Battery Swapping of New Energy Vehicles

Abstract

The battery swapping mode is one of the important ways of energy supply for new energy vehicles, which can effectively solve the pain points of slow and fast charging methods, alleviate the impact from the grid, improve battery safety, and have a positive promoting effect on improving the convenience and safety of NEVs.

The battery swapping mode is one of the important ways of energy supply for new energy vehicles, which can effectively solve the pain points of slow and fast charging methods, alleviate the impact from the grid, improve battery safety, and have a positive promoting effect on improving the convenience and safety of NEVs. With the deepening development of China’s NEV industry, many automobile enterprises and operators have successively launched the battery-swapping-type mode and battery-swapping infrastructure, accumulating rich practical experience in the field of battery swapping. Since 2021, the support policies based on the battery swapping mode at the national level have been accelerated, and the pilot work for battery swapping has been officially launched. The development of universal national and group standards in battery swapping is accelerating. This section sorts out the current status of policies and standard systems related to the battery-swapping mode of BEVs. Based on the promotion of battery-swapping-type vehicle enterprises and battery-swapping-type vehicles on the National Monitoring and Management Platform, an analysis is conducted on the battery-swapping behavior and economic efficiency of battery-swapping-type vehicles, which provides some experience and reference for promoting the application of battery swapping mode of BEVs and the healthy and sustainable development of battery swapping infrastructure in China.

6.1 Current Status of Industrial Policies and Standards for Battery Swapping Mode

6.1.1 Accelerated Implementation of Battery Swapping Mode Support Policy and Officially Launched Pilot Work

The battery swapping mode has certain advantages in reducing the cost of the first-time car purchase, eliminating range anxiety, improving the safety level. It can effectively address the demand for energy supplement efficiency of operating vehicles, commercial vehicles, and other subdivision segments. The Government Work Report in 2020 and 2021 mentioned “increasing facilities such as charging piles and battery swapping stations,” the battery swapping stations will be developed together with charging piles as supporting facilities in the future (Table 6.1).

Table 6.1 Summary of relevant policies on battery swapping at the national level since 2021

As the first stage of promoting the battery-swapping model nationwide, pilot cities for battery-swapping will accelerate the formation of replicable and promotable experiences in the battery-swapping industry. On October 28, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Notice on Launching the Pilot Work of Application of Battery Swapping Mode for New Energy Vehicles (hereinafter referred to as the “Notice”), deciding to launch the pilot work of application of battery swapping mode for new energy vehicles. There are a total of 11 cities included in the pilot scope, including 8 cities of comprehensive application category (Beijing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Sanya, Chongqing, Changchun, Hefei, Jinan), and 3 heavy-duty trucks featured cities (Yibin, Tangshan, Baotou). The goal is to promote over 100,000 battery-swapping-type vehicles and construct over 1000 new battery-swapping stations.

On January 10, 2022, the Implementation Opinions of the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments on Further Improving the Service Guarantee Capacity of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (FGNYG [2022] No. 53) (referred to as the “Implementation Opinions”) were released. The Implementation Opinions respectively mention the battery swapping mode in optimizing urban public charging networks, strengthening innovation and standard support of charging and swapping technology, and accelerating the promotion and application of battery swapping modes, with an aim to arrange battery swapping stations according to local conditions, promote the formation of unified battery swapping standards in main application fields, and improve the safety, reliability, and economy of the battery swapping mode; propose to accelerate the promotion and application of the battery swapping mode to support the construction and layout of dedicated battery swapping stations around scenarios such as mines, ports, and urban transportation; accelerate the exploration and promotion of the separation mode of vehicle and battery, and promote the electrification transformation of heavy-duty trucks and container trucks in ports; explore shared battery swapping mode in rental, logistics and transportation fields, and optimize and enhance the shared battery swapping service.

Local governments provide different levels of financial subsidies for the construction and operation of battery-swapping stations. In order to speed up the construction of battery-swapping stations, Hainan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Dalian, Chengdu, Guangxi, and other provinces or cities have successively issued subsidy standards for the construction of battery-swapping stations. For example, on May 13, 2021, Chongqing Municipal Finance Bureau and Chongqing Economic and Information Commission jointly issued the Notice of Chongqing on the Financial Subsidy Policies for Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles in 2021, which provides a one-time construction subsidy of 400 yuan/kW according to the rated charging power of the charging module of the battery swapping equipment or the rated output power of the transformer (whichever is smaller) for the battery swapping stations in the public service field that has been completed, accepted and put into use, with a maximum subsidy for a single station not exceeding 500,000 yuan; on July 30, 2021, Hainan Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued the “Guiding Opinions on Supporting the Construction of Electric Vehicle Battery Swapping Stations in Hainan Province (Trial)”, which provides a one-time construction subsidy of 15% of the project equipment investment for battery swapping stations that have been completed and put into operation before December 31, 2022 and serve the key application fields of the battery swapping mode; on October 9, 2021, Dalian Development and Reform Commission, Dalian Industry and Information Technology Bureau, Dalian Science and Technology Bureau, and Dalian Finance Bureau jointly issued the “Management Measures of Dalian for New Energy Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Construction Rewards and Subsidies”, which provides a one-time subsidy of no more than 30% of the battery swapping facility investment for new energy vehicle battery swapping stations that meet the conditions, with a maximum subsidy not exceeding 2 million yuan.

Regarding operating subsidies for battery-swapping facilities, Shanghai, Guangxi, Guangzhou, and other provinces or cities have provided different levels of operating subsidies for battery-swapping infrastructure. On April 1, 2020, Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission and four other departments jointly issued the Interim Measures of Shanghai Municipality for Promoting the Orderly Development of the Interconnection of Electric Vehicle Charging (Swapping) Facilities (HFGZ [2020] No. 4), proposing that charging facilities should shift from construction to operation. The support direction should shift from equipment subsidies to KWH subsidies, and for special charging piles and battery swapping facilities, subsidy standards should be determined according to the star level of the stations. The basic KWH subsidy for a “One Star” station is 0.1 yuan/kWh, 0.2 yuan/kWh for a “Two Star” station, and 0.3 yuan/kWh for a “Three Star” station, with a maximum subsidy of 2000 kWh/kW-year. The subsidy standards for 2021 and beyond will adopt a two-year mechanism based on factors such as the overall operational efficiency of charging facilities. The specific calculation plan will be proposed by the municipal platforms and approved by the municipal development and reform commissions before implementation.

With the rapid growth of battery swapping stations in the future, various provinces and cities may gradually introduce subsidy standards. At present, the battery-swapping industry is still in the early stage of development. With the gradual unification of the standards of the battery-swapping industry in the future and the gradual improvement of the subsidy policies of various provinces and cities, the growth rate of the battery-swapping station will also be further improved, consistent with the development history of the charging pile.

6.1.2 Gradually Unified Standards for Battery Swapping

Regarding formulating specific standards in the field of battery swapping, the formulation of national and group standards based on the field of battery swapping has been gradually accelerated. On March 16, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the Key Points of Industry and Information Technology Standards in 2021, proposing to promote the development of standards for new technologies, new industries, and new infrastructures and vigorously carrying out the research and development of standards for electric vehicles, charging and swapping systems, FCEVs.

On April 30, 2021, the recommended national standard GB/T 40032-2021, Safety Requirements of Battery Swap for Electric Vehicles, proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and under the jurisdiction of the National Technical Committee of Automotive Standardization, was approved for release by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration Committee, it has been officially implemented since November 1, 2021 (Fig. 6.1). The Safety Requirements of Battery Swap for Electric Vehicles applies to BEVs of category M1 whose batteries can be swapped. It specifies the safety requirements, test methods, and rules for electric vehicles with swappable batteries. This standard is the first basic universal national standard developed by the automotive industry in the field of battery swapping, which solves the problem of no standard for the battery swapping mode, helps guide enterprises in product research and development, and ensures the safety of battery-swapping-type vehicles.

Fig. 6.1

Source Safety requirements of battery swap for electric vehicles (GB/T 40032-2021)

Framework of the safety requirements of battery swap for electric vehicles.

In commercial vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, and mining trucks, it is relatively easy to unify battery pack standards. Currently, the battery capacity of heavy-duty trucks in the market is mostly concentrated at 282 and 350 kWh. In the Global Intelligent Mobility Conference held in June 2021, 11 of the 13 battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks participating in the exhibition are equipped with 282 kWh CATL LFP batteries; in addition, unlike in the field of passenger cars, commercial vehicles place more emphasis on actual operational efficiency rather than appearance and driving experience, and the demand for personalized customization of batteries is not high, which provides favorable conditions for unified battery swapping standards.

Regarding passenger cars, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers announced in October 2021 that the group standard Construction Requirements for EV Shared Swap Station (hereinafter referred to as “Construction Requirements”) has been reviewed and officially released on December 22 of the same year (Table 6.2). The standard was jointly formulated by battery suppliers (CATL, Sunwoda, GAC, NIO, BAIC BJEV) and third-party operators (including Botan, GCL-ET, Aulton New Energy), and provides for battery swapping stations in 12 aspects, including battery pack, battery swapping mechanism, and layout planning of battery swapping stations, aiming to ultimately achieve the sharing of the battery pack platform and battery modules for the battery swapping station with the “three-step” approach.

Table 6.2 Relevant standards in the field of battery swapping in 2021

6.2 Current Development Status of Battery Swapping Infrastructure

The construction of battery swapping stations is gradually advancing, and as of the end of 2021, the total number of battery swapping stations in China has reached 1298.

Regarding mainstream battery-swapping operators, the current battery-swapping infrastructure market is on a relatively small scale and is facing a good opportunity for development. Aulton New Energy, Botan, and Nio are the main operators of battery-swapping facilities. Aulton New Energy and Botan are oriented to the public sector (including public transport, taxis), while Nio is oriented to private battery swapping stations (private users). As shown in Fig. 6.2, as of the end of 2021, the total number of battery swapping stations in China was 1298, with an increase of 743 compared with 2020, indicating a rapid growth rate in the construction of battery swapping stations. Among the three major battery swapping operators, Nio’s battery swapping station ranks first regarding the growth in construction quantity. As of the end of 2021, the total number of Nio’s battery swapping stations has reached 789, with an annual increase of 503; the total number of Aulton’s battery swapping stations was 402, with an increase of 227 in 2021.

Fig. 6.2

Source China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance

Number of battery swapping stations owned by major battery swapping operators in China in 2021.

The number of battery swapping stations in Beijing ranks first in China, accounting for nearly 1/5 of the total number in the country.

Regarding the number of battery swapping stations in various provinces (Fig. 6.3), Beijing ranks first. As of the end of 2021, its number of battery swapping stations reached 255, accounting for nearly 1/5 of the total number in China, followed by Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu, with over 90 battery swapping stations, accounting for over 7% of the total number in China.

Fig. 6.3

Source China electric vehicle charging infrastructure promotion alliance

Number of battery swapping stations in major provinces in China in 2021 (units, %).

National policy support and investment in the battery-swapping industry.

With the gradual launch of battery-swapping-type models, the speed of construction of battery-swapping stations in the industry has significantly accelerated, and various operators of battery-swapping stations have announced plans to construct battery-swapping stations in the next five years. Aulton New Energy and Changan New Energy said that by 2025, they would invest and build more than 10,000 battery swapping stations. Sinopec, Geely, and GCL-ET plan to build 5000 battery-swapping stations. Nio and SPIC respectively, plan to add 4000 battery-swapping stations. According to enterprise planning, the number of battery-swapping stations is expected to reach more than 20,000 by 2025.

Regarding vertical and horizontal collaboration in the battery swapping industry, operators of battery swapping stations such as Aulton and Botan have accelerated the construction of battery swapping stations, actively cooperated with vehicle manufacturers, and energy enterprises such as Sinopec have carried out strategic cooperation with Nio to carry out the construction and operation of battery swapping stations. Huawei, SoftBank, and other capitals invest in the battery-swapping mode, and companies such as CATL have also entered the battery-swapping industry. On the one hand, they can improve battery sales through charging and swapping. On the other hand, they have set up battery asset management companies with Nio, to leap from production to energy service, and the battery swapping market is expected to usher in rapid development.

6.3 Promotion of Battery-Swapping-Type BEVs

6.3.1 National Promotion of Battery-Swapping-Type BEVs

As of the end of 2021, China has promoted over 140,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs, with battery-swapping-type BEV private passenger cars in the majority.

According to data from the National Monitoring and Management Platform, as of the end of 2021, over 140,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs have been accessed in China. In 2021, the access volume of battery-swapping-type vehicles increased rapidly, reaching 97,000 annually, with an increase of 4.8 times compared to 2020. Regarding vehicle usage, the promotion of battery-swapping-type BEV private passenger cars is dominant, with a total of 88,000 ones accessed, accounting for 62.0%, followed by taxi cars and official cars, with a total of 33,000 and 17,000 accessed, accounting for 23.2% and 12.0% respectively (Fig. 6.4).

Fig. 6.4

Cumulative access and proportion of battery-swapping-type BEVs—by class (10,000 units)

The battery-swapping-type BEVs have a relatively high market concentration (Fig. 6.5). Nio mainly focuses on private passenger cars. By the end of 2021, Nio had 95,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs accessed, accounting for 66.4% in China. BAIC and BAIC BJEV are mainly engaged in the taxi, official car, and rental car markets. The two enterprises have 26,000 and 14,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs accessed, respectively, accounting for 18.5 and 9.5% in China.

Fig. 6.5

Cumulative access and proportion of battery-swapping-type BEVs—by vehicle enterprise (10,000 units)

According to the promotion of battery-swapping-type BEVs in the TOP10 provinces (Fig. 6.6), Beijing has a cumulative access volume of 31,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs, accounting for 21.7% in China, followed by Shanghai, Guangdong, and Zhejiang, all with a cumulative access volume of over 15,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs, accounting for over 10% in China.

Fig. 6.6

Cumulative access and proportion of battery-swapping-type BEVs in the TOP 10 provinces

The concentration of urban promotion of battery-swapping-type BEVs is relatively high (Fig. 6.7), and Beijing ranks first in the cumulative access volume of battery-swapping-type BEVs in various cities in China; followed by Shanghai and Guangzhou, with a cumulative access volume of over 10,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs.

Fig. 6.7

Cumulative access and proportion of battery-swapping-type BEVs in the TOP10 cities

6.3.2 Promotion of Battery-Swapping-Type Heavy-Duty Trunks

As the core carrier of logistics transportation and engineering construction, heavy-duty trucks have high sensitivity to operation efficiency. According to data from the Ministry of Transport, the road freight transportation volume in China in 2021 was 39.14 billion tons, accounting for 75.1% of the total freight transportation volume in China. Heavy-duty trucks, with their advantages of long-haul distance, large volume, and high transportation efficiency, are commonly used in logistics transportation, engineering construction, and specialized fields and are important production materials for economy and life.

The field of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks is still in the demonstration operation stage, and with policy support, mainstream commercial vehicle companies are gradually accelerating the pace of launching battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks. Judging from the mainstream commercial vehicles and new energy heavy-duty truck models launched by enterprises in 2021 (Table 6.3), such enterprises as Maxus, Dongfeng Motor, CAMC, Chufeng, and Dayun Motor have all started their layout in the field of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks. The new energy heavy-duty trucks are mainly equipped with LFP batteries, which use the integrated charging and swapping mode to recharge. The motor suppliers like CRRC EV and Top Gear account for a relatively high proportion of supporting facilities. The endurance mileage of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks is generally between 150 and 200 km.

Table 6.3 Parameter configuration of new energy heavy-duty trucks exhibited at the 2021 Global Intelligent Mobility Conference

As of the end of 2021, nearly 1,000 battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks has been cumulatively accessed to the National Monitoring and Management Platform, with traction heavy-duty truck as the main promotion vehicle type.

According to the statistical results on the National Monitoring and Management Platform (Fig. 6.8), as of the end of 2021, 941 battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks have been accessed nationwide. Regarding specific purposes, the main promoted models are the battery-swapping-type BEV semi-trailer tractor and tractor, with cumulative access volume of 300 and 247 units, accounting for 31.9 and 26.2% of the battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks in China.

Fig. 6.8

Cumulative access and proportion of battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks

The promotion area of the battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks has a high distribution concentration. Tangshan, Hebei Province, takes the lead in the access volume of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks, and other heavy industrial cities have achieved remarkable promotion results.

The promotion area of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks has a relatively high concentration. As of the end of 2021, Hebei Province has cumulative access volume of 590 battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks, accounting for 62.7% in China (Fig. 6.9). Tangshan, as an important bulk material (steel) and cargo transport port city and a powerful industrial city in the Circum-Bohai Sea Region, as well as a national pilot city of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks, has realized the batch replacement of battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks in 2021. By the end of 2021, Tangshan has achieved a cumulative access volume of 378 battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks, accounting for 40.2% of cumulative access in cities across China (Fig. 6.10).

Fig. 6.9

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

Fig. 6.10

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

According to the promotion of battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks in other cities, the cumulative accessed volumes in Handan, Xuzhou, Zhengzhou, Yulin, and other heavy industrial cities in central and western China reached 136, 90, 60, and 50 units, respectively, all accounting for more than 5% in China.

The promotion market of the battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks has a high distribution concentration, and the access proportion of XCMG and CAMC exceeds 4/5 of the national market.

According to the promotion of the vehicle enterprises of battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks (Fig. 6.11), XCMG and CAMC have cumulative access volume of 451 and 336 battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks, accounting for 47.9% and 35.7% respectively in China. In addition, other commercial vehicle enterprises, such as BEIBEN Trucks, Dayun Motor, Foton Motors, JAC, SANY, are respectively making a layout of the market of battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks.

Fig. 6.11

Cumulative access and proportion of battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks—by vehicle enterprise

6.4 Operation Characteristics of Battery-Swapping-Type Vehicles

By selecting battery-swapping-type BEVs with battery-swapping behavior on the National Monitoring and Management Platform, this section compares and analyzes the battery-swapping characteristics of various types of vehicles and their charging characteristics with BEVs, summarizes the battery-swapping characteristics of vehicles and the progress of battery swapping pilot work, and evaluate the progress of China’s pilot work of battery-swapping-type BEVs, which provides some experience and reference for the wider operation of battery-swapping-type vehicles.¹

6.4.1 Operation Characteristics of Battery-Swapping-Type BEV Passenger Cars

The average mileage traveled by private cars during a single battery swapping is higher than that of operating passenger cars during a single battery swapping.

In 2021, the average mileage traveled by private cars during a single battery swapping was significantly higher than the average monthly mileage traveled by taxis and cars for sharing during a single battery swapping (Fig. 6.12). Nio mainly aims at private cars, with an average mileage of 213.7 km during a single battery swapping. The average monthly mileage traveled by taxis and cars for sharing during a single battery swapping is mostly the same, maintaining around 170 km.

Fig. 6.12

Average mileage traveled by battery-swapping-type BEV passenger cars during a single battery swapping in 2021—by type

There is a relatively significant seasonal difference in the average monthly mileage traveled by battery-swapping-type passenger cars during a single battery swapping.

According to the monthly mileage during a single battery swapping (Figs. 6.13 and  6.14), the mileage of taxis, cars for sharing, and private cars during a single battery swapping in winter is significantly affected and significantly lower. The low temperature in winter, the low-temperature charging and discharging characteristics of the power battery, and the use of the air conditioning in the vehicles affect the mileage during a single battery swapping; in the spring and autumn seasons, vehicles can travel a longer mileage during a single battery swapping.

Fig. 6.13

Comparison of monthly mileage of private cars during a single battery swapping in 2021

Fig. 6.14

Comparison of average monthly mileage of operating passenger cars during a single battery swapping in 2021

6.4.2 Operation Characteristics of Battery-Swapping-Type BEV Commercial Vehicles

Compared with passenger cars, the mileage during a single battery swapping of BEV logistics vehicles and heavy-duty trucks in the commercial vehicle field is shorter, at 101.6 km and 149.6 km, respectively (Fig. 6.15). Some cities have demonstrated good results in battery-swapping-type logistics vehicles and heavy-duty trucks, with relatively high battery-swapping rates. This section selects enterprises with more than 10 battery-swapping-type logistics vehicles and heavy-duty trucks accessed in some typical cities, with the actual battery-swapping rate as shown in Table 6.4. In 2021, the actual battery swapping rate of battery-swapping-type BEV cargo trucks promoted by JAC in Haikou has reached 66.67%, and that promoted by Dayun in Shenzhen and Suzhou has reached 33.33% and 50%, respectively. In addition, the actual battery swapping rate of battery-swapping-type BEV semi-trailer tractors promoted by XCMG in Tangshan has reached 30%.

Fig. 6.15

Average mileage traveled by battery-swapping-type BEV commercial vehicles during a single battery swapping in 2021—by type

Table 6.4 Actual battery swapping rates of typical battery swapping enterprises in some cities in 2021

The monthly mileage of commercial vehicles during a single battery swapping is within 150 km.

The mileage of commercial vehicles during a single battery swapping is mostly stable (Fig. 6.16). Regarding different types of vehicles, the monthly mileage during a single battery swapping of heavy-duty trucks is significantly higher than that of logistics vehicles. From the average monthly mileage of vehicles during a single battery swapping, it can be seen that heavy-duty trucks have a shorter mileage from January to February, which is closely related to construction progress factors.

Fig. 6.16

Comparison of average monthly mileage of commercial vehicles during a single battery swapping in 2021

Regarding the operation characteristics of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks (Fig. 6.17), the mileage during a single battery swapping concentrated at 120–160 km range. The proportion of vehicles with a mileage of 120–160 km during a single battery swapping in 2021 was 78.56%, which is mostly consistent with the distribution of vehicles with a mileage of 120–160 km in 2020. From the changes in vehicle distribution in the past two years, the proportion of heavy-duty trucks with a mileage of over 140 km during a single battery swapping in 2021 was significantly higher than that in 2020.

Fig. 6.17

Distribution of heavy-duty trucks in different mileage segments during a single battery swapping—by year

6.5 Battery Swapping Characteristics

6.5.1 Characteristics of Battery-Swapping-Type Vehicles Across China

The initial SOC of monthly battery swapping for various types of vehicles is generally lower than the initial SOC of charging.

From the comparison of the initial SOC of charging and swapping for different types of BEVs (Fig. 6.18), it can be seen that the initial SOC of swapping for different types of BEVs is generally lower than the average monthly initial SOC of charging. Among them, the difference in initial SOC of swapping for commercial vehicles, buses, and heavy-duty trucks is relatively large compared with the average monthly initial SOC of charging; the average monthly initial SOC of swapping for private cars is relatively low, at 26.3%, which is 13.5% lower than the initial SOC of charging at 9.8%.

Fig. 6.18

Comparison between initial SOC of charging and initial SOC of swapping for battery-swapping-type vehicles and BEVs of the same type in 2021

The distribution of initial SOCs of charging and swapping of private cars, represented by private cars and taxis, is shown in Fig. 6.19. The initial SOC of swapping for private cars is mainly distributed in 0–30%, with vehicles accounting for 69.78%; the initial SOC of charging is concentrated at 30–50%. The distribution of the initial SOC of swapping for taxis is relatively scattered, and the initial SOC of charging is mainly concentrated at 30–50% (Fig. 6.20).

Fig. 6.19

Distribution of SOCs of charging and swapping for battery-swapping-type private cars and rechargeable private cars in 2021

Fig. 6.20

Distribution of SOCs of charging and swapping for battery-swapping-type taxis and rechargeable taxis in 2021

From the comparison of SOCs at the end of charging and swapping for different types of BEVs (Fig. 6.21), there is a significant difference in SOCs at the end of charging and swapping for vehicles. The SOC of heavy-duty trucks, taxis, and cars for sharing at the end of battery swapping is higher than that of charging. Among them, the SOC of heavy-duty trucks at the end of charging is significantly lower than that of battery swapping, i.e., 4.6% lower than the latter. The SOC of private cars at the end of battery swapping is relatively low, and with the rapid growth of the scale of battery-swapping-type private cars, if there is a waiting or urgent situation at the battery-swapping stations, the battery-swapping-type vehicles may be loaded with not fully-charged battery packs for travel.

Fig. 6.21

Comparison of average monthly SOCs at the end of charging and swapping between battery-swapping vehicles and rechargeable BEVs in 2021

From the distribution of heavy-duty trucks with SOCs at the end of charging and swapping (Fig. 6.22), the SOCs at the end of charging and swapping for heavy-duty trucks are both mainly concentrated in 90%–100%, with vehicles accounting for 66.51% and 81.57%, respectively.

Fig. 6.22

Distribution of heavy-duty trucks with SOCs at the end of charging and swapping in 2021

6.5.2 Battery Swapping Characteristics of Vehicles in Pilot Cities for Battery Swapping

This section focuses on the 11 pilot cities for battery swapping included in the pilot scope of battery swapping based on the “Notice on Launching the Pilot Work of Application of Battery Swapping Mode for New Energy Vehicles” issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China in 2021. Starting from cities of comprehensive application category and heavy-duty trucks featured cities, this section analyzes the operation and electricity consumption characteristics of battery-swapping-type vehicles in the two types of cities, and promptly summarizes successful experiences, committed to providing experience and reference for large-scale market-oriented operation of battery swapping.

• 1. Cities of comprehensive application category

Pilot cities for battery swapping have accumulated certain experiences in promoting battery-swapping BEVs. As of the end of 2021, a total of 40,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs have been accessed in 8 comprehensive application pilot cities nationwide, with Beijing accounting for the main proportion of access, mainly consisting of private passenger cars and taxi cars; other comprehensive application pilot cities for battery swapping mainly promote the battery-swapping-type passenger cars (Figs. 6.23 and 6.24).

Fig. 6.23

Cumulative access volume of battery-swapping-type BEVs in comprehensive application pilot cities

Fig. 6.24

Distribution of battery-swapping-type BEVs in comprehensive application pilot cities in 2021

The average monthly mileage of battery-swapping-type vehicles in comprehensive application pilot cities during a single battery swapping is shown in Fig. 6.25. The mileage of battery-swapping-type vehicles during a single battery swapping shows obvious seasonal characteristics, and the average mileage between swapping in winter is significantly lower than that in other seasons.

Fig. 6.25

Average monthly mileage of battery-swapping-type vehicles in cities of comprehensive application category during a single battery swapping

From the comparison of specific cities in the comprehensive application category (Fig. 6.26), the average monthly mileage of battery-swapping-type vehicles in Beijing, Changchun, and Jinan in the northern region shows obvious seasonal characteristics, with relatively shorter mileage in winter; the battery-swapping-type vehicles in Wuhan, Chongqing, and Nanjing operate well. The mileage of battery-swapping-type vehicles in Sanya is good in the first half of the year but is affected in the second half.

Fig. 6.26

Comparison of average monthly mileage of battery-swapping-type vehicles in cities of comprehensive application category during a single battery swapping

Regarding the specific practice of cities of comprehensive application category, taking the typical urban cases of Nanjing and Sanya as an example, the development achievements of the urban battery swapping industry are summarized in combination with local industrial development characteristics.

• Nanjing

As of November 2021, State Grid Nanjing Power Supply Company has successfully built 5 bus battery charging stations in Nanjing, serving 170 battery-swapping-type buses, with a total of over 500,000 swapping times and a mileage of approximately 22.48 million km. According to the pilot work plan, Nanjing will expand the battery swapping mode to five major application scenarios, including municipal engineering, industrial ports, logistics transportation, taxis, and private cars. It is planned that by the end of 2023, the city will strive to promote the application of more than 20,000 battery-swapping-type vehicles, build no less than 260 battery-swapping stations of all types, and explore and form experiences that can be replicated nationwide. Nearly 100 battery swapping stations are mainly used for municipal engineering slag cars.

• Sanya

Since 2019, Sanya has promoted battery swapping mode for NEVs in many cities and counties. By the end of December 2021, Sanya has built and used 12 battery swapping stations, with more than 300 power batteries equipped. Among them, Aulton New Energy has built 8 battery swapping stations, mainly serving battery-swapping-type cruising taxis; Hainan Huapu has built 2 battery swapping stations, mainly serving battery-swapping-type cars for sharing; Nio has built 2 battery swapping stations, mainly providing battery-swapping service for private cars. A citywide BEV battery swapping service network has been preliminarily established.

By the end of December 2021, Sanya has promoted more than 1600 battery-swapping-type vehicles, accounting for 6.2% of the city’s new energy vehicle population. Among them are about 800 battery-swapping-type cruising taxis, about 400 battery-swapping-type cars for sharing, and about 400 private cars.

• 2. Heavy-duty trucks featured cities

The environmental policies of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality jointly promote the transformation from fuel vehicles to BEV heavy-duty trucks from supply and demand sides. Rechargeable heavy-duty trucks face problems such as short range, slow charging, and high one-time purchase costs. However, battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks adopting the “separation of vehicle and battery” mode can effectively solve the pain points of rechargeable heavy-duty trucks, improve the vehicle operation efficiency and reduce purchase costs.

Some heavy-duty trucks have simpler application scenarios than passenger cars, and those used for short-distance transportation account for a larger proportion. They carry out point-to-point transportation according to established routes, including dedicated line transportation, straight short haul, port, and trunk transportation. Among them, the transportation distances for dedicated line transportation, straight short-haul, and port transportation are relatively short, with the one-way distance mainly concentrated within 150 km (Table 6.5). According to the distribution of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks with an average daily mileage on the National Monitoring and Management Platform (Table 6.5), heavy-duty trucks with an average daily mileage of less than 150 km account for the main proportion, reaching 76.1% (Fig. 6.27).

Table 6.5 Relatively simple application scenarios for heavy-duty trucks

Fig. 6.27

Distribution of new energy heavy-duty trucks with an average daily mileage in 2021

In the battery-swapping industry, suppliers of key components such as batteries, motors, and electronic control systems are in the upstream of the industry chain (Fig. 6.28), while enterprises that design, develop, and produce battery-swapping-type unpowered vehicle bodies, battery leasing/operating companies that provide battery leasing services, and auto financial service companies are in the midstream. Downstream customers are operating enterprises and logistics enterprises with transportation needs. It is necessary to connect various links in the upstream, midstream, and downstream of the industrial chain, including purchasing batteries from upstream battery suppliers, negotiating unified battery standards with vehicle manufacturers, and establishing infrastructure such as battery swapping stations based on user needs.

Fig. 6.28

Business chain system of participants in battery swapping mode

Currently, the mainstream battery swapping stations for BEV heavy-duty trucks in China mainly adopt the top-lifting battery swapping mode. A battery swapping station covers an area of less than 200 m² and is suitable for models covering tractors, dump trucks, slag cars, and other heavy-duty truck models (Table 6.6). Regarding the operational efficiency of the battery swapping station, a single-channel 8 × 7 heavy-duty truck battery swapping station is equipped with 8 battery workstations, including 7 with batteries at full capacity and 1 with a buffer battery. The battery swapping station adopts a double-layer container structure, which is easy to install, disassemble, and displace. The upper layer is equipped with batteries and a battery-swapping mechanism, while the lower layer consists of a charging compartment, a control compartment, and a monitoring room. The charging rate is 1C, which is determined based on the battery capacity. The duration of battery swapping for a single vehicle at the power station is ≤ 5 min. If a vehicle flow rate is 10 min/vehicle, the battery swapping station can achieve 24-h uninterrupted battery swapping and serve no less than 50 battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks.

Table 6.6 Solution of a battery swapping operator’s battery swapping station for BEV heavy-duty trucks

In 2021, among the pilot cities launched by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China to apply battery swapping mode for NEVs, there are three heavy-duty trucks featured pilot cities: Yibin, Tangshan, and Baotou. Each pilot city relies on local vehicle enterprises and unique application scenarios to comprehensively promote the construction of pilot work around various links such as technological innovation and vehicle supply, battery swapping facility construction, application scenario expansion, and policy support, in combination with battery swapping operators and power battery supporting enterprises. The content below will analyze the battery-swapping-type heavy-duty truck industry chain system by combining the local characteristics of Yibin, Tangshan, and Baotou.

• Yibin

As a heavy-duty trucks featured pilot city for battery swapping, it is planned to build 60 or more battery-swapping stations by the end of 2025 and promote 3000 or more battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks. Regarding the ecological construction of the battery-swapping industry cluster, Yibin has a complete battery-swapping industry chain for new energy heavy-duty trucks. Relying on Chery Commercial Vehicles, CATL Sichuan Company, Yibin KeyPower, Fuxi power station, Yibin Port Group, Baichuan Logistics, Yibin Sanjiang Investment and Construction Group, and other enterprises, Yibin has established a demonstration operation consortium of battery swapping for new energy heavy-duty trucks. Regarding the construction of the battery-swapping infrastructure network, Yibin has integrated the needs of the application scenarios, conducted overall planning for the layout of the battery-swapping network, and established the operation supervision platform for the charging and swapping facilities. A wide range of application scenarios suitable for promoting and demonstrating pilot projects of battery swapping for heavy-duty trucks are covered, including large-scale urban construction, industrial parks, mines, ports, power plants, etc.

Regarding policy support and guarantee, Yibin has currently introduced policies that provide for a purchase subsidy of 300 yuan/kWh for battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks, and give priority to land indicators for the construction of battery swapping stations; and has established the first 6 billion yuan industrial development fund to provide capital support for high-quality battery swapping projects.

• Tangshan

As an important port city for bulk materials (steel) and cargo transportation and a powerful industrial city in the Circum-Bohai Sea Region, Tangshan, Hebei Province, has built into a heavy-duty trucks featured pilot city to meet the needs of current transformation and development. Tangshan’s battery-swapping market for heavy-duty trucks has ushered in new opportunities. Most iron and steel enterprises in Tangshan are located in Tangshan and some surrounding areas. In addition to the demand for high-frequency short-haul in the factories, the trunk transportation generated by the outward transportation of finished crude steel is also part of enterprises’ urgent desire to achieve green upgrading. By 2021, Tangshan had more than 100,000 heavy-duty trucks. With the increasing pressure on air pollution control, accelerating the electrification transformation of freight vehicles has become a top priority for Tangshan’s industrial transformation. In 2021, Tangshan was listed as one of the heavy-duty trucks featured pilot cities for battery swapping. According to the development needs of Tangshan’s industrial chain, Tangshan plans to operate 2600 battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks, build and put into operation at least 60 battery swapping stations, set up at least one battery asset management company and 2–4 demonstration enterprises for battery swapping in the pilot period. Regarding the battery swapping infrastructure construction, Tangshan has designed a “three vertical and one horizontal” trunk battery swapping network layout to meet the needs of large steel enterprises to transport finished products to Jingtang Port and Caofeidian Port (Table 6.7). By the end of November 2021, Tangshan has built 7 battery swapping stations, of which 5 are in the steel enterprise plant, 2 are trunk battery swapping stations, and another 5 are under construction.

Table 6.7 Construction planning of battery swapping station in Tangshan

Regarding the policy guarantee for pilot work, Tangshan will give policy support in planning land use, power expansion, facility construction, and other aspects in combination with the actual operation demand of vehicles. For battery-swapping infrastructure projects built on newly requisitioned land, the nature of land planning is determined according to the land for public facilities, and priority is given to land supply; free power expansion support is provided for the power demand for the construction of battery-swapping infrastructure. At the same time, green transportation convenience support is provided for new energy heavy-duty trucks and green transportation permits are issued, with no restrictions on travel in urban areas.

• Baotou

With the goal of integrated development of “enterprise, vehicle, station, and battery,” Baotou has continued to make efforts in various links such as technological innovation and vehicle production, battery swapping infrastructure construction, application scenario expansion, and strengthening policy support in the construction of the battery swapping industry ecosystem, to comprehensively promote the pilot work. Relying on the new energy heavy-duty truck models of BEIBEN Trucks as the main force, the vehicle enterprises have successively launched the battery-swapping-type heavy-duty truck models in the fields of battery-swapping-type tractors, dump trucks, and special vehicles; Regarding the construction of supporting battery swapping infrastructure, Baotou has successively carried out technical research and development on battery swapping station with Aulton New Energy, GCL-ET and UNEX, and plan to arrange more than 60 battery swapping stations; Regarding vehicle application scenarios, in combination with the mine transportation scenarios of Baotou and based on increasing the proportion of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks in mining areas, thermal power plants, and steel plants, Baotou has actively expanded the transport scenarios such as waste handling, slag removal, logistics parks, and municipal sanitation to form a diversified demonstration effect.

Regarding strengthening policy guarantee, Baotou has formulated appropriate management measures for battery charging and swapping stations, built standardized standard systems such as review service and operation management for battery swapping stations, worked hard to provide a package solution for pilot work, and actively guided the participation of social capital, finance and insurance, to build a guarantee system in all fields.

6.6 Summary

By sorting out the national policy and standard system of the battery-swapping industry, the status quo of battery-swapping-type vehicles and battery swapping infrastructure industry, and the operation of battery-swapping-type vehicles, this paper mainly draws the following conclusions:

• 1. The acceleration of implementing the battery-swapping industry policy has driven the rapid development of the industry. On the one hand, the battery-swapping infrastructure is proliferating. According to data from the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance, as of the end of 2021, the total number of battery swapping stations in China was 1298, with an increase of 743 compared with 2020. NIO, Aulton, and Botan are the three major battery-swapping operators. In the field of passenger cars, Nio and BAIC BJEV have implemented the layout in the fields of private passenger cars and taxis in succession, and domestic mainstream commercial vehicle enterprises such as CAMC, SAIC Hongyan, BAIC Foton, etc. have implemented the layout in the field of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks in succession. As of December 31, 2021, the National Monitoring and Management Platform has a cumulative access volume of over 100,000 battery-swapping-type BEVs, with passenger cars occupying the leading position in battery swapping and commercial vehicles occupying a relatively small proportion but showing a rapid growth trend. With the gradual implementation of policies, more and more enterprises will implement the layout in the battery-swapping market.

• 2. The battery-swapping-type vehicles have a high power supplement efficiency and have been rapidly promoted in public operation fields such as taxis, cars for sharing, and heavy-duty trucks. The battery-swapping-type vehicles have significant advantages Regarding power supplement efficiency. The initial SOC of swapping for battery-swapping-type vehicles is generally lower than the initial SOC of charging, and battery swapping can be completed in 3–5 min. For public operating vehicles such as taxis, cars for sharing, and heavy-duty trucks, on the one hand, it solves the problem of high battery purchase cost, and on the other hand, high-frequency and fast power supplement demand is more applicable than the charging mode. Regarding the total cost of ownership of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks within five years, the total cost of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks is significantly lower than that of fuel-powered heavy-duty trucks. Driven by environmental benefits and innovative business models, the scale of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks will rapidly increase.

• 3. The electrification of heavy-duty trucks significantly affects “energy conservation and carbon reduction,” and local governments need to make comprehensive planning and design at the levels of ROW, subsidies, and supporting facilities. Currently, the governance efforts of the national and local governments towards fuel-powered heavy-duty trucks are still increasing. The battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks effectively solve the problems of high purchase cost and long charging time in the practical application process while greatly reducing user purchase costs and achieving high user acceptance. Currently, although some cities have already promoted the application of some battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks, some battery-swapping-type heavy-duty truck fleets often choose fast charging methods, resulting in lower actual battery swapping rates due to the problems such as low load operation of some vehicles, lagging construction of battery swapping stations, and low operational efficiency. The scale and layout of infrastructure construction and the quality and maintenance of charging facilities will all affect the driving behavior of owners of battery-swapping-type BEV heavy-duty trucks. Therefore, government departments shall conduct in-depth research and analysis, coordinate planning and design, and address the experience of cities with better promotion of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks Regarding ROW, subsidies, supporting facilities, etc., in order to improve the utilization rate of battery-swapping-type heavy-duty trucks.

• 4. The construction of a battery swapping station requires a high investment amount, so it is necessary to collaborate with financial institutions in the battery swapping industry chain, battery swapping service providers, and upstream and downstream industry chains of vehicle enterprises for coordinated development. According to research results, the investment required for a single battery swapping station (including land) for passenger cars is about 5.072 million yuan, of which 2.6072 million yuan is for the equipment, accounting for about 52%. In addition, investment in lines, batteries, etc., is also required. A single battery swapping station for heavy-duty trucks requires more investment, of about 4.2014 million yuan, about twice the total investment for passenger cars. In addition, the battery-swapping mode also requires enterprises to invest a significant amount of research and development costs to design the battery-swapping-type vehicle models. Automobile enterprises need to make targeted modifications to the vehicle chassis, power batteries, and body structure. With the implementation of national policies and the promotion of pilot cities for battery swapping, the market space for the battery swapping mode is gradually emerging. Battery-swapping operators can lead the development of the industry by integrating multiple forces to participate together.