What are the features of the “magic cube” battery? At the “RisingAuto Energy Plan” conference held just now, RisingAuto revealed a lot about its plan and layout for the battery swapping mode, as well as information about the “magic cube” battery.
What are the features of the “magic cube” battery?
First, let’s take a look at the “magic cube” battery. RisingAuto announced the three major features of the “magic cube” battery, which are 0, 1, and two “worry-free” features.
0 thermal runaway. RisingAuto officials stated that they cannot avoid individual thermal runaway, but can control large-scale thermal runaway from happening. So how does RisingAuto do it?
- Real-time remote monitoring of big data around the clock, which can detect thermal runaway in advance and understand the state of battery operation. Preventive measures are taken.
- The water cooling plate is tightly attached to the electrode, and when a single cell suffers thermal runaway, the heat can be transferred away in the first time.
- The brand new design of the lying cell requires less heat-insulating material than the vertical cell, which can ensure that the Domino effect of thermal runaway will not occur.
- Even if there is a precise design of the pressure relief channel, it ensures that the overall heat of the battery itself does not undergo huge changes. Ensure that there will be no open flames in the entire battery pack, and the thermal runaway of a single cell will not affect the vehicle.
1. For the One Pack battery concept, there is only one battery size of 1,690 x 1,300 mm which meets the requirements of various types of cars, such as sports cars, sedans, SUVs, and MPVs, as well as three different battery heights of 110 mm, 125 mm, and 137 mm.
This concept is designed to meet the future mode of battery exchange for multiple car models.
At the press conference, it was also revealed that the second car model of Fleva, F7, will also use the Cube battery.
Finally, Fleva announced two “worry-free” features.
The first one is the attenuation-free feature.
Traditional battery cells tend to expand due to a large number of cells packing tightly together, and the internal expansion of the cells is difficult to control. The application of rigidly constrained battery cells leads to greater constraint resistance and long-term attenuation.
The newly designed horizontal battery cell only needs to flexibly constrain two battery cells. Fleva and Dow Chemical jointly developed an adaptive deformable battery pack structure, which has a smaller constraint resistance, reduces the loss of activity, and increases the cycle life of the battery cell.
The second one is the upgrade-free feature.
In the future, Fleva will introduce battery packs with longer lifespan, greater capacity, lower cost, and special requirements, and after choosing the car and battery separation service, users can freely choose to upgrade. Fleva has already laid the technical foundation, but the specific time is not yet clear.
Battery Exchange is the Key Point
However, the Cube battery is not the focus today, the battery exchange station is.
First of all, the layout of Fleva’s battery exchange stations is jointly invested by Sinopec, PetroChina, SAIC Group, CATL, and Shanghai International Automotive City Group.
In 2022, 40 battery exchange stations will be built, including Beijing, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.“`
In 2023, 300 swapping stations will be built, covering mainstream first- and second-tier cities. RisingAuto said they will consider local sales situations before deciding on the construction site.
By 2025, 3,000 swapping stations will be built.
More specific information about the layout of the swapping stations will be discussed in the QA session.
As can be seen, RisingAuto’s layout plan is still relatively fast, especially considering the goal of building 3,000 swapping stations by 2025. It’s worth noting that NIO’s number of swapping stations has just exceeded 1,100, so RisingAuto will still face considerable pressure to achieve this goal in such a short time.
In terms of the swapping experience, compared to NIO, RisingAuto has the advantage of being able to reserve a battery in advance to avoid worrying about running out of battery at the swapping station. Additionally, during the swapping process, there is no need to shut down the car’s entertainment screen or fan.
The disadvantage is that the automation level is not high, and currently does not support automatic parking at the swapping station. The process of driving in and out of the swapping station and preparing for swapping all require manual operation by the driver, which is not convenient or safe. Additionally, the lifting of the swapping mechanism during the swapping process can also make users panic.
More details about the swapping process are also discussed in my video, which interested friends can go back and watch.
RBS Vehicle-to-Battery Separation
Now back to this press conference. RisingAuto officially announced their RBS vehicle-to-battery separation service.
In summary, there are three benefits: first, batteries can be rented or purchased; second, the battery capacity can be easily increased or decreased; and third, second-hand batteries can be traded within a closed loop.
The first point is relatively easy to understand, that is, the battery can be rented or purchased. The specific prices for leasing and discounts are shown in the following figure. Compared to NIO, the rental price is not cheap.
“`As a reference, the NIO BaaS 75 degree battery can reduce 70,000 yuan and rent for 980 yuan per month; the 100 degree battery can reduce 128,000 yuan and rent for 1,680 yuan per month.
What’s better than NIO is that users who choose RBS can buy out the battery at any time, not only their own battery, but also different batteries with various capacities and ages in the upcoming FF Battery Mall.
However, the downside is that while NIO supports battery swapping after buying out the battery, there is no way to enjoy swapping services after buying out the battery from FF. Users can only choose to buy out or rent the battery, but as FF officials told us the plan is not clear yet because of its large scope.
In October this year, FF will also launch on-demand battery buyout service, which allows users who choose this service to buy this battery at about 75% off the list price.
The second point is that battery capacity can be increased or decreased according to user’s needs. This service will be launched in the second half of 2023.
What’s interesting is that FF can support “daily rental mode,” which means that you can use a small-capacity battery today and rent a large-capacity battery tomorrow. This way, you can choose the most suitable battery capacity in the most reasonable way.
However, the problem is that when there are many different versions of battery capacities in the future, how can FF ensure the smooth circulation of batteries? Will there be a situation where I have reserved a certain version of battery, but there is no such battery at nearby swapping stations?
The third point is the secondhand closed-loop transaction.
Currently, there are two reselling schemes for RBS users. One is to sell only “vehicles” without selling “batteries” directly. The other is for users to buy out the battery from FF before buying a car and then sell the car together with the battery. Choosing this option may require accepting some depreciation costs due to battery degradation.In general, RisingAuto’s RBS vehicle and power separation service considers the user’s entire car usage process from purchase to sale, but the problem lies in the complexity of the terms and options. Users may need to repeatedly consult in order to find their suitable plan.
QA Section
Finally, we have the much anticipated QA section. RisingAuto representatives were asked questions related to the layout and planning of battery swapping stations, buyout and swapping policies, and cost calculations.
Q: How are fees for swapping batteries calculated, including electricity and service charges?
A: Electricity and service charges are calculated based on the difference in electricity usage. Currently, peak and off-peak electricity billing is not implemented and instead overall electricity usage is considered. Car buyers also receive 1,500 kWh of charging benefits, which can be used for battery swapping.
Q: Why do users need to return the ownership of the battery bought out to the company before swapping the battery? Is it not possible to swap the bought-out battery?
A: With the development of social resources and business, batteries of different ages may be in circulation. Users may feel that a new car battery is being swapped with an old one, which may generate disagreements from users with stronger property rights. Bought-out batteries cannot enter the battery-swapping system for this reason.
Q: Will battery swapping stations support automatic parking in the future? Can users swap batteries by themselves?
A: We are planning on introducing automatic parking for battery swapping stations. However, since RisingAuto’s battery swapping stations can be directly accessible, users can drive into the station without needing to reverse the car. In such a scenario, automatic parking may not necessarily be more efficient than users parking themselves, and may even slow down the process. There is also no direct correlation between automatic parking and self-service battery swapping. Therefore, we will evaluate and choose the most efficient and optimal solution for users based on energy consumption efficiency and operational efficiency.
Q: What technological breakthroughs are there in battery swapping?
A: Battery swapping’s fasteners can exceed safety standards by up to three times, and the cooling port design ensures battery safety. A self-adaptive wheelbase switching system enables battery swapping that supports a full range of vehicle models from A-segment cars to MPVs. Battery swapping stations have also been optimized for safety.
Q: How is the workload divided among battery swapping partners, and how are their advantages utilized?
A: From more than 50,000 gas stations, several sites were selected to establish comprehensive energy service stations that offer both gas and electricity refueling. In the future, Sinopec and PetroChina will handle the station’s operations. SAIC provides battery swapping technology and standards, and also hopes to see more brands in the industry joining battery swapping stations. CATL provides a complete supply chain and after-sales service to RisingAuto.
Conclusion
It is evident that RisingAuto has put a lot of thought into battery swapping. However, having too many options and policies may not necessarily be a good thing for consumers. With the backing of major oil corporations, RisingAuto has the potential for significant impact, but the key to success is still having more compatible vehicles on the road. These are some of the challenges facing RisingAuto’s battery swapping stations.Considering the positive side, although the battery swapping mode of FEV is not as advanced as NIO’s, it has achieved good results in terms of the current user experience. As the battery swapping is the closest supplement method to refueling for electric vehicles, it does have its unique advantages. With more brands joining the battery swapping trend, perhaps the problem of anxiety about recharging electric vehicles can be gradually solved from the root.
As for what level the FEV battery swapping station will reach in the future, only time can tell.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.