Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
EV maker Nio said on Monday it has helped develop a draft German standard for battery swapping systems for electric vehicles. Since entering the German market in October 2022, the company has established 19 battery swap stations nationwide.
The standard aims to “ensure reliability, interoperability, and safety of battery swapping technology in the German market,” according to the Shanghai-headquartered carmaker.
“Standardized, cross-manufacturer battery swapping systems do not yet exist, but a unified technology would significantly reduce the costs of building a nationwide infrastructure,” Nio said in a statement.
Battery Swap Alliance
Since 2023, Nio has announced several partnerships under its battery swap alliance, allowing other brands to develop models compatible with its battery swap stations across China.
The alliance includes automakers such as Chery, Geely Holding, Changan Automobile, FAW Group, Nio’s former manufacturing partner JAC, Lotus, Jidu, and GAC Group.
After Chery has stated earlier this month that it expects to launch the first two battery-swap-compatible models in the third quarter, the GAC Group told reporters on January 16 that it is currently waiting for internal approval on the model development.
Battery Swap Stations
Since late 2022, Nio has been assembling its battery swap stations in Hungary before shipping them to one of its five European markets. In China, the company recently opened a new factory to increase production capacity for its battery swap stations in the domestic market.
Nio said the draft for the German market was developed through collaborative work within the DKE (German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies in DIN and VDE).
Following the public consultation period, which concluded in mid-January, Nio expects the standard to be integrated into the German regulatory framework.
Nio’s head of Power Europe, Kajsa Ivansson Sognefur, said the EV maker sees it “as our responsibility not only to develop innovative technologies but also to actively participate in shaping industry-wide standards.”
“Establishing the DIN standard for battery swapping systems is a crucial step towards making electromobility faster, more flexible, and sustainable. We are proud to work within the DKE and with other stakeholders to create a future-proof infrastructure that meets user needs and advances industry development,” Sognefur added.
Earlier this month, Nio’s chief for the German market David Sultzer said the company in discussions with large fleet operators in Germany.
Nio registered 31 vehicles in Germany in December, bringing its total sales for 2024 to 398 vehicles, according to data from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
Registrations dropped 68.5% from the 1,263 units sold in 2023, a decline also driven by the end of EV subsidies after a constitutional court ruling forced Germany to slash €60 billion ($65.36 billion) from its 2024 budget.
