NIO and GAC Group to co-develop a brand new EV battery customary

Two weeks after signing the same strategic cooperation settlement with Lotus Know-how, NIO has introduced an extra settlement with China’s GAC Group to collaborate on charging and swapping and implementing a brand new unified battery customary.

Many readers know NIO Inc. ($NIO) for its rising portfolio of premium EVs and sub-brands, however the Chinese language automaker can be the worldwide chief in EV battery swap stations. As of October 2023, NIO has efficiently accomplished over 30 million battery swaps world wide, proving the know-how is a viable different to plain plug-in and cost EV practices.

To assist develop battery know-how, particularly because it pertains to infrastructure, NIO has begun enlisting the assistance of a few of its rivals with the objective of creating EV battery requirements in China and probably past.

In late April, in the course of the Beijing Auto Present, CEOs from NIO and Lotus Know-how introduced a brand new strategic cooperation, detailing plans to co-develop charging and battery swap applied sciences. Some objects on their to-do checklist embody charging and swap applied sciences, battery asset administration and operations, service community operations, automobile R&D and customization, and, in fact, a unified battery customary system.

Simply a few weeks later, NIO introduced the same settlement with a heavy hitter in Chinese language automotive—Guangzhou Car Group Co., Ltd., or GAC Group for brief.

GAC Group joins NIO in quest for unified battery customary

Earlier as we speak, executives from NIO and GAC Group met in Guangzhou, China, the place their new strategic cooperation will happen. NIO founder, chairman, and CEO William LI shook arms with GAC Group president Feng Xingya, whereas NIO Energy senior vp Fei SHEN and GAC Group vp Xia Xianqing signed the settlement on behalf of the businesses.

Much like the beforehand talked about settlement with Lotus, NIO and GAC have introduced a listing of focused targets to cooperate on, a lot of that are related:

• Construct a unified battery customary
• Collectively develop passenger autos with battery swap capabilities
• Develop battery swap stations appropriate with EV fashions from each manufacturers
• Launch autos with swappable batteries designed below the requirements established by each
• Advance the implementation of the swap stations catering to each NIO and GAC autos
• Open an interconnection of battery-swapping networks that runs on a unified operational and administration system
• Set up a bigger, standardized, and unified energy infrastructure community to realize economies of scale

As we talked about earlier than, NIO has efficiently confirmed {that a} large-scale battery swap community is just not solely believable, however an efficient resolution in fast EV charging processes. Now, it seems NIO is trying to recruit others to assist standardize the know-how to additional streamline the swap course of for shoppers, it doesn’t matter what make or EV mannequin they’re driving. GAC Group president Feng Xingya shared the same sentiment:

Going ahead, with the rising NEV inhabitants, battery swapping will unleash limitless market alternatives, particularly in cities. As a result of it truly solves a ache level for a lot of customers who don’t have devoted parking spots. I’m glad to see that NIO and GAC can companion on this space. The strategic cooperation settlement that we signed as we speak can be a basis and steering for our future cooperation. With it as a place to begin, we hope to construct extra battery swap stations with which our GAC Aion customers can have a greater swapping expertise.

Along with the laundry checklist of things to collaborate on going ahead, NIO and GAC state they may nonetheless promote the opening of their respective charging platforms to 1 one other. So, the businesses will stay collaborative in some ways whereas retaining some applied sciences near their chests. These are nonetheless rivals in China, in spite of everything.

Nonetheless, the collaborative spirit NIO is placing out into the ether in China is inspiring and seems to be working. With GAC Group now onboard, NIO has assembled a powerful lineup of Chinese language OEMs dedicated to creating a unified battery customary. That checklist at the moment contains Chang’an Car, Geely Holding Group, Chery Car, JAC Group, and Lotus.