An increasing number of automakers are looking to make their vehicles compatible with the battery swapping standard NIO is pushing for in China, as GAC Group said on Wednesday it will partner with NIO to expand swapping infrastructure for electric vehicles across the country. 

Why it matters: The collaboration highlights increasing efforts by carmakers, along with various stakeholders such as battery suppliers and energy firms, to tackle the issue of range anxiety – fear of an EV running out of power – which has hindered greater EV adoption. The move is also expected to allow NIO to cut expenses further as it opens the money-losing power network to other automakers. 

• GAC and NIO have a collaborative history that dates back several years. They set up a joint venture for EV manufacturing in April 2018 with a registered capital of RMB 2.5 billion ($350 million), although the following few years brought lackluster sales results for their joint brand Hycan. NIO completely retreated from the JV in the summer of 2022.

Details: According to a Wednesday release, the two automakers plan to develop a standardized battery module that would facilitate the roll-out of swap station-compatible passenger EVs from both sides. 

• They also expect to establish scale advantage by creating an extensive, unified power infrastructure network, as well as capture more value from repurposing used EV batteries throughout their lifespans. 
• Although a detailed timeline has not yet been released, owners of both brands’ vehicles will be able to use their own apps to access and pay for charging at a fast charger from either company by the end of this month. 
• ”With this as a starting point, we hope to build more battery swap stations with which our GAC Aion users will have a better swapping experience,” said Feng Xingya, president of GAC Group. 

Context: Guangzhou-headquartered GAC is the latest Chinese automaker to announce that its EV owners will have access to NIO’s nationwide infrastructure network, following deals with Changan, Geely, JAC, and Chery, as well as the company’s link-ups with state-owned utilities Wenergy Group and China’s Southern Power Grid. 

• State-owned manufacturer GAC, a manufacturing partner of Toyota and Honda in China, said it operated a network of roughly 1,000 battery refueling facilities nationwide as of December, of which dozens were swap stations. It has sold an undisclosed amount of Hyper-branded EVs with swappable batteries. 
• NIO operates 2,413 battery swap facilities as of Wednesday, already the country’s biggest network of its kind, and 3,828 charging outlets mostly for non-NIO cars. The company’s upcoming brand Onvo, with plans for an official debut on May 15, will share its latest-gen battery swap stations with those partners. 
• Battery heavyweight CATL and ride-hailer Didi are also jointly building battery swap stations in a move to answer Beijing’s call to further increase EV penetration, especially in lower-tier Chinese cities and the country’s rural areas. International carmakers are reportedly embracing Tesla’s EV charging system or forging their own alliances meanwhile.

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