Chinese carmaker NIO announced the launch of its Battery as a Service system (BaaS) for their customers.
Premium EV maker NIO has announced the launch of its battery-free models. This format of sale allows to reduce the cost of an electric vehicle, making it comparable to the cost of a conventional car with an internal combustion engine. At the same time, the battery, without which the movement of an electric vehicle is impossible, can be rented.
The proprietary express battery swap network has become part of the Battery as a Service (BaaS) program, which has built battery installation stations in China. They represent a small box into which an electric car drives. After that, the driver gets out, the vehicle is hung out on a lift, then a device drives up from below, which removes the battery, takes it away and installs a new one. The electric car is lowered to the ground, the driver gets into it and drives off.
The BaaS discount for NIO’s electric vehicle will be 70,000 yuan, a monthly subscription for 70 kWh battery will cost the owner 980 yuan, and another 80 yuan per month will cost a battery warranty for customers. NIO has already received approval to sell electric vehicles under this scheme in China.
There are currently 143 NIO service stations in China to replace batteries in electric vehicles. Most of the stations are located in the vicinity of Beijing, Shanghai and the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao and Beijing-Shanghai highways. The company has not yet announced the possibility of extending such a scheme for servicing cars and selling electric vehicles without batteries to other countries of the world.
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