NIO, GAC announces partnership on EV charging, battery swapping in China

Chinese automakers NIO and Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement for comprehensive and in-depth engagement in areas relating to EV charging and swapping, including battery standards, vehicle R&D and customization, battery asset management, swapping network development and operations.

The companies have also agreed to promote each other the opening up of their respective charging platforms in China, and realise dynamic data interconnectivity by the end of this month, making charging easier by enabling users to not only search for and navigate to a charger, but also start and pay for a charging session through their apps and vehicle information systems.

William LI, Founder, Chairman and CEO of NIO, commented on the partnership, "NIO is happy to cooperate with GAC on charging and swapping. As a pioneer in the NEV industry, GAC Group boasts a large user base and rich experience in the construction and operations of charging and swapping infrastructure".

"The cooperation will amplify the two companies' respective strengths in technology and operations, and push forward the unification of battery standards and operational and management systems, so as to make swapping a more approachable solution, and provide users with experiences as hassle-free as refueling", he added.

As per the agreement, NIO and GAC Group will work together to build a unified battery standard and jointly develop passenger vehicles with battery swappability and swapping compatible with models of both brands. 

Further, the automakers will also facilitate the interconnection of battery swapping networks that runs on a unified operational and management system, establish a larger, standardized, and unified power infrastructure network to achieve economies of scale. 

A management system covering the lifecycle of power batteries is also within the cooperation plan, and so are an efficient management platform and an operating mechanism for battery assets.

"Going forward, with the growing NEV population, battery swapping will unleash unlimited market opportunities, especially in cities. Because it actually solves a pain point for many users who don't have dedicated parking spots", Feng Xingya, President of GAC Group. 

"I'm glad to see that NIO and GAC can partner in this area. The strategic cooperation agreement that we signed today is also a foundation and guidance for our future cooperation. With it as a starting point, we hope to build more battery swap stations with which our GAC Aion users will have a better swapping experience", he added. 

It is to be noted that NIO has also partnered with Chang'an Automobile, Geely Holding Group, Chery Automobile, JAC Group, and Lotus for a standardized, unified power infrastructure network of broader coverage. 

The automaker is also engaged in comprehensive cooperation on battery swapping with SINOPEC, CNOOC, Shell, State Grid Corporation of China, China Southern Power Grid, Anhui Wenergy, and Zhong'an Energy, in the pursuit of a fast-developing battery swapping ecosystem in China.