Shared battery swapping is a complete closed loop derived from the shared electric vehicle industry.
In the past, when people's electric vehicles ran out of power, the first thing they thought of was finding a charging station to plug in and charge them. This traditional charging method is not only inconvenient but can also easily affect the work efficiency of delivery drivers and couriers.
The emergence of shared battery swapping aims to solve users' charging problems and range anxiety by replacing charging with battery swapping. Shared battery swapping requires shared battery swapping cabinets. When using these cabinets, users simply scan a QR code with their mobile phones to swap a fully charged battery with a depleted one. This reduces charging time from 6-8 hours to a mere 10 seconds, saving users time, improving efficiency, and offering great convenience.
Battery swapping stations provide a new and safer way to use electricity for electric vehicles and are widely used in popular areas such as communities, campuses, business districts, transportation hubs, and car dealerships.
In terms of market prospects, according to the calculations of battery swapping companies, the demand for shared battery swapping in the B-end market is strong. Currently, there are about 7 million food delivery riders (mainly using two-wheeled electric vehicles, requiring about 0.6 kWh of battery capacity) and about 3.1 million couriers (mostly using three-wheeled electric vehicles, requiring 2-6 kWh of battery capacity). Assuming that battery swapping requires two sets of batteries, the market size is at least 20.8 GWh.
The demand for lithium batteries from shared electric bicycles is even more substantial. For example, the ratio of shared electric bicycles to batteries is 1:1.5. This means that for every 1 million new shared electric bicycles, approximately 1 GWh of lithium batteries will be needed.
Currently, there are many players in the battery swapping market, with those that have been operating for a relatively long time including eSwap, Yiqi Battery Swapping, Zhangfei Mobility, Mibu Battery Swapping, Yongyou Zhixing, Zhizu Mobility, Hello Battery Swapping, and Modong Battery Swapping. Sensing the potential for growth, industry giants have also begun to enter the market, including Hello Battery Swapping and China Tower Energy, which are also making comprehensive deployments.
