Replacement of power stations into the new infrastructure, ushered in a series of policies

　　Can the "exchange power" model of new energy vehicles be popularized?

　　Our reporter Zhao Yuhan

　　For many car owners who are hesitant to purchase new energy vehicles, mileage anxiety is still the most tangled problem in most people's minds. Compared with the fast charging and slow charging modes, the average battery replacement mode is about three minutes, which is undoubtedly the closest to refueling in time.

　　However, for a long time, there have been pain points such as unclear ownership of battery property rights, inconsistent standards, and hidden safety hazards. Only a few auto companies such as Beiqi New Energy and Weilai have tried to explore. With the new policy of subsidies for new energy vehicles in 2020 issued in April of this year, the power exchange model was significantly inclined, and the power station replacement at the two sessions of the country was written into the government work report, and the new infrastructure was awarded "famous points." The once-quiet power replacement model seemed to welcome Here comes a new opportunity to accelerate development.

　　Taxi into the water first test

　　In the past two years, many Beijing residents have discovered that there are more and more new energy taxis around them. In the car, chatting with the driver master of Ai Kan Dashan, many passengers found that many new energy taxis have adopted the power replacement mode, saving a lot of time for charging.

　　Zhao Zhenzhong is a pure electric taxi driver. A few years ago, in response to the capital’s call to protect the blue sky, Master Zhao replaced the fuel car with a pure electric car. "At the beginning, my car was charged. I might have to recharge it twice a day, and it would take two hours for fast charging, and one night for slow charging. The time cost is too high." Later, Zhao Zhenzhong replaced the car with a replacement model. Electricity can basically be completed in three minutes, which is as convenient and convenient as refueling, and the saved time can run several extra jobs every day."

　　How do taxis change electricity? In a power station located in Daxing District, the reporter saw that the power station was not large, and was built from several containers. After the taxi stops at the fixed position, the staff will start the automatic power exchange facility in the operation room. Then, the taxi is slowly lifted up, the bottom battery is removed by the robot, and sent to the battery compartment for charging. At the same time, the battery compartment The fully charged battery inside will be transferred to the bottom of the taxi. After the battery replacement is completed, the staff manually checks again whether the battery is installed in place, and the battery replacement is completed. The entire process takes about 3 minutes.

　　Today, there are more than 90 replacement stations like this in the city. The data shows that as of the end of last year, BAIC New Energy, one of the main force of the power exchange model promotion, has invested 16,000 vehicles in Beijing, Lanzhou, Xiamen and other cities, and plans to invest another 30,000 vehicles this year. At the same time, according to the plan, by the end of this year, Beijing's pure electric taxis will reach 20,000, accounting for nearly 30%.

　　"The power exchange model is actually not new, but it is more of an attempt in the public domain." According to Chen Quanshi, director of the Institute of Automotive Research at Tsinghua University, the current mode of power exchange has become one in buses, taxis, logistics vehicles, etc. Set of business models.

　　Private car replacement is beginning

　　Compared with the public domain, the exploration of power exchange in the field of private cars is starting. At present, Wei Lai, a new force in car manufacturing, has become a "crab eater" who promotes the power exchange model in the field of private cars.

　　"I used to think that new energy vehicles mainly rely on charging, but after trying to change the power, I think this form is also very good. If there is a power station nearby, I am still willing to use the power replacement method. After all, the time is faster." Mr. Wang is an owner of Weilai. He is not too worried about the unclear battery property rights and quality problems that may exist during the power exchange: "When purchasing, Weilai signed an agreement with Weilai to ensure that the battery circulates in the system. And car owners can continue to enjoy the latest upgraded battery technology, which is more attractive to me."

　　Mr. Wang's attitude reflects the ideas of many Weilai owners. According to the data provided by Weilai, at present, all the models of Weilai support power replacement. As of June 18, the penetration rate of power replacement reached 49.5%. This means that nearly half of the owners of Weilai will freely choose the charging or power replacement mode to recharge the vehicle in daily use.

　　However, for private car owners, there are still too few replacement power stations. "There is currently no power station replacement near my house, so I often do things when I pass by the power station." Mr. Wang said. The reporter saw from the Weilai APP that there are currently 11 power exchange stations in Beijing, mostly located in areas outside the 4th or 5th ring roads. Each power exchange station is equipped with 4 to 5 batteries. During peak hours, there may be a shortage of supply.

　　BAIC New Energy will also begin to explore the replacement of private cars. "The difficulty of promoting the power exchange model is the balance between convenience and economy, because a large number of layouts require a large upfront investment." According to Wang Chunfeng, deputy general manager of Beiqi Blue Valley Marketing Service Company, in the trial water taxi replacement In the process of electricity mode, BAIC has continuously reduced the area and cost of station construction, and gradually formed a set of reproducible and profitable business models for electricity exchange. Today, BAIC has gradually had the opportunity to promote the power-exchange model in the field of private cars in Beijing and other cities with priority layout.

　　Difficulties in standardization plague the power exchange model

　　This year, successive policies are favorable to the power exchange mode. In April, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other five departments issued a 2020 subsidy new policy, which proposed that models with a price of more than 300,000 yuan before the subsidy will no longer enjoy the subsidy, but models that use the power exchange mode are not subject to this restriction. Afterwards, at the two National Conferences held in May, the power station was finally written into the revised government work report and included in the scope of the new infrastructure.

　　"For the once-doubt-changed power exchange model, policy recognition is the most gratifying for explorers." Lian Qingfeng, deputy secretary of the Beijing Automobile New Energy Party Committee lamented.

　　However, there are still many difficulties in whether the power exchange mode can really reach the public. Chen Quanshi analyzed that the biggest problem facing the power exchange model is whether it is economically cost-effective. Earlier, Israel’s Better Place, which mainly promoted the power exchange model, was unable to achieve a balance between operational input and revenue, and finally declared bankruptcy and liquidation in 2013. Tesla also tried water for a short period of time, but eventually announced that it would be abandoned due to the high price of electricity and inconvenient operation.

　　In addition, each car company masters different battery technologies, battery standards cannot be unified, and resources are difficult to share, which also restricts the popularization of the battery replacement model. Although the auto companies such as Beiqi and Weilai that have tried to enter the market have expressed their willingness to open cooperation, the real substantive cooperation is still difficult. It is undoubtedly difficult to achieve the replacement of power stations by a single car company that wants to be dense enough to match the gas station. .

　　Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the All China Federation of Passengers, believes that the replacement of power stations will be included in the new infrastructure, which will strongly promote the development of power replacement in the public sector such as taxis and online car rental, but in the field of private cars, charging is still the main direction in the future.