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Electric two-wheeler battery swapping has been welcomed by more and more people, has fully covered many cities, and gradually penetrated into various regions. So what does the battery swapping stations business model look like? This article will take a closer look.
1. Electric two-wheeler battery swapping stations business model types
In the large two-wheeler battery swap market, there are a variety of different battery swapping stations business models to choose from. Platform operation is currently the largest model, and platform operation is subdivided into two forms: direct sales and franchise.
① Direct sales model
It is the platform party that faces the entire market with a unified standard, puts battery swapping stations and batteries on its own, and sets up operation and maintenance teams in various cities.
Only sign a service agreement with the site where the battery swapping station is placed, and pay for the service fee for soliciting customers, electricity, venue fee, basic maintenance fee, etc.
The advantage of this battery swapping stations business model is that the platform party always has the leading power to maximize benefits. The disadvantages are heavy assets, high costs, high capital requirements, and very tight cash flow, which is extremely challenging for financing capacity.
② Franchise model
The platform party provides a battery swap operation platform and contracts the terminal operation services to franchisees. The franchisee is responsible for purchasing or leasing battery stations, purchasing and putting batteries, setting up an operation and maintenance team, and providing battery replacement services for users.
In this mode, the platform is the back-end service provider and technical guidance party, and does not participate in the operation and service of the terminal.
The advantages of this battery swapping stations business model are light assets, fast turnover, and low risk, which is a typical method of Internet operation. The disadvantage is that end user control is relatively weak, and long-term income is not as good as the direct sales model.
③ Individualized operations
It is also a relatively popular business model at present. It refers to the terminal battery swap operator, which does not rely on a large battery swap operation platform, but directly orders the battery swap station from the battery swap station companies.
Order batteries from battery manufacturers and build your own best battery swap station system. The advantages of this battery swapping stations business model are that there is a stable user base, does not depend on the platform side, the benefits are considerable, and the risk is very low.
The disadvantage is that the operational stability of the battery swap system will be poor, and they cannot solve the battery swapping technology problems of the battery swap system, and they are more dependent on battery swap station manufacturers and battery manufacturers in terms of service.
2. Example analysis of the battery swapping stations business model
The choice of the battery swapping stations business model in the two-wheeled vehicle battery swap market can first understand the cost problem. The following is a rough calculation.
If you need a more detailed quote, please contact us. TYCORUN's battery swap stationshave 5 slots, 8 slots, 12 slots and other specifications, and the battery types are 60V30Ah, 72V30Ah, 72V50Ah and other specifications.
3. How two-wheeler build a profitable battery swapping stations business model
In order to simplify the analysis, we will use the most common combination of 12-bin battery swap station and 48V20Ah battery on the market to build the battery swapping stations business model. Without considering the upfront cost:
The cost of the 12 slots battery swap station is about $3,100, and the cost of the 48V20Ah lithium battery pack is $300.
Assuming that the charging speed of each channel (slots) of the battery swapping station is 0.5C, a battery pack can be fully charged in two hours. The number of fully configured batteries in the 12-bin battery swapping station is 11 groups, and a bin door needs to be vacated for battery replacement. Let's assume that the rider has a 12-hour battery swap window per day (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.).
During this period, if all 11 battery compartments are in a charging state, each battery compartment can be fully charged to 6 battery packs in 12 hours. The 11 battery compartments can theoretically fill 66 battery packs, which means it can serve 66 riders.
The ratio of the number of warehouse doors to the number of users is 1:5.5. However, riders typically need to replace the battery 2.5 times a day to cover the full day's range, so the ratio drops to 1:2.2.
Considering that the battery replacement time is not evenly distributed, it will be concentrated in the two time periods of noon and evening, and the ratio of the number of warehouse doors to the number of users will decrease, which is basically 1:2 under reasonable circumstances.
If the ratio of 1:2 is followed, the number of users is 24 riders, the rider vehicle needs to be equipped with 24 sets of batteries, and the battery swapping station is equipped with 11 sets of batteries, for a total of 35 sets of batteries, and the total cost of batteries is 10,500.
24 riders, an average of 2.5 battery changes per day, and the battery swapping station has 60 sets of charges per day. If you use commercial electricity, the electricity cost is 13 cents, considering the charging efficiency is 90%, and the power of each charge is 80% (the battery will not be completely empty).
Then the daily electricity bill is: 60 13 0.8/0.9 = 6.93 dollars, and then consider the energy consumption of the control system, the daily electricity bill is 7 dollars, and the average monthly electricity cost is 2100 US dollars (according to 30 days of consideration).
If the self-operated battery swapping stations business model is adopted, considering that the lease return period is 18 months, then the rent of each user is: (3,100 + 10,500 + 2,100 x 18)/24/18 = USD 119
If the battery swapping stations business model is adopted, considering that the lease return period is 24 months, then the rent of each user is: (3,100 + 10,500 + 2,100 x 24)/24/24 = USD 89
If the business model of platform direct operation of battery swapping stations business model is adopted, 20% of the service fee commission will be given to the terminal swap station.
Lease prices for the 24-month repayment period and the 18-month repayment cycle are $119 and $89, respectively. If you consider the operation and maintenance costs, battery loss and damage costs, communication fees, etc., the rent of each user needs to increase by about $2.
From the above analysis of the battery swapping stations business model, two-wheeled vehicles can still make money by swapping batteries. As long as you stick to the investment cost and pay for it, the next job of making money will be easier.
4. How to make money faster with battery swapping stations business model
From a business perspective, the 18-month payback cycle is a tipping point. Because the average service life of the battery pack (lithium iron phosphate material) is about 3 years, and the first 18 months is the investment period.
The last 18 months is the earnings period, which is relatively reasonable. If the repayment period is longer than 18 months, the subsequent repayment period will be significantly shortened.
It poses a great challenge to battery swapping stations business model operation. So, how to shorten the return on investment cycle and make money faster? There are four directions below.
- Charging speed
If the charging speed can be increased to 0.75C or even 1C (1 hour full charge), more 12v 100ah lithium ion batteries can be charged during the day, so that a battery swapping station can serve more users.
However, the increase in charging speed will also put forward higher requirements for the battery, which requires the battery to have a fast charging ability and a certain heat dissipation design of the battery pack, which will increase the cost a little.
The biggest challenge is that the increased charging speed will significantly reduce the battery cycle life, resulting in a shorter battery pack life, which will affect the subsequent revenue period.
- Reduce the input of fixed assets
Dramatically reduce the battery swapping station cost and batteries. If the cost of assets is reduced by 20% and the monthly rent remains the same, the payback period can be shortened by more than 10% (with the same electricity bill).
- Transfer the cost of electricity bills
If you don't use commercial electricity, you can use residential electricity instead, and you can significantly reduce your electricity bill. The cost of electricity can be passed on to the merchant's customers.
- Expand your user base
Increase the number of users at the same swap point and increase revenue.
- Product life
If the service life of the 12 volt 200ah lithium battery pack can be increased to 4 or even 5 years, the revenue period will be greatly extended and the long-term benefits will be increased, which is also a viable option.
5. Conclusion
However, the development of battery swapping stations business model also faces some challenges, such as high construction costs and inconsistent battery standards. As the market grows, more businesses are likely to enter the field, and competition will intensify.
However, in general, the prospect of two-wheeled electric vehicle swap station is relatively broad, and with the continuous progress of technology and the gradual maturity of the market, its development prospects will be more optimistic.
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