NIO and Sinopec unveiled the NIO Power Swap Station 2.0 at Sinopec’s Chaoying Station in Beijing. This is NIO’s inaugural second-generation battery swap station and also the first under the NIO-Sinopec partnership, representing the rollout of NIO Power Swap Station 2.0. (Earlier post.)
As a smart battery swap system enabled by software-defined cloud computing, NIO Power Swap Station 2.0 is the world’s first mass-produced battery swap station that allows the vehicle to maneuver into the station automatically.
Each NIO Power Swap Station 2.0 has 239 sensors and four collaborating cloud computing systems that maximize the application of visual recognition technologies. Enabled by the technology, users can complete a self-service battery swap with only one click while staying in the car. The system is capable of completing up to 312 battery swaps per day, significantly improving swapping efficiency.
Sinopec and NIO also signed a strategic partnership agreement. In addition to battery charging and swapping network development, the two will comprehensively cooperate in new materials, smart EV technology, Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS), vehicle purchasing, and recreational facility constructions to further leverage their advantages in building an innovative collaboration model between the global energy and automotive industries.
According to Yuzhuo Zhang, Sinopec’s Chairman and Secretary of the Leading Party Member Group, Sinopec is accelerating its transformation from traditional petroleum product sales to an integrated energy service provider of oil, gas, hydrogen, electricity, and non-oil businesses, focusing on developing new dimensions such as battery swapping high-power DC fast charging.
Over the next few years, Sinopec plans to deploy 5,000 battery charging and swapping stations.
In March 2021, Nio announced that it had completed 2,000,000 battery swaps using its first-generation swapping stations.