The Chinese EV manufacturer Nio announced the completion of its first network of battery exchange stations. On the G2 motorway between Beijing and Shanghai, eight stations were built over a length of more than 1,000 kilometers.

According to the manufacturer, depleted batteries from Nio’s electric cars can be exchanged with full ones at these stations, taking about three minutes. The map published by Nio also shows a second corridor with another 18 planned battery exchange stations, running between Beijing and Shenzhen.

The first eight battery exchange stations are distributed evenly over the approximately 1,180 km stretch between Beijing and Shanghai. In terms of footprint, they are as large as three parking spaces. Meanwhile, the changing process is fully automatic: The car is driven into the station where it is serviced by a system that replaces the batteries automatically. So far, however, the system is only compatible with the Nio ES8.

Our battery swap network along the G2 Expressway is online! NIO vehicle owners can now travel from Beijing to Shanghai without needing to charge up. #blueskycoming #NIO pic.twitter.com/4Wean2hRHa — NIO (@NIOGlobal) January 16, 2019

In addition to the stationary exchange stations, Nio also relies on so-called “Power Mobile Vehicles“, i.e. small transporters that act as mobile Power Banks and visit the BEVs for recharging on site.

autoexpress.co.uk