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Charging and swapping are two very different ways to replenish energy. Charging is divided into AC slow charging and DC fast charging, and battery replacement uses centralized charging and then battery pack replacement to replenish the energy of electric vehicles.
In the field of electric vehicles, battery swap vs charging affects the research and development direction of battery swapping technology and power battery technology, as well as the construction of charging and swapping infrastructure systems.
Although the current energy replenishment method is still charging, with the improvement of the level of awareness of battery swapping, the development of battery swap mode is very promising. This article will analyze the differences between battery swap vs charging.
1. The overall comparison on battery swap vs charging
① Analysis the limitation of charging
- Planning is in conflict with reality
Among the many charging scenarios, residential communities and parking lots account for the largest proportion of charging. There is a huge demand for community charging, but there is a lack of planning.
In some areas, there are no plans to install charging stations. The problem of capital and space makes the charging pile business more difficult.
- Lack of platform technology
It seems that the platform is still far from monitoring the abnormality of the charging pile, automatically arranging maintenance and dealing with the occupancy situation, etc. Currently, platform technology is imperfect and cannot be unified.
- Large investment
The operation of charging piles is an asset-heavy industry, with a large investment and a long return cycle. Imperfect profit models have always existed. In addition, the research and development of platform network technology requires a large amount of capital investment. It is impossible to make a profit in the short term, and follow-up operation and maintenance costs are high.
② Analysis the advantages bringing by battery swap
- Replenish energy quickly
The single battery swap time is only about 5 minutes, which can ensure operational efficiency. Slow charging tends to take 7-8 hours, and fast charging, while compressing the charging time to 40-60 minutes, will shorten battery life.
- Good for battery life
If the charging mode is adopted, you need to install more 12v 100ah lithium ion batteries to ensure battery life for long distances.
- Lower costs
Low energy prices are the biggest advantage.
- Power grids and land use
The battery swap mode puts less pressure on the grid and the site less. A large number of disorderly charging caused by the expansion of charging piles will increase the pressure on the power grid and bring greater potential safety hazards to electricity consumption.
Pressure on the power grid can only be alleviated by increasing the capacity of the distribution network or dispatching charging by charging piles. The battery swap mode adopts the centralized charging method, which is more friendly to the power grid, and the safety management of the distribution network is easier and less burdensome.
- Ground end
The battery swap station is like a gas station. The vehicle will not stay in the site for a long time, and the pile position of each charging pile must reserve parking space, so the battery swap mode is more conducive to saving land resources.
2. Differences of battery swap vs charging in EVs
Although fast charging can shorten the charging time, due to the large amount of current when using DC fast charging, it will accelerate the degradation of battery capacity.
This in turn affects the 12 volt 200ah lithium battery performance and shortens its life cycle. In the battery swap mode, the power battery is stored in the charging warehouse, and the battery can be charged slowly.
At the same time, the battery swap warehouse with integrated battery detection and maintenance functions can regularly detect the status of the battery under replacement, which is safer.
In terms of cost, the battery swap mode is also more cost-effective than the charging mode. The cost of batteries accounts for a high proportion of the purchase cost of new energy vehicles, accounting for about 40%.
In the battery swap mode of "vehicle and power separation", users can only buy the body and lease the power battery when buying a car, which greatly reduces the cost of car purchase for consumers.
Automobile manufacturers represented by NIO and Geely, power battery manufacturers represented by CATL, and battery swap operators represented by Tycorun.
3. Two and three wheeler battery swap vs charging
Different from the traditional battery charging mode, the battery swap mode refers to the matching of people, vehicles and electricity through standardized and unified batteries, battery swap stations and vehicles.
When the vehicle is about to run out of power, you only need to find a nearby battery swap station to replace the battery nearby, just like refueling the car.
- Efficient and convenient
This is the obvious benefit of battery swap mode. It eliminates the need for a long charging process for electric two-wheelers, and the user experience is greatly enhanced.
When there is no power, you only need to open the APP to find the nearest battery swapping station, and then scan the code to open the station door to replace the battery, no need to wait.
- High level of security
Traditional electric two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicle charging methods are often accompanied by great danger due to the limitation of charging scenarios. Charging facilities are not available in many areas.
If wires are exposed, they can cause battery explosions, fires, and other disasters due to circuit aging or excessive voltage and current. The battery swap mode does not need to be charged, and all batteries will be stored in the smart battery swap station for safe and centralized management.
The intelligent battery swap management platform will monitor the health status of the battery at any time, and uniformly monitor and adjust whether the battery is charged, whether the battery is fully charged, and whether the battery is dangerous, so as to control the danger within a controllable range.
72V 50Ah swappable lithium batteries for electric motorcycles
- Battery life
Every e-bike user will have range anxiety and worry that there will be no power in the middle of the ride. However, the emergence of battery swap mode perfectly solves this problem. Once you find that the battery is almost dead, navigate directly to the nearest smart battery swapping station.
By scanning the code to replace the battery, putting the exhausted battery in the electric vehicle into the intelligent battery swapping station, replacing a fully charged battery, and replacing the replacement charge to achieve the effect of instant full charge, the whole process takes less than one minute.
4. Battery swap vs charging - which is better
In battery swap vs charging, there is no big gap in the early development trend, and the fundamental reason is that there are big differences between the two energy replenishment methods in terms of battery applicability, requirements for power grids and land resources, and requirements for funds.
The battery swapping vs charging station has a certain competitiveness in the face of different applicable environments and construction needs, but there are also problems that cannot be solved, and the pace of development is difficult to unify.
- Charging mode
Specifications and standards have been developed for charging interfaces, communication protocols, security and compatibility. The refined standards solve the compatibility problem, and different brands of charging piles and cars can also be matched with each other. Unifying standards has played a role in promoting the construction of charging infrastructure.
- Battery swap mode
At present, the battery swap market is in the early stage of development, and there is no unified standard for battery swapping stations and battery swapping power batteries. Ordinary consumers can only change the battery at the station that is suitable for the vehicle, which is extremely inconvenient, and it is difficult to make full use of idle battery swap station resources.
Battery swapping vs charging station, the construction of battery swapping station is more expensive. In the case that the battery swap mode is not popular, it is difficult for the low-frequency battery swap times to make the battery swap station enter the profitable stage.
Tycorun is a practitioner of creating high-quality charging and swapping services. As top 10 battery swap station companies, it is necessary to rely on operation and service to base itself on the market, make full use of the advantages of battery swap vs charging technology, and carry out reasonable infrastructure planning and layout construction in combination with specific scenarios and user groups.
To ensure efficient energy replenishment and safe travel, we should also take into account the clean and efficient use of energy. Battery swapping can be a very powerful supplement to charging, especially when the number of charging piles has not fully met the market demand, and the battery fast charging speed is still about 1 hour.
The energy replenishment efficiency of battery swapping as low as five minutes can well make up for the lack of charging and give consumers a better energy replenishment experience.
5. Conclusion
Battery swapping service is expected to become one of the most important transportation options. About battery swap vs charging has different technical paths and rules.
In the long-term development process in the future, it is still necessary to promote the standardization of battery swaps, continue to reduce the cost of battery swaps, and fully explore more profit models.
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