeded the planning target during the pilot period. Tangshan has planned a city-level battery-swapping trunk network featuring “three vertical and one horizontal” and connecting nearly 20 large and medium-sized iron and steel enterprises, with a total length of about 620 km. 11 battery-swapping stations were built along the way and 14 are now under construction.

Yibin: industry driven, regional expansion, focusing on innovation exploration and overall distribution.

Yibin holds a relatively complete battery-swapping industrial chain for new energy heavy-duty trucks and accommodates such big businesses as Chery Commercial Vehicle and CATL Sichuan. Yibin issued several policies to subsidize the purchase of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks at a rate of RMB300/kWh and gives priority to the land use right for battery-swapping stations. It also set up an industrial development funds (RMB6 billion from the first fund raising) to offer funds to high-quality battery-swapping projects. The pilot work has been extended to Chengdu, Ziyang, Leshan, Meishan, and other neighboring cities, with more than 300 battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks applied. In terms of station establishment, some battery-swapping stations were free from limited operation capacity for battery-swapping vehicles to a certain extent by means of compatibility design. In addition, Yibin has been making active explorations in PV, storage, and charging, battery-swapping for heavy-duty truck, and oil, gas, and hydrogen refueling integrated energy stations.

Baotou: industry and environmental protection driven and steady promotion of pilot work.

Baotou recorded an annual freight volume of nearly 120 million tons of raw materials like minerals, coal, steel, and aluminum, indicating a huge demand for transportation and carbon emission reduction. Beiben Trucks, as a leading vehicle enterprise in Baotou, started to deliver battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in batch in 2019, forming a development pattern driven by both industry and environmental protection. In terms of supporting battery-swapping infrastructure construction, Beiben Trucks worked with Aulton, GCL-ET, and Unex on technological research and development of battery-swapping stations and planned to build more than 60 stations. In July, 2022, Baotou Market Supervision Administration organized examination and approval of the local standard—Technical Specifications for the Construction of Shared Battery-Swapping Stations for Electric Medium- and Heavy-duty Trucks and Battery-Swapping Vehicles, which was expected to serve a vital purpose in regulating and promoting the building of the battery-swapping interfaces and stations for BEV heavy-duty trucks as well as standardized operation and management.

In addition, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, and other provinces also put into operation several battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks in refreshing the market of heavy-duty trucks, of which Shanxi has built 12 battery-swapping stations, with another 6 stations under construction, which, to a certain extent, indicated that the model of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks was recognized by the market.

6.5 Summary

6.5.1 Current Situation of Battery-Swapping Industry

Local governments have introduced incentive policies pertinent to the battery-swapping industry to boost production and sales. Each of the pilot cities has its own features in operation scenarios and industrial organization mode and has formed a complete industrial ecosystem. Based on the data of the National Monitoring and Management Platform and other public information, this Section preliminarily summarizes the industrial policies and promotion achievements of battery-swapping BEVs in China after the commencement of pilot work. In specific,

• (1) The policy support for the battery-swapping industry was enhanced, and local governments stepped up the implementation of the support guidelines and standards on battery swap.

The central and local governments have been expediting the promulgation and implementation of support policies and standards for the battery-swapping industry since 2021. In addition to the national policy on tax reduction and exemption for the purchase of BEVs, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Shandong, Anhui, Hainan and other provinces have given subsidies of different amounts to the construction or operation of the battery-swapping stations. In face of the demands of users, entities on the national, industrial, and local level are working harder on the formulation of standards and specifications on battery swap. In 2022, Jiangsu issued a group standard for battery-swapping mode—Technical Specification on Battery-swapping Battery Pack System for Battery Electric Heavy-duty Trucks, and Baotou issued the local standard—Technical Specification on Battery Swapping Stations for Electric Medium- and Heavy-duty Trucks and Vehicle Battery Swapping System. In the meantime, the validation committee for group standards under the Technical Specification for Construction of Shared Battery-swapping Stations for Battery Electric Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks and Battery-swapping Vehicles deliberated and approved a number of battery-swapping standards for heavy-duty trucks. In January, 2023, the Battery-swapping Stations for Battery-swapping Heavy-duty Trucks Part 1: Fire Safety Design Specifications and other five local standards developed by Yibin Fire and Rescue Detachment and a number of units were approved for official release. The specification is composed of two sections: Battery-swapping stations for battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks and central charging stations for BEV bicycles.

• (2) Thanks to the support of industrial policies, the battery-swapping application scenarios were increasingly matured, with the rapid promotion of battery-swapping vehicles.

The battery-swapping application scenarios are more diversified. In the field of passenger cars, for key scenarios such as taxis, private cars, official vehicles, and rental and leased vehicles, NIO, Geely, BAIC, and other vehicle manufacturers exerted forces in battery-swapping passenger cars. As to commercial vehicles, for engineering projects on mining areas, steel mills, power plants, and ports, as well as public fields like industrial ports, factories (short haul), and logistics transportation, Hanma Technology, XCMG, SAIC Hongyan, SANY, and other manufacturers are now speeding up the development of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks towards a certain scale. In terms of promotion of BEVs, by the end of 2022, the National Monitoring and Management Platform recorded an access volume of more than 290,000 NEVs, including 279,000 BEV passenger cars and 11,000 BEV commercial vehicles.

• (3) The improvement of battery-swapping infrastructure boosted rapid growth in the volume and operational efficiency of battery-swapping vehicles.

With the implementation of local battery-swapping industry policies, the battery-swapping infrastructure construction system has been gradually improved, along with operation intensity and frequency of application. In 2022, the actual battery-swapping rate of passenger cars and commercial vehicles increased significantly year on year, and the total volume of vehicles increased rapidly. Battery-swapping vehicles have great advantages in power replenishment efficiency: The battery-swapping initial SOC is generally lower than charging initial SOC (battery replaced in just 5 min), and the effective mileage between battery charging and discharging prolongs under battery-swapping mode. For the sectors of private vehicles facing difficulty in installing private charging piles and the public operation areas such as taxis, e-taxis, and heavy-duty trucks, it is more convenient to use BEVs According to the travel characteristics of battery-swapping vehicles over the years, the average daily mileage of passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks in 2022 increased significantly year on year, showing increasing operation efficiency.

• (4) Entities from different sectors work together to build the operation ecology of bevs to accelerate the business innovation of the “separation of vehicles and battery” model.

With the increasing support of local governments for the battery-swapping industry and the extensive promotion and application of battery-swapping vehicles, vehicle manufacturers, power battery manufacturers, energy enterprises, and financial institutions are forced to join hands to speed up the innovation of “separation of vehicles and battery” model by various means: Establishing the service platform for battery-swapping assets, exploring a favorable business mode for life-cycle management of power batteries, purchasing vehicles (without non-standard parts) and leasing batteries to cater to users’ demands, and applying battery recycling by grade for higher utilization and environmental protection. Credit and insurance innovation for battery-swapping NEVs are encouraged to support the development of consumer credit business for vehicles (without battery). Insurance companies are advised to develop exclusive insurance products for battery-swapping NEVs.

6.5.2 Suggestions for the Battery-Swapping Industry

Despite the rapid growth of battery-swapping vehicles and industry chain, China still faces some problems, such as inconsistent battery standards among different enterprises, lack of unified battery-swapping standards and battery-swapping vehicle interchangeability standards; difficulty in battery traceability management and insufficient emphasis on safety issues; and huge investment in the early stage for the battery-swapping industry, all of which hindered the industrial development to a certain degree and need to be resolved urgently. In view of the problems in the development of the battery swap industry, following are specific suggestions:

• (1) Strengthen the top-level design and improve the supporting policies and standards.

In terms of standards, the draft of standards for the general platform for battery swap was already completed. It is recommended that the state speed up the research and formulation of national standards for vehicle-mounted battery-swapping systems and battery packs and regulate battery interchangeability and interface compatibility. As for the specifications for station building, provisions on the construction of battery-swapping stations should be clarified, in particular those on charging, swap, oil, and gas on a pilot basis to resolve the difficulty in land use for battery-swapping stations. With respect to industry management, it is suggested to optimize the laws and regulations on the announcement of BEVs, establish an exclusive announcement and certification system for NEVs, and apply a separate certification of vehicles and batteries. It is also recommended to further improve the battery traceability system of battery-swapping vehicles, improve the adaptability of “separation of vehicles and batter” model, and promote the comprehensive monitoring and management platform of station-vehicle-electricity for battery-swapping stations for the safety operation of battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks.

• (2) Give full play to financial instruments and data resources for the sustainable development of heavy-duty trucks.

Support should be provided to eligible infrastructure construction enterprises to raise financing by issuing corporate bond and introducing green fund investment. Local governments and authorities are encouraged to provide financing support to the construction and operation enterprises of battery-swapping infrastructure in the form of financing credit enhancement and loan interest subsidies. “Battery banks” are encouraged to develop innovative business operations, make full use of the data from the life cycle of power batteries in battery-swapping stations, actively conduct in-depth integration and application of the battery data platform in technology research and development, product planning, used car market, financial insurance, cascade utilization, recycling and other scenarios, establish and improve battery data security and data asset trading mechanism, and expedite the circulation and integration of data resources at battery-swapping stations.

• (3) Evaluate the development path and the effectiveness of pilot work in a scientific manner guided by the concept of green transportation.

Cities should, based on the characteristics of local industrial development, scientifically evaluate and prudently select the technical routes for battery charging and swap and hydrogen cell and electric commercial vehicles, rationally leverage the advantages on the modal shift from truck to rail, hydrogen heavy-duty trucks, and battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks under the national strategy of green transportation and in the principles of adjustment to local conditions and hydrogen and electricity application as appropriate under overall coordination. It is also necessary to study and appraise the effectiveness of the pilot work in due course based on full exchange and experience summary to timely solve problems and keep updated the pilot work, thus providing basis for resource coordination and unifying the thoughts of pilot cities to lay a solid foundation for pilot area expansion and other efforts.