Onvo has released a video demonstrating the process of the L60 model replacing the battery after being used up in less than 4 minutes. The L60 electric car is aimed at Chinese families at an affordable price of $29,500 (about 750 million). According to the company, the L60 model is similar in size and competes directly with the Tesla Model Y. However, unlike the Model Y, the Onvo L60 battery can be replaced at Nio's battery swapping stations.
The first 4th generation battery swapping stations began operating in the summer of 2024, with designs suitable for many different types of batteries. The Onvo L60 uses a thinner battery produced by BYD, with a capacity of only 60 or 84 kWh, compared to 75, 100 or 150 kWh on Nio's higher-end vehicles. Nio also said that the company has continuously improved the battery swapping stations, now this process can take place in just 144 seconds.
After reversing into position, the vehicle automatically returns to N and conducts a system check. After that, the vehicle automatically turned off the main power source (the entertainment information screen and fan are still running), and was raised to replace the battery. Immediately after that, the old battery is removed and a new one is installed. The vehicle will have a final check, when the speed limiter and gear selector appear again, the vehicle owner can use it again as usual.
According to Onvo, the whole process takes place in 3 minutes and 44 seconds (including the time the car moves itself to the station), which is only equivalent to the time to fill up with fuel for a normal car. Even vehicles using DC fast charging cannot be faster than this process.
Recently, Nio announced that its battery swapping service has surpassed 60 million battery swaps. Currently, the company has 2,785 stations in China, including 909 stations along highways. In July 2024, Nio reached the milestone of 2,500 battery swapping stations worldwide, with 51 stations in Europe.
