Battery-swap pioneer automaker Nio turns to battery giant CATL to help it create longer-lasting power packs in the hope of retrofitting them to other, out-of-warranty brands.
Chinese website CNEVPost reports the two companies have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop long-life auto batteries to use with battery-swap technology.
CATL claims it has developed technologies including slow capacity attenuation, self-repairing solid electrolyte interphase film and lithium supplement, to extend the service life of vehicle batteries.
In the partnership, the companies will also conduct joint seminars, work toward technological innovations and promote product applications, a joint statement reads.
Nio says, the pair aim to make battery swap services available to more BEV users through this partnership, effectively extending its core technology to other automaker brands.
The move is seen as a way of preventing degrading battery packs from shortening the life of a BEV. With the typical battery warranty limited to eight years, from 2025 to 2032, battery warranties of nearly 20 million BEVs in China have or will run low on range while the base vehicle has many more years of potential usability, says William Li, Nio's founder, chairman and CEO. He adds: “Therefore, it has become a pressing task to address the lifespan issues of batteries.”
Current battery packs in Nio vehicles and battery swap stations are 70-kWh, 75-kWh, and 100-kWh packs from CATL. However, the automaker teamed up with Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology last year to make semi-solid battery packs with a 150-kWh capacity, which are expected to enter service in the second quarter.
