What if MG outperformed Tesla and BYD with the Swap?

SAIC, MG’s parent company, partners with CATL to develop Battery Swap technology. A real boon for the manufacturer!

Between an aging lineup and European sanctions, 2024 has not been a smooth sailing year for MG in the electric vehicle sector. Once a European leader thanks to the MG4, the century-old manufacturer has chosen to cautiously focus its efforts on hybrid technologies to weather the storm, at least on the old continent. But MG might well relaunch into competition thanks to battery exchange technology, the Swap, which allows a full battery to be retrieved in just a few seconds, merely by swapping it out. Basically, it’s the leading technology today on the electric scooter market, adapted to automobiles. The main difference being that a car battery is much heavier and more powerful than a scooter battery, requiring an entire infrastructure to handle it safely!

@shanghaieye
Battery giant CATL plans major expansion of battery swapping for electric vehicles in China’s market The world’s largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles said Wednesday it will get into battery swapping in China in a big way starting next year. The idea behind battery swapping is to refuel quickly, similar to filling a conventional car with gas. Instead of waiting for the batteries to recharge, one swaps out the old ones with a block of fresh ones at a swap station. Expert believes that swapping can complement the country’s well-developed charging network. If the company follows through, it could rival Nio, a 10-year-old Chinese electric car brand that has opened more than 2,700 stations and has plans for at least 5,000. #China #CATL #electriccars #battery #car #shanghaieye
♬ 原聲 – ShangHaiEye – ShangHaiEye

Robin Zeng, CEO of CATL, and Wang Xiaoqiu, President of SAIC, signed this week a memorandum of understanding at CATL’s headquarters in Ningde, China. SAIC will handle the design and sale of electric vehicles compatible with this technology, while CATL will produce the batteries and ensure they meet standardized standards.

Unlike market leaders like Tesla or BYD, which may require several tens of minutes to recharge, this system allows a depleted battery to be swapped for a full one in just 100 seconds. Swap stations can perform over 800 exchanges per day, making electric vehicle use faster and more convenient.

SAIC has attempted to launch its own network of stations, but with only 26 active stations in 2024, the project has been a resounding failure. This partnership with CATL marks a strategic shift for the group, which prefers to let a specialist develop a finely tuned network rather than chase after lost time. Although this technology seems very promising, it will probably be a little while before the first exchange stations arrive in Europe. When that happens, if SAIC decides to allow MG to benefit from these infrastructures, the Sino-British manufacturer will have a valuable asset in hand.

READ ALSO: Cheaper batteries from 2025 at MG?