Last month, the Chinese motorcycle and automobile manufacturer Lifan Technology announced the joint venture with Geely Auto Group. The vehicle is expected to be released as soon as next month, however, some details are out, like the impressive 60 seconds time needed to swap its battery. Leaked images from the Maple Leaf 60S Model
According to Car News China, Geely has owned thousands of technical patents in the field of battery swap infrastructure, exchange stations, and battery swap vehicles. They have also participated in the formulation of national electrical switching standards. In October 2021, Geely released the strategy: “Smart Geely 2025” and the “Nine Dragon Bay Action,” including the launch of five new battery-swap cars by 2025.
Lifan is famous in China for its scooters and copycat cars. After Geely acquired Lifan in 2020, Lifan is now more focused on original vehicles development for taxi customers and battery swap support.
The Chinese EV maker Nio is also betting on this technology, owning already more than 800 Battery Swap Stations in China and expecting another 20 in Norway (its first european market) by the year end. Nio Models currently took around 4 minutes to swap their battery for one fully charged.