Introduction
This afternoon, Aiways announced its joint venture cooperation agreement with Shanghai Kuaibu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., in which Aiways will hold 65% of the shares, and the two parties will cooperate around the “Light Storage and Charging Inspection” intelligent charging technology.
It should be noted that the global leading power battery company Ningde Times holds 49% of Kuaibu’s shares. Therefore, the marriage between Aiways and Kuaibu can also be understood as Ningde Times’ “second cooperation” with Aiways after investing in it.
Light Storage and Charging Inspection Technology
Looking at the core “Light Storage and Charging Inspection” technology of this cooperation, I first heard this term in September of last year at Ningde Times. This is the energy closed-loop network they developed in response to photovoltaic power generation + charging network + ladder utilization. It can also be called the next-generation super charging network, which is more advanced and perfect compared to the current supercharging technology of Tesla and XPeng.
Demonstration Project
Aiways also announced its intention to build a demonstration project at its factory in Jiaxing, which means that Aiways has taken the lead in the layout of the next generation of supercharging network compared to Tesla and XPeng. Aiways has also become the world’s first new energy brand to focus on the “Light Storage and Charging Inspection” technology.
By coincidence, I happened to participate in BMW’s new energy event at Ningde Times today, and BMW also intends to introduce the “Light Storage and Charging Inspection” technology to us, so BMW may also invest in it.
Charging Network
In June 23th, Tesla’s first “Light Storage and Charging” network was also landed in Lhasa, Tibet. However, compared to “Light Storage and Charging Inspection”, it lacks a “check.” The so-called “check” refers to the functions of self-inspection and vehicle inspection of the charging station, so “Light Storage and Charging Inspection” charging station is more perfect in terms of functions.
While Tesla, XPeng, and other existing charging networks have solved the problem of charging convenience, they have not yet solved the problem of rest during charging. The development of peripheral services such as “catering” will become a necessity.
In 2018, when interviewing a charging operator, they predicted that catering services next to charging networks would be a trend in the future. Even now, the waiting process at the charging station is boring. It would be wonderful if you could have a drink. Therefore, I firmly believe in their prediction.
Why Aiways?
Why is Aiways the first to eat crab? Last June, I suggested to Aiways Vice President Jinxin Ti that it was very necessary to improve the charging network if they wanted to make a breakthrough in the C-end market.Because the battery energy density is not too high and consumers still have range anxiety, addressing charging shortages can relieve their concerns.
Moreover, brands with exclusive charging networks such as Tesla, NIO, and XPeng are performing well in the C-end market. Furthermore, numerous examples of brands such as Porsche, Volkswagen, and NETA making efforts in private charging demonstrate that private charging is the key to unlocking the C-end market.
Compared with the first wave of new forces such as NIO, XPeng, and WM, Aiways was established in 2017 and their overall development pace is slightly behind. Furthermore, their first product U5 is in the low-point A+ car market in recent years. Although Aiways has gained great achievements in Europe, their efforts to develop domestic market are not obvious with monthly insured cars of only around 200.
Each enterprise has its own difficulties, and in order to break through the domestic market, Aiways has launched a series of actions to layout their strategy. In April, they cooperated with Blue Valley Smart Energy to enter the B-end battery swapping market. Now, they are partnering with Quicktron Energy to plan and construct the next-generation ultra-fast charging system in an attempt to break into the C-end market.
This series of actions and development plans indicate that Aiways is not willing to give up the domestic market and has a deep and practical insight into the market. Of course, compared with brands like NIO and XPeng that started thinking about constructing charging and swapping systems six years ago, Aiways is a bit late in its layout. But it’s fortunate that they have launched their efforts.
During this year’s May Day holiday, it was reported that CATL was going to invest in Aiways, and this cooperation has been confirmed. Therefore, it can be seen that CATL has a positive attitude towards Aiways’ positive transformation and future development.
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.