In order to solve the problems of range anxiety, inconvenience of refueling, and high total cost of ownership, Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology (CAES), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), has rolled out its EVOGO battery swap station, featuring modular battery swapping at its first online launch event.
The EVOGO battery swap solution is comprised of battery block inspired by chocolate bars, fast battery swap stations, and an app. The company plans to implement swap stations across ten Chinese cities to begin.
In addition to launching the EVOGO battery swap solution, CAES unveiled its modular, sharable battery packs called “Choco-SEBs” (swappable electric blocks). Designed to look like a bar of chocolate, the mass-produced battery can achieve a weight energy density of over 160 Wh/kg and a volume energy density of 325 Wh/L, enabling a single block to provide a driving range of 200 km (124 miles).
The Choco-SEB is compatible with 80% of global BEV platform-based vehicle models on the current market, as well as all BEV platform-based models released in the next three years. Customers are free to take one to three blocks to meet different range requirements at swap stations. Choco-SEB is designed to suit vehicles ranging from Class-A00, Class-B, and Class-C passenger cars to logistics vehicles.
The Choco-SEBs also support traditional plug charging, so those drivers traveling on battery swaps don’t necessarily need to find another CATL EVOGO station. They can simply plug in somewhere and recharge that way as well.
With a footprint equivalent to three parking spaces, a standard EVOGO battery swap station can house up to 48 Choco-SEBs and allows one-minute swapping for a single battery block, ensuring fully charged batteries for customers at any time without a long wait. Moreover, EVOGO offers a variety of swap stations to suit the climates of different regions. The swap stations can match all vehicle models by different OEMs that use Choco-SEBs, allowing a free choice of vehicle models for battery swaps.
To address the pain point, EVOGO allows customers to choose the number of battery blocks to rent according to their driving scenarios and habits. Only one block is needed for inner-city commuting, while for longer trips, customers can rent two to three blocks and swap them with one block after returning to the city.
The app links customers with different modules of EVOGO, allowing the connection among customers, vehicles, stations, and batteries, and provides other services as well.
