Definition: battery swapping

A battery replacement service for electric vehicles. Known as "battery as a service" (BaaS), battery swapping stations charge the batteries and replace the depleted battery with a fully charged unit using robotic mechanisms. Battery swapping takes only a few minutes compared to as much as a half hour at a charging station. See EV charging.

After Tesla abandoned its battery swapping project, full-size vehicle battery swapping has been slow to take off in the U.S. However, in China, it is full steam ahead. For example, Shanghai-based Nio claimed 40 million battery swaps in March 2024, compared to 37 million charges at its public charging stations. Nio also states that it takes less than three minutes to perform the exchange.

Good for the Grid
Battery swapping stations are known to assist in maintaining power in the electrical grid. For example, when an earthquake struck Taiwan in April 2024, a third of Gogoro's scooter charging locations reduced power consumption to enable the electric grid to recover.

Scooter Battery Swapping
Battery swapping for electric scooters and mopeds is very popular. Instead of a machine replacing a heavy EV battery, the scooter rider manually swaps the batteries. Although scooter battery swapping is popular in China and other countries, only New York launched a pilot program in 2024.

Scooter Battery Swapping

The leader in scooter battery swapping, as of 2024, Taiwan's Gogoro has over 2,500 locations in more than 50 cities and 600 thousand monthly subscribers. The company also makes electric scooters (top). (Image courtesy of Gogoro Inc.)