Wen/Yang Song
On May 8th, the CEOs of two car companies recorded a short video announcing that NIO and GAC had reached a charging and swapping strategic cooperation.
"In terms of charging and swapping, GAC Group's layout is very firm, with the goal of building 10000 super charging piles this year," said Li Bin, founder of NIO Auto.
Feng Xingya, General Manager of GAC Group, praised NIO as always at the forefront of the industry, building over 2400 heat exchange stations.
On that day, Li Bin personally went to Guangzhou to sign the agreement.
GAC is the sixth host manufacturer to join its battery swapping circle. Previously, NIO had reached cooperation with car companies such as Changan Automobile and Geely Holding Group.
Take what you need from each
"(Hope) Aian's battery swapping models can be swapped in NIO's battery swapping station!" GAC Video said.
Li Bin added, "Our car also hopes to use Guangzhou Automobile's (exchange station)."
It is reported that both parties will cooperate in the research and development of passenger cars with adaptive battery swapping systems, as well as compatibility battery swapping service stations, to promote the launch of swapping car models equipped with standard battery packs.
In other words, the two electric trains will share a power station.
As of publication, the total number of NIO battery swapping stations has reached 2414, providing users with over 43.83 million battery swapping services.
Over the past five years, this car company with a market value of over HKD 80 billion has accumulated over 1600 patents related to battery swapping.
GAC Group has over 60 power exchange stations and requires technical and operational experience support from NIO.
Li Bin said that if GAC were to do it alone and build a power plant, it would still have to follow the path of NIO in seven or eight years.
Automotive analyst Zhong Shi told 21CBR reporters that some models of GAC Aion are aimed at the taxi and ride hailing markets and require battery swapping services. The company does not need to spend any more money to accumulate battery swapping experience.
"NIO invested so much money in swapping power stations. If there are more partners and they can pay a certain fee, it can also alleviate their pressure." Zhong Shi said, this is a win-win situation.
The power exchange network is equivalent to "the cloud service infrastructure of the energy Internet", which needs to be put into construction for a long time, first fully verified, and then opened to the outside world.
Currently, the battery swapping network is gradually being opened up. In addition to partnering with car companies, NIO has also established partnerships with energy companies such as Sinopec, CNOOC, and Shell.
The cooperation will take some time to land.
"This is not something that can be completed in a day," Li Bin admitted. Now that the plan is in place, there may be a landing model in two or three years.
Amortized cost
The battery swapping business has significant economies of scale, and if the utilization rate of battery swapping stations increases, the cost of each service will decrease.
The single station cost of NIO battery swapping station (after fully discharging the batteries) is about 3 million yuan. Calculated based on the allocation of fixed assets for 8 years, the daily cost is about 1000 yuan.
The third-generation station exchanges electricity 60 times a day, achieving a break even point. The company claims that approximately 20% of the exchange stations have reached this level.
If the site can serve more car brands, the utilization rate will increase and it is expected to achieve profitability.
Li Bin took the initiative to expand his social circle. He hopes to cooperate with host manufacturers to promote the standardization of battery swapping standards and operational management systems, and turn battery swapping into a "more mainstream charging mode".
In addition, exporting battery swapping solutions to peers can also dilute research and development costs.
Li Bin stated that some partners have purchased replacement power stations and handed them over to NIO for operation, with dozens of replacement power stations already cooperating.
He intends to promote independent operation of the battery swapping business.
Li Bin stated that some investors are interested in independent financing for NIO Power (including charging stations, battery swapping, and other businesses), and the possibility of its independent development cannot be ruled out in the future.
After partnering with six car companies, NIO has built mostly fourth generation battery swapping stations this year, which will be used by the new brand Ledo and other car models.
Assist with new products
On May 9th, Li Bin announced that his second brand "Ledo" will be launched on the 15th of this month. Its first model, targeting the 250000 level household pure electric SUV market, is planned to be launched in the third quarter and delivered in the fourth quarter.
To achieve good sales, Ledao cannot do without the assistance of battery swapping.
Power batteries usually account for 30% -40% of vehicle costs, and adopt a battery swapping mode, which replaces renting with buying, reducing the threshold for users to purchase a car.
According to NIO's latest pricing system, purchasing a standard battery pack and using the BaaS method reduces the car price by 70000 yuan, and the monthly service fee is 728 yuan/month.
New energy vehicles are becoming more competitive, and with the help of battery swapping models, LeDao has greater pricing potential.
Li Bin once said that LeDao, which can exchange batteries, is about 10% cheaper than its competitor Model Y.
"When you buy an electric car, be sure to buy one that can replace the battery. We are currently cooperating with Changan, Geely, Chery, and Jianghuai." During the Beijing Auto Show, Li Bin was also introducing the battery replacement mode to Zhou Hongyi.
NIO will deploy charging and swapping infrastructure in the sinking market this year, which will help increase the attractiveness of brands such as Le Dao.
The sales of new products are related to the fate of NIO and also affect the confidence of cooperating car companies in the battery swapping model.