The new scheme makes billing more dependent on the amount of power added, which may help promote the use of the battery swap service compared to the previous fixed service fee plus a power charge.

Nio (NYSE: NIO) today released a new pricing plan for its battery swap service in China, marking the third major change to the service since it became available.

For car owners who need to pay to use the service, the latest charging scheme is:

Single battery swap charge = (Electricity + Service charge) * Added power

If the user adds less than 20 kWh of power through the battery swap service, then the service fee will be charged based on 20 kWh, while the electricity fee will be calculated based on the actual amount of power added.

The latest charging model will come into effect on September 24 at 00:00 Beijing time.

The current Nio charging scheme for battery swap service is:

Single battery swap charge = Fixed service fee + Electricity fee * Added power

The fixed service fee is RMB 30 ($4.2) or RMB 50 each time, which varies from site to site.

Under the new charging scheme, different sites may have different service fee per kWh, and the service fee may be different for different time slots.

Nio plans to update the Nio App to allow users to filter nearby stations by fee, as well as optimize the presentation of fees.

The service charge per kWh will be adjusted once a month, while the electricity charge per kWh will be adjusted according to the price of the electricity providers.

The new charging scheme applies not only to the main Nio brand, but also to Onvo, the sub-brand whose first model is set to be officially launched on September 19.

Early Nio owners with free battery swap entitlement can still continue to enjoy free services.

The new scheme makes billing more dependent on the amount of power added, which may help boost owners' use of the battery swap service compared to the previous fixed service fee plus a power charge.

Nio held an offline meeting in Guangzhou on September 6 to solicit input from owners on the changes to the battery swap service.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker put together two options based on the feedback:

Option A: Single battery swap charge = RMB 9.9 base service fee + (Electricity + Service fee A) * Added power

Option B: Single battery swap charge = (Electricity + Service fee) * Added power

Option A is more in line with the cost components specific to battery swap stations, but Option B is simpler for users to understand, Nio said today.

Based on a pricing model that is more in line with the user's perspective and allows them to understand the benefits of the battery swap service, Nio ultimately chose Option B, the company said.

($1 = RMB 7.0937)

Nio to tweak how it charges for battery swap service in China