There is no uniform standard in the industry, and there is a certain resistance when the power exchange cabinet is set up in some areas
Electric bicycle power exchange needs to strengthen the top-level design
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Electric bicycle swapping stations have been promoted in some cities. It not only saves charging time, but also enhances safety, which has been recognized by consumers. However, at present, there is no unified standard in the power exchange industry, and there is still a certain resistance when the power exchange cabinet is set up in some areas. Experts pointed out that battery standards should be unified, while strengthening the top-level design of standards, and continuing to promote the safe and healthy development of the electric bicycle battery replacement industry.
"The power exchange cabinet was changed in less than two minutes, which is more convenient and faster for an industry like ours where every second counts." Beijing delivery rider Liang Li said.
For a long time, electric bicycle charging has been difficult to trouble consumers. In August 2021, the Regulations on the Management of Fire Safety in High-rise Civil Buildings came into effect, explicitly prohibiting the parking or charging of electric bicycles in public foyers, evacuation walkways, stairwells, and safety exits of high-rise civil buildings. For this reason, the electric bicycle power exchange cabinet has become the choice of many citizens and riders.
However, because there is no unified standard for the electric bicycle battery exchange industry, there is resistance when the power exchange cabinet lands in some areas. Industry insiders call for unifying battery standards, while strengthening the top-level design of standards, and continuing to promote the safe and healthy development of the electric bicycle battery replacement industry.
The electric bicycle battery swap market is vast
"Many people in our industry choose to change the power, the advantage is mainly that it is convenient and fast, and there is no need to wait." Liang Li said.
At an electric bicycle power exchange station in Beijing's Dongcheng District, the reporter saw that two brands of power exchange cabinets were placed side by side, each with 12 batteries in each cabinet and equipped with cameras for 24-hour monitoring. After scanning the code, the reporter entered a brand of power exchange mini program and found that the specific location, battery level, number of available batteries and other information of the power exchange cabinet were clear at a glance.
According to data from the China Bicycle Association, the social ownership of electric bicycles in China will reach 2021 million in 3, and the output of enterprises above designated size of electric bicycles will increase by 4% year-on-year in 2022, which reflects the huge market size of electric bicycle battery swapping mode.
Zheng Xiang, professor of Beijing Jiaotong University and vice president of Beijing Transportation Law Society, believes that the emergence of electric bicycle battery exchange mode is to meet market demand and solve the problems of difficult charging, unsafe charging, and long charging time of electric bicycles.
"In the power exchange mode, through the centralized management in the intelligent power exchange cabinet, it is conducive to preventing the potential safety hazards that may be caused by the decentralized and autonomous charging of electric bicycles." Zheng Xiang said.
The advantages are obvious, but the resistance remains
"One of the big advantages of swap mode is that it is safer than charging. During the charging process, lithium batteries may burn if they are overheated and short-circuited, and it is very dangerous to charge them indoors. Industry insiders pointed out that the power exchange cabinet is placed outdoors, and the "blind charging" is transformed into a visual way will be much safer and reduce fire hazards.
Liu Yongdong, deputy secretary-general of the China Electricity Council and director of the Standardization Management Center, believes that compared with centralized charging, the power exchange cabinet has many warehouses per unit area and convenient operation, and the safety and reliability of equipment can be improved through centralized monitoring and management.
According to reports, the battery exchange industry will open up batteries, electric vehicles, intelligent power exchange cabinets, mobile phone APP, cloud data management and remote security control, current, voltage, temperature and other data can be monitored in real time, and charging strategies can be adjusted if problems occur.
However, there is still resistance when the power exchange cabinet actually lands. In the actual installation, it is necessary to communicate with the local street, fire protection, electricity, etc. However, local policies are different, and the degree of awareness of power exchange is also different, so there is still a certain resistance when the power exchange cabinet is set up in some areas.
It is understood that at present, there is no unified standard for the battery exchange mode of electric bicycles. In terms of policy, there is a lack of guiding opinions on what standards the power exchange cabinet needs to meet, where to install it, and how to arrange the line; In terms of electric bicycle batteries, the inconsistency of lithium battery dimensions, interface standards, and communication protocols makes the battery replacement mode irreplaceable, bringing problems such as duplicate construction.
Call for standards to be introduced as soon as possible
An electric bicycle charging cabinet manufacturer said that it hopes that the relevant standards for electric bicycle power exchange can be introduced as soon as possible.
On the one hand, manufacturers produce according to standards, and all aspects of battery manufacturing have evidence, which can effectively save resources and promote healthy competition in the industry; On the other hand, manufacturers install and set up according to standards, and regulatory authorities supervise law enforcement according to standards, saving communication costs and higher security.
"The first thing should be to unify battery standards. The harmonization of technical standards is the orderly starting point of the industry, and safety standards should be the primary consideration. At the same time, the supervision and management institutions should be clarified, and corresponding supervision and management rules should be established. Clarify the legal responsibilities of relevant subjects such as power exchange enterprises, users, supervisors, etc., consider possible future use disputes, safety accidents and other issues, and preset corresponding rules. Zheng Xiang thought.
Liu Yongdong introduced that in order to solve the problem of the lack of standards for centralized charging and replacing devices, the China Electricity Council led and led the compilation of the national standard "Electric Bicycle Centralized Charging Facilities Part 1: Technical Specifications" (hereinafter referred to as the "Specification"), which will be officially implemented in July this year. The "Specification" focuses on publicity and training, and local fire protection, urban management, property management and other departments should actively coordinate the promotion of power exchange mode, and provide support for the construction of power exchange facilities in accordance with relevant national laws and regulations.
Liu Yongdong said that the top-level design of standards should be strengthened, continue to study and optimize the standard system of centralized charging facilities for electric bicycles, and carry out standard pre-research around the needs of industries such as power exchange interchangeability, inspection and testing, supervision of power exchange facilities, construction and installation of power exchange facilities, and power exchange service quality, and continue to promote the safe and healthy development of the electric bicycle battery exchange industry.
(Workers' Daily reporter Gao Yazhang)