This is Nio's latest innovation in regulating the supply and demand of batteries, enabling the needs of more users who temporarily need to use 100-kWh long-range battery packs to be met.
(Image credit: Nio)
Because its vehicles all support easy and quick battery replacement, Nio is the only car company that can do a lot of tricks with its battery operations.
Nio today announced on its app a so-called "battery sharing" pilot program where participants can share their 100-kWh long-range battery packs with others and earn bonus credits.
The company said it's based on feedback from owners of 100-kWh packs who want to share their long-range packs with others who need a temporary range boost.
Users who can participate in the pilot are currently limited to provinces and cities including Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Fujian, as well as Nanjing and Nantong in Jiangsu province.
Nio will allow users from other regions to participate in the program in the future based on the pilot.
Eligible users need to have purchased a 100-kWh battery pack, or those who chose a 100-kWh pack when purchasing a vehicle using Nio's battery rental service BaaS.
Participants will be rewarded with 300 Nio Credits per day, which is the equivalent of RMB 30 per day and can use to shop at the Nio Life online mall.
Users can submit applications from November 25 to December 31 for a fixed 3-month battery sharing period. If users temporarily retrieve the shared batteries, they will receive points based on the length of time they have been shared.
Participants will need to sign a paper agreement with Nio to replace their 100-kWh pack with a standard 70/75 kWh range pack at a battery swap station.
If the user wants to pick up the battery, they need to make an appointment a week in advance and come to the battery swap station at the appointed time to exchange the 100-kWh pack.
This means that Nio's battery swap stations become a trading center, allowing users who have previously purchased 100-kWh packs but feel they have less need for long-range batteries to exchange them for standard-range batteries and receive compensation.
These additional 100-kWh packs will be able to be made available to more other users with this need through circulation at battery swap stations.
This allows users who are not fully utilizing the 100-kWh packs to earn additional revenue, and allows users with this need to be satisfied in a way that no other vehicle company can.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Nio has innovated in regulating the supply and demand of batteries.
Previously, Nio has offered permanent battery upgrades as well as temporary upgrade options for users who have regretted purchasing the standard range version of the battery pack to get a long-range battery pack.
Last June, the company even ran a pilot program at three battery swap stations in Shanghai, allowing users to offer their fully charged packs to the battery swap stations to receive Nio Credits.
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