The countdown for fuel vehicles has begun, as electric and fuel vehicles are now racing at the same speed. The question arises: which refueling method will dominate, “flash charging” or “battery swapping”?
1. BYD and NIO have both announced significant initiatives to advance battery refueling technology.
2. BYD has introduced megawatt flash charging technology, boosting charging speeds to the 10C era, though this may impact battery lifespan.
3. NIO has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with CATL to promote the widespread adoption of battery swapping.
4. However, the promotion of the battery swapping model faces challenges such as technological differences and cost pressures.
5. Currently, both flash charging and battery swapping coexist, and the future may see a triad of these technologies.
Since electric vehicles have gained attention, competition regarding battery refueling speed and convenience has never ceased. Over the past few years, the 800V high-voltage ultra-fast charging platform has gradually become mainstream, with charging speeds increasing from 2C to the current 5C. Simultaneously, the battery swapping model, spearheaded by NIO, has undergone significant upgrades. On March 17, BYD, representing the “flash charging faction,” and NIO, representing the “battery swapping faction,” announced major initiatives that sparked widespread interest regarding the future of battery refueling.
1. The Dawn of Flash Charging: Balancing Speed and Battery Lifespan
BYD held a press conference for its “Megawatt Flash Charging,” where it announced that the charging voltage has been raised to 1000V and the charging current to 1000A, achieving a charging power of 1 megawatt (1000kW). This advancement marks the entry of its models equipped with the Super e-platform technology into the 10C charging era. This charging speed is remarkable; while a smartphone once touted “five minutes of charging for two hours of talk time,” BYD’s megawatt flash charging can achieve “five minutes of charging for a range of 400 kilometers.” This represents nearly double the efficiency of the current mainstream 4-6C charging speeds, with a peak power capability of replenishing energy at a rate of 2 kilometers per second.
However, increasing charging power is not the only challenge. The key technical difficulty lies in maintaining a stable and sufficiently long battery lifespan under such extreme charging and discharging conditions. In fact, the impact of BYD’s megawatt flash charging on battery lifespan is evidently greater than that of conventional fast charging. Experimental data shows that batteries supporting 5C ultra-fast charging experience a 25% capacity reduction after 800 fast charge cycles, while standard slow charging only sees a 12% decrease. Thus, BYD’s flash charging technology may pose a greater potential risk to battery health.
To address this issue, BYD employs new materials, such as silicon-carbon anodes and solid-state electrolytes, to mitigate battery degradation. They also utilize “full temperature intelligent temperature control” technology to reduce safety risks. However, given the current state of battery technology, the damage to battery lifespan can only be alleviated through careful usage. Therefore, BYD recommends that users activate ultra-fast charging and flash charging only when necessary and allow a cooling period of 10 minutes post-charging. For regular charging, it is advisable to use slow charging methods below 2C to ensure a longer battery lifespan.
BYD’s megawatt flash charging technology is undoubtedly a significant technological leap, achieving true “oil and electricity at the same speed.” However, this technology currently faces certain limitations in application, along with challenges regarding the proliferation of flash charging stations. As such, widespread adoption of 10C flash charging is likely contingent upon the advent of solid-state batteries.
2. Expansion of the Battery Swapping Alliance: NIO Partners with CATL
On the same day, NIO signed a strategic cooperation agreement with CATL, a global leader in power batteries. CATL has invested 2.5 billion yuan in NIO and plans to expand battery swapping services to cover more than 27 provincial administrative regions and 2,300 county-level administrative areas by the end of 2025. Previously, NIO had been navigating the battery swapping field relatively alone, investing over 6 billion yuan and establishing more than 3,000 battery swapping stations. However, the service has only been applicable to NIO’s own vehicles, limiting its broader adoption, which has been a significant bottleneck for NIO’s growth.
The inclusion of CATL, the world’s top power battery manufacturer, is expected to help standardize battery swapping protocols, encompassing battery research and development, swapping services, and second-life utilization, thereby creating a sustainable battery asset management system. This will enable the battery swapping network to play a more substantial role in the era of electric vehicles. The time taken for battery swapping has always been compared closely to refueling, as it can be completed in as little as three minutes under optimal conditions, presenting almost no significant drawbacks from a technical or user perspective.
Nevertheless, promoting the battery swapping model faces several challenges. Firstly, due to technological differences, there are very few automakers, aside from NIO, that offer battery swapping vehicles. Even some major automakers like Changan and Geely, which previously joined NIO’s “Battery Swapping Alliance,” have only a few models, such as Geely’s Bluecar and Changan’s Eado taxi, that support battery swapping. Therefore, relying solely on NIO’s user base to support the extensive promotion of battery swapping technology is unrealistic; collaborating with other automakers to build a more robust battery swapping ecosystem is crucial.
Moreover, the construction and operational costs of battery swapping stations also pose significant pressure on automakers. Currently, the primary cost to build a NIO battery swapping station ranges from 1.5 to 3 million yuan, with annual operating costs around 500,000 yuan, which is much higher than the costs associated with charging stations. Although NIO’s partnership with CATL presents a turning point for the “battery swapping journey,” the promotion of this model still has a long way to go.
On the same day, both the “flash charging faction” and the “battery swapping faction” encountered new opportunities for development, making the concept of oil and electricity racing at the same speed more tangible. However, both sides still face pressing issues that need resolution. Thus, it is challenging to determine which refueling method will emerge as the mainstream choice in the near term. It is likely that both factions will coexist alongside home charging solutions, creating a potential triad of refueling methods. Imagine a vehicle that can both swap batteries and support flash charging; this would undoubtedly offer greater freedom in refueling. Therefore, the coexistence of “flash charging” and “battery swapping” may indeed represent the optimal solution for future battery refueling.
