An almost full battery in 5 minutes
What Renault and Better Place failed to do with battery exchange stations for the Fluence ZE, the Chinese company Nio hopes to achieve. The new EV brand is also launching so-called Power Swap Stations in the Netherlands, stations where you can exchange your empty battery for a fully charged one in no time. Nio’s first Dutch battery exchange station has now opened in Tilburg.
Nio brings three interesting electric cars to the Dutch market: the ET5, ET7 and EL7. The ET5 and ET7 are electric sedans. the EL7 in turn an electric SUV. The trio will be available with two sizes of battery packs and the Dutch prices of the Nios are already known. You can buy them including a battery, but the three EVs are also for sale through a construction where you rent the battery pack. Nio believes in the success of battery swap stations and wants to have a network in Europe consisting of 120 so-called Power Swap Stations by 2023. Nio has now opened its first Power Swap Station in Tilburg.
Nio’s first Dutch Power Swap Station is located at the Van der Valk Hotel in Tilburg on the A58 (Tilburg-Breda). Many more will follow in the coming years. Nio also wants to have a comprehensive network of battery exchange stations in the Netherlands. The first European Power Swap station was opened in Norway in January and several stations are now in Norway, Sweden and Germany. Nio produces the Power Swap Stations itself in a factory in Hungary.
Nio’s Power Swap Station inside.
In today’s Power Swap Stations – each one is about the size of two garage boxes – up to 312 batteries must be changed every day. Up to 13 battery packs can be charged simultaneously with a charging capacity of 20 kWh to 80 kW. Within five minutes, an empty battery can be replaced by one that is charged to 90 percent. Nio says not to charge the batteries to 100 percent to protect the life of the cells.
Nio offers the ET5, ET7 and EL7 with a 75 kWh battery and with a 100 kWh large one. As mentioned, you can buy the cars with a battery, but also without. In the latter case, you pay Nio a monthly amount for renting the battery. In the future, you should also be able to temporarily place a larger battery in your Nio for a holiday period, for example. Because Nio says it will continue to develop its batteries, older Nios should also be able to benefit from these new, better batteries.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl