(Source: CnEVPost)

New energy vehicle companies, including Nio, using the battery swap model have received new policy support.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Energy Administration recently decided to jointly organize a pilot project on the application of battery swap mode for new energy vehicles, with the aim of implementing the New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035), the Shanghai Securities News reported on Tuesday.

The move will promote the innovative application of battery swap mode for new energy vehicles, promote the development of deep integration of new energy vehicles and energy, and support the achievement of carbon peak and carbon-neutral goals, the report said.

The pilot is to strengthen key technology research and development, accelerate battery swap infrastructure construction, promote battery swap mode vehicle application as the goal, the formation of new energy vehicle charging battery swap mode complementary benign development ecology, the report said, citing a document.

At present, Nio is the only car company that supports battery swap mode for general consumers, and other such models are mainly for the cab market.

The specific content of the document has seven aspects, part of which include:

Strengthen technology research and development, support enterprises to carry out new energy vehicles battery swap mode vehicle, power battery, battery swap equipment and other key technology research and development.

Improve the technical level of the product, to ensure quality and safety performance.

Carry out demonstration applications, based on the actual needs of the city, to develop a reasonable and feasible battery swap mode vehicle promotion goals.

Encourage the first pilot in public transport, rental, urban logistics and distribution, ports, mines and other public areas.

Promote commercial operation in the private sector.

The document proposes to improve the infrastructure and will develop battery swap station construction planning and secure land for battery swap station construction in accordance with the principles of moderate advancement, reasonable layout, intelligent and efficient, and intensive use.

It also mentions that simplify the approval process of land and power installation, etc., and increase the coordination of battery swap station access to the grid supporting engineering construction.

In addition, the document calls for strengthening monitoring management and optimizing industrial ecology and will encourage social capital to participate in the establishment of battery asset management companies to improve the efficiency of the whole life cycle utilization of power batteries.

The document also mentions that China will strengthen policy support, encourage local governments to introduce relevant support policies to support the application of battery swap mode vehicles, and study and launch financial and insurance products suitable for battery swap mode development.

The report quoted Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, as saying that the battery swap pilot can make new energy vehicles better promoted and popularized in some areas where there are no charging piles or inconvenient to use.

The development of the battery swap model will increase the battery reserve, "which is also an important means of peak regulation in the power system to achieve better grid operation by smoothing out peak and valley demand," Cui said.