Very cool solution to long charge times.

[Byrus]

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio

Basically, just swap the battery when low. The Chinese are so far ahead of the game. It's crazy.

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[silverelan]

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio

Basically, just swap the battery when low. The Chinese are so far ahead of the game. It's crazy.

No. This made sense when batteries took 30-40 mins to charge. The infrastructure required to do battery swaps (extra battery packs, swap stations, staff) is just silly when 10-80% takes 5 minutes and 10-97% takes 9 mins.

https://insideevs.com/news/792274/lynk-co-10-charging-test/

The real question is, when are American companies like Ford, GM, Tesla, and Rivian, going to get serious about charging times for their EVs?

 

[New2EV]

No. This made sense when batteries took 30-40 mins to charge. The infrastructure required to do battery swaps (extra battery packs, swap stations, staff) is just silly when 10-80% takes 5 minutes and 10-97% takes 9 mins.

https://insideevs.com/news/792274/lynk-co-10-charging-test/

The real question is, when are American companies like Ford, GM, Tesla, and Rivian, going to get serious about charging times for their EVs?

Capable of charging at 1 megawatt and having infrastructure that makes 1 megawatt charging practical are 2 different things. Installing and maintaining charge stations capable of those power levels for multiple chargers would be so expensive you wouldn't pay for it. That's one advantage of ICE cars. Gas is the same price no matter what speed it's delivered at. Why don't people have a level 3 charger at their house?.... because level 1 or 2 is the price point they're willing to pay.

That article says it's possible, not that anyone is doing it commercially.

 

[NY_Cade69]

Think of it this way, how long could BEVs last if they could have fresh batteries on demand,
The big 3 shudders at the idea since they want US consumers to buy new cars every few years.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

The real question is, when are American companies like Ford, GM, Tesla, and Rivian, going to get serious about charging times for their EVs?

February 30 of next year.

 

[pikepilot]

Think of it this way, how long could BEVs last if they could have fresh batteries on demand,
The big 3 shudders at the idea since they want US consumers to buy new cars every few years.

I might be wrong but I don't think anyone is turning in/selling their EVs because their batteries are old. All the research is showing both longevity and general battery state of health/charge capacity retainment is much better than predicted in real world scenarios. Even if you sell because you are passing the "EV" warranty (8 year/100K miles), it is not the batteries you really have to worry about, it is the EV components/drives which would not be affected by battery swaps.

People who sell/buy cars every few years (what the big 3 wants) are doing it for the exact same reasons as the people who do so for ICE cars.....boredom, new tech/safety, new styles, new colors, habit, new trims, keeping up with Jones', buyers regret, lease end, changing family/capacity needs, etc.

I don't see battery swaps changing any of that behavior or reasoning.

 

[JamieGeek]

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio

Basically, just swap the battery when low. The Chinese are so far ahead of the game. It's crazy.

Really?

A company tried this oh waaay back in 2012ish and went bankrupt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place_(company)

 

[bbulkow]

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio

Basically, just swap the battery when low. The Chinese are so far ahead of the game. It's crazy.

What's crazier is china has two competing companies.

One is pursuing faster charging cars and faster charge stations. They're introducing more battery chemistry, generally at smaller capacity, and charging stations to handle them - getting charges down to 5 minutes.

Another pursues quick-change stations. There are currently about 3500 (yes, three point five thousand!) of these stations through china. Not only do you get a fresh 100% charged pack, you can decide whether you want a "medium, large, or xlarge". It's the same physical form factor with denser packing (or something). You pay more to -- essentially -- rent a larger battery. Which then you can charge at home. A change takes *two minutes*, and covers a large product line.

The fact they have companies pursuing *BOTH* strategies is what puts them ahead.

 

[sglewiswl]

Ubiquitous L2 charging for home and public top offs and 20-30 minute fast charge for travel is sufficient. Plenty of people have shown travel with the above is possible and we just need 10 times more of it. With a 10 year owner lifecycle on cars you will always be chasing new tech and most people will be on the slower charge times. Replaceable batteries make the most sense in transportation.

 

[Byrus]

Really?

A company tried this oh waaay back in 2012ish and went bankrupt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place_(company)

That's not shocking. was ANYONE driving electric cars in 2012??

 

[sglewiswl]

Container ships already have cranes and can have batteries waiting in every port. Drop off the old ones and charge them up, and guess what, throw some offshore wind to charge them up.

https://maritime-executive.com/arti...ls-for-largest-electric-powered-containership

 

[evfinder]

Tesla experimented with a battery swap station at Harris Ranch in CA in 2015. It was a flop and they closed it in 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_battery_station

 

[Stephen Munro]

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio

Basically, just swap the battery when low. The Chinese are so far ahead of the game. It's crazy.

As is often true, there's more to the story than a headline.
1. NIO's battery swapping only works with NIO brand cars, and not even all of those. Present-day L3 charging stations are mostly brand-agnostic, which is a huge advantage over any single-branded battery swap program.
2. NIO's battery swapping capital costs are heavily subsidized (reportedly as high as 90%) by the Chinese central government and provincial and city governments. While the U.S. subsizes much of the transportation sector, our fossil fueling stations are the reverse of subsidies; they collect revenue for the government in the form of taxes on fuel sales.
3. Tesla tested a battery swapping program in 2013. It was quickly discontinued due to low user interest and high costs.

 

[Phil-Springs]

It is an idea that sounds interesting but with a bit thought about how poorly this scales.. good reason this won’t be the future. Imagine how many extra batteries you’d have in circulation to ensure a battery is there when anyone wants a full battery.

 

[OH2AZ2OH]

I don't even like doing cylinder exchange for propane tanks.

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