Why Pay $20,000 for a New EV Battery When China Swaps It for the Price of a Charge?
Description: Out of warranty, a new EV battery in Australia can set you back anywhere from $6,000 to $20,000. At the Beijing Auto Show, NIO's battery swap station swapped one in 2 minutes 36 seconds.
Electric cars are everywhere, but almost nobody asks what happens when the battery wears out. Replacing it can mean days at a dealer, a forklift, a team of technicians and a bill big enough to write the car off. Then there's charging: 20 to 40 minutes on a good fast charger and hours at home, while a petrol fill-up takes 5.
We went to the Beijing Auto Show to see NIO's battery swap technology in action. Lights scan the underside of the car for damage, 10 motors undo 10 bolts at once, the half-tonne pack drops out and a fully charged one goes straight back in. We also look at why Better Place went bust and Tesla quietly dropped its own swap demo, and how NIO now runs over 3,800 swap stations across China, with 170,000 swaps in a single day and more than 100 million in total.
So, would you happily drive off with someone else's battery every week, or keep your own? Let us know in the comments.
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0:00 – The Hidden Cost of EV Batteries
0:46 – Charging Time and the Swaps That Failed
1:40 – NIO Battery Swap Timed at the Beijing Auto Show
3:03 – 3,800 Stations and 170,000 Swaps a Day
4:30 – What a New Battery Costs in Australia Close description
Electric cars are everywhere, but almost nobody asks what happens when the battery wears out. Replacing it can mean days at a dealer, a forklift, a team of technicians and a bill big enough to write the car off. Then there's charging: 20 to 40 minutes on a good fast charger and hours at home, while a petrol fill-up takes 5.
We went to the Beijing Auto Show to see NIO's battery swap technology in action. Lights scan the underside of the car for damage, 10 motors undo 10 bolts at once, the half-tonne pack drops out and a fully charged one goes straight back in. We also look at why Better Place went bust and Tesla quietly dropped its own swap demo, and how NIO now runs over 3,800 swap stations across China, with 170,000 swaps in a single day and more than 100 million in total.
So, would you happily drive off with someone else's battery every week, or keep your own? Let us know in the comments.
🔗 Explore the full Savage Tech range → https://savagetech.com.au
📺 Our Vlog Channel → https://www.youtube.com/@SavageLifevlog
📱 Follow us:
Instagram → https://instagram.com/savagetechaustralia
Facebook → https://facebook.com/savagetechaustralia
TikTok → https://tiktok.com/@savagetechaustralia
0:00 – The Hidden Cost of EV Batteries
0:46 – Charging Time and the Swaps That Failed
1:40 – NIO Battery Swap Timed at the Beijing Auto Show
3:03 – 3,800 Stations and 170,000 Swaps a Day
4:30 – What a New Battery Costs in Australia Close description