Specialist
Divisional leader at EV manufacturer
Agenda
- New energy vehicle battery charging & swapping market – status quo, plus auto manufacturers’ operations vs third-party operations
- Nio’s (NYSE: NIO) choice of automotive energy replenishment supply solutions, business model and development trends
- Nio’s planning in the energy segment, plus the advantages and disadvantages of its battery swapping stations in developing virtual power plants
Questions
1.
Could you give us an overview of the development of China’s NEV (new energy vehicle) battery charging and swapping market?
2.
Why do you think in 2023, auto manufacturers will continue to adopt aggressive strategies while the growth of third-party operators will gradually slow down?
3.
Star Charge produces charging piles, operates charging stations and cooperates with auto manufacturers. Will it develop better than pure-play charging station operators?
4.
You mentioned earlier that in 2022, the quantity of charging piles and stations in China increased notably but still did not match the quantity of NEVs. What do you think of NEV owners’ overall energy replenishment experience at present?
5.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China published the Notice on Organisation and Implementation of Work on Pilot Zones for Overall Vehicle Electrification in Public Sectors (关于组织开展公共领域车辆全面电动化先行区试点工作的通知) in early February 2023, requiring that some charging and swapping facilities should be built in advance to facilitate the innovation and application of related technologies. Do you think this policy will drive the development of the NEV battery charging and swapping market in 2023?
6.
In the mid-to-long term, are you more optimistic about the prospects of the NEV battery charging market or those of the NEV battery swapping market?
7.
You mentioned that Nio’s NEV battery swapping stations cannot swap batteries for other brands’ NEVs. Is that because of the difference in vehicle structures?
8.
You said that battery charging experiences and battery swapping experiences will be increasingly similar in the long term. Some specialists we interviewed before think battery charging solutions are more suitable for passenger vehicles because many private vehicle owners may see batteries as their private assets and thus have low acceptability to battery swapping. Do you agree?
9.
Nio puts a bet on battery swapping. What about other NEV companies’ energy replenishment solution choices?
10.
Why do most NEV companies choose battery charging solutions while only several companies, such as Nio, GAC Aion and Geely, opt for battery swapping solutions?
11.
You mentioned earlier that Tesla calculated that the cost of battery swapping stations is about twice that of battery charging stations. Could you elaborate on the respective cost and quantity of battery charging stations and battery swapping stations?
12.
On 21 February 2023, Li Bin, Founder, Chairman and CEO at Nio, said that the company will build 1,000 new battery swapping stations in China in 2023, and the total quantity will reach 2,300 by the end of 2023. What do you think of its goal?
13.
You said that Nio will achieve its goal as long as it has enough funds. Do you think the company is under a lot of financial pressure?
14.
Do you think Nio will face fiercer competition in NEV sales in 2023?
15.
Will Nio’s sales growth slow down in 2023? Will the company’s current negative profit per vehicle affect its stock price and thus affect its capital chain?
16.
Could you share some of the latest information about the planning and products of Nio’s sub-brand?
17.
You just mentioned that Nio is also constantly making a presence in overseas markets. Could you elaborate on the company’s progress in the European market? Will the Inflation Reduction Act impact its development in the US market?
18.
What are the operating model and profit sources of Nio’s battery swapping stations?
19.
What are the main profit sources under the BaaS model?
20.
You mentioned that Nio can accurately predict the life cycle of batteries so as to maximise the use of batteries in their life cycle. Is Nio taking the lead in this technology?
21.
Do most Nio car owners use Nio’s battery swapping stations more than six times a month?
22.
What is the pricing model for the service fee of Nio’s battery swapping stations? Do electricity and service fees charged by those stations fluctuate according to real-time changes in the electricity tariff?
23.
It is reported recently that some Nio car owners have been using their private charging piles to fully charge their car batteries and then going to Nio battery swapping stations to exchange batteries less charged to earn from the spread between the household electricity price and the price offered by Nio for returned electricity. What is your opinion on this?
24.
You mentioned virtual power plants frequently. What is it? How will Nio develop in this field?
25.
Which model do you think suits virtual power plants better: Tesla’s high-power charging or Nio’s battery swapping?
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