Battery swapping

[2][3][4] Chinese luxury carmaker Nio is the only major operator of automobile battery swapping stations for the public.

The company has built around 2250 battery swap stations around China and Europe, and the process takes three minutes from start to finish.

The owner paid a variable per-mile charge and a monthly service fee to cover truck maintenance and storage.

Beginning in 1917 and lasting a few years, a similar service operated in Chicago for owners of Milburn Electric cars.

[8] In 1993, Suntera developed a two-seat 3-wheel electric vehicle called the SUNRAY, which came with a battery cartridge that swapped out in minutes at a battery-swap station.

In 2004, the company's 3-wheel stand-up EV won 1st place at the 5-day long American Tour de Sol electric vehicle race,[12] before closing in 2006.

A rapid battery replacement system was implemented to service 50 electric buses at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

was the first car enabled to adopt the approach and was offered in several countries, including those where no battery swap stations had been planned.

[21] In 2015 the company abandoned its sole swapping station, built at Harris Ranch, for lack of customer interest.

This approach is gaining ground, especially in urban areas, as it promotes sustainable transportation while addressing the limitations of traditional battery charging methods.