Liu Qiangdong betritt den Markt des Batterieaustauschs: JD.com verkauft das "Geistige Auto für Netzhafte Taxen" für 50.000 Yuan an. Es kann in 88 Sekunden für 500 km Energie aufladen und hat erstmals die "Cloud-Fahrzeug-Computereinheit" von Huawei eingesetzt.

How long does it take to charge an electric car once for a one - week commute?

The latest and fastest answer from Chinese automakers is:

88 seconds.

In less than a minute and a half, it can replenish enough energy for a 500 - km drive. The charging speed is on par with refueling. The price is neither "1,999" nor "999", but only "899".

89,900 yuan. This is the full - purchase price of the whole vehicle. If you choose to lease the battery, you only need to pay 49,900 yuan.

With various time - limited subsidies, the final price can be as low as 45,400 yuan.

GAC and CATL have not only pushed the energy replenishment speed of electric cars to a new high but also brought down the price of battery - swapping electric cars to a new low.

Behind this, JD provides after - sales service. Liu Qiangdong, an investor in NIO, has entered the 50,000 - yuan battery - swapping market, strongly supporting Li Bin's battery - swapping cause.

However, it also brings pressure to NIO's small cars. NIO quickly responded and chose an unexpected partner.

The "GAC - version Firefly", replenishing energy for a 500 - km drive in 99 seconds

The Aion UT Super is a small car over 4.2 meters long, slightly longer than the NIO Firefly and the BYD Dolphin. It is equipped with LCC and a 360° rear - view panoramic camera. Because it supports battery swapping, it is called the "GAC - version Firefly".

In terms of intelligence, it is equipped with a 14.6 - inch central control large screen, featuring the "Huawei Cloud Car System" for the first time. The so - called cloud car system means transferring hardware resources such as computing and storage, as well as the car system's apps, to the cloud. Huawei Cloud provides relevant technologies without occupying local resources.

It is reported that it can call more than 2,000 apps, play large - scale games, and edit high - definition videos, and it has "zero occupancy and zero heat generation". Of course, this is only an ideal state. It is still unlikely for electronic devices not to generate heat during use at present.

Next, let's look at electrification, which is the most concerned part of the whole vehicle.

The Aion UT Super is currently the cheapest model equipped with CATL batteries. First, let's explain what "25#" marked on the car body means.

Just like when we used to refuel gasoline cars with 92# and 95# gasoline, CATL has launched "20#" and "25#" battery - swapping blocks to meet different user needs, with lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium available.

The 25# lithium iron phosphate battery - swapping block used in the UT Super corresponds to a range of 500 km.

The officially advertised battery - swapping time was 99 seconds before. However, according to Tu Xucong, the product general manager of the Aion UT model, in a group interview, the actual battery - swapping time of the UT Super is 88 seconds.

Since it supports battery swapping, like NIO's electric cars, it "can be charged, swapped, and upgraded". It retains both slow - charging and fast - charging ports for charging. According to Zhang Kai, the CTO of CATL's battery - swapping business, sodium - ion batteries will be installed in cars next year.

However, it should be noted that if prospective car owners choose the "full - purchase system" to buy the car, that is, pay 89,900 yuan directly, Aion will be responsible for the after - sales service of the whole vehicle, including the battery.

If you choose the "battery - leasing system" to buy the car, that is, pay a down payment of 49,900 yuan and a monthly rent of 399 yuan (the rent will be adjusted to 499 yuan after 24:00 on December 8), CATL will be responsible for the battery warranty, and it offers "only replacement, no repair".

As battery - swapping technology penetrates into the 50,000 - yuan market segment, the horn for the explosive growth of battery - swapping has officially sounded.

On the Eve of the Explosive Growth of Battery - swapping: Liu Qiangdong Enters the Market, and CATL's "Chocolate" Stands Out

The cooperation between two trillion - level giants is pushing battery - swapping to the first wave of climax.

This is also JD's latest attempt with a trillion - yuan revenue. As the exclusive sales platform, JD not only provides battery - leasing services but actually participates in the entire product lifecycle:

It conducted hundreds of thousands of user surveys before the product was launched. Early - bird users who buy the car will be given JD shopping cards. After purchasing the car, users can choose accessories online through JD, and JD's car - maintenance stores also provide after - sales services offline.

This is also the first time that CATL's battery - swapping business has caught the public's attention. After entering the battery - swapping market for nearly a year, as of November 5th, CATL has built 777 "Chocolate" battery - swapping stations, aiming to reach 1,000 by the end of the year, with a long - term goal of 30,000 stations.

The battery - swapping stations have been built quickly, but due to limited publicity, there was little discussion from the outside world before. This time, with the launch of the "Chocolate" battery - swapping model in the 50,000 - yuan market segment for the first time, overnight, the discussion about CATL's battery - swapping service soared, and almost everyone in the automotive circle knows about it.

The entry of giants, the price reduction of battery - swapping products, and the denser battery - swapping network are driving the battery - swapping route towards explosive growth.

Based on past data, it is estimated that as early as the end of this year or at the latest by the end of February next year, the number of NIO's battery - swapping times alone will exceed 100 million.

It is reported that NIO will start deploying its fifth - generation battery - swapping stations next year, and there are two highlights worthy of attention.

First, Li Bin emphasized that the fifth - generation stations are characterized by "flexibility", being compatible with more battery pack specifications.

Second, the fifth - generation stations will also be connected to CATL's battery - swapping network. The NIO Firefly can use both NIO's fifth - generation stations and CATL's Chocolate batteries. From now on, NIO's battery - swapping is no longer alone.

However, although NIO has a new battery - swapping partner, the UT Super is a very small car that supports battery swapping. It seems to be targeting the NIO Firefly.

NIO also quickly responded to its "shareholder".

One More Thing

Liu Qiangdong himself is actually an early investor in NIO.

According to Zhang Zetian, Liu Qiangdong's wife and the owner of NIO ES8 No. 005, at the launch event of the first - generation NIO ES8 in early 2017, Li Bin only took 15 minutes to persuade Liu Qiangdong to invest when he just founded NIO in 2015.

On the left is Wang Yizhi, Li Bin's wife, and on the right is "Xiaotian". Image source: NIO Day 2017

Now, "JD Auto" is making its first attempt in this market, directly targeting the Firefly.

The Firefly quickly came up with a countermeasure:

Enter Tmall!

Come on, dude?

This article is from the WeChat official account "Intelligent Car Reference" (ID: AI4Auto), author: Yifan, published by 36Kr with authorization.