That's because it is true. China does indeed want to be big in everything. This technology has mostly been rejected by the rest of the world, but China is launching new battery swap stations and new battery-swap cars by the dozen.
China is already doing EV battery swapping and here's everything you need to know about it. It may seem that China wants to be big in every possible technology. That's because it is true. China does indeed want to be big in everything. We take a look at China's efforts to become a big player in battery-swap technology for electric cars.
Does China have a battery swap program?
Besides cars and trucks, China also has large battery-swap programs for buses, light trucks, delivery vans, and whatnot. More on that, perhaps, in later stories. What is battery swapping? Battery swapping refers to a technique where an empty battery of an electric car is replaced rather than charged.
This technology has mostly been rejected by the rest of the world, but China is launching new battery swap stations and new battery-swap cars by the dozen each week. In this post: a bit of history, a bit of policy, and a lot of new cars.
China has established a strong foothold in the battery supply chain through its extensive control over global mineral resources, securing significant stakes in cobalt mines in Africa and lithium sources in Latin America. However, China's ambitions go beyond control over raw materials.
Why is China so successful in battery manufacturing?
“China's success [in battery manufacturing] results from its large domestic battery demand, 72GWh, and control of 80% of the world's raw material refining, 77% of the world's cell capacity and 60% of the world's component manufacturing.” China's domination of the lithium battery market for EVs was no accident.
These companies supply batteries not only to domestic automakers but also to global brands like Tesla and BMW, solidifying China's position as the world's EV battery powerhouse. The reasons for this dominance lie in China's well-integrated supply chain, which includes access to raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel.