Botree Cycling, a leading technology company focused on developing innovative solutions for a sustainable future. With a commitment to excellence and a forward-thinking approach, Botree recently co-hosted a successful online expert workshop on battery swapping in commercial vehicles. The event, held on June 28, 2023, was organized in collaboration with the International Energy Agency’s Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology Collaboration Program (HEV TCP) Task 48 and AVERE, the European Association for Electromobility.

The webinar brought together experts from 43 unique companies and organizations, providing a platform for the exchange of ideas and insights on the potential of battery swapping in commercial vehicles. The event aimed to promote communication and a deep understanding among member units, and to advance the development of battery swapping in the commercial vehicle sector.

The workshop featured seven presentations from industry experts, each providing unique insights into the future of battery swapping.

The event was a significant step forward in promoting the adoption of battery swapping technology. Botree is proud to have hosted this event and looks forward to continuing to foster dialogue and collaboration in battery swapping in the commercial vehicle sector.

Quick Summary of Presentations:

1. Jan Wiesenthal from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) presented a research project named “KreislaufAkkus,” which investigates the efficiency and life cycle potentials of battery systems in e-mobility. The research highlighted the potential of battery swapping in commercial fleet operations in Germany.
2. Shawn Guan from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) discussed the battery swap technology developed by CATL and its application in commercial vehicles. The presentation emphasized the potential of battery swap technology in accelerating the electrification of commercial applications.
3. Lifang Liu from the State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) presented on SPIC’s commitment to promoting the deep integration of clean energy and transportation. SPIC has over 320 heavy truck battery swapping stations in China and provides customized clean transportation solutions.
4. Feng Zhang from GCL Energy Technology discussed the practice and consideration of battery swapping for commercial vehicles. GCL is exploring the use of battery swapping as a way to reduce carbon emissions and is developing a business model that includes vehicle customization, battery rental and recycling, and the construction of battery swapping stations.
5. Frank Nemeth from TÜV SÜD AG discussed the legal requirements to install and operate a battery swapping station. The presentation emphasized the importance of CE compliance and the need to meet the requirements of local authorities.
6. Mats Skoldberg from VOLVO presented on the application of battery swapping in construction equipment, particularly in China. The presentation focused on the limitations of fixed on-board batteries and the potential benefits of battery swapping.
7. Chunfan Hu from Jiangsu Electric Investment Easy Charge New Energy Technology Co. discussed the development of a sustainable city-level battery swap ecosystem in China. The presentation highlighted the key pain points of new energy heavy trucks and suggested that battery swapping can address these issues.

Presentation 1:

Presenter: Jan Wiesenthal from IOEW

This presentation is about a research project named “KreislaufAkkus,” which investigates the efficiency and life cycle potentials of battery systems in e-mobility, with a focus on the user acceptance of commercial fleet operators in Germany for battery swapping. The research was conducted by the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), a leading scientific institute in the field of sustainability research.

Key points from the presentation:

1. The IÖW was founded in 1985 and is a private, independent, and non-profit organization. It is known for its work in devising concepts and strategies for a transition towards a more sustainable future.
2. The “KreislaufAkkus” project is a comparative analysis of battery systems in e-mobility, focusing on the comparison of fully integrated battery systems to swappable batteries. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and runs from April 2022 to March 2024.
3. The research involved semi-structured guide-based interviews with fleet operators, including four car-sharing companies (two free-floating and two station-based), two delivery companies, and one mobile care service.
4. The electrification rate and user feedback on e-cars were discussed. For car-sharing, the electrification rate ranged from a maximum of 10% for station-based to 20-50% for free-floating e-cars. For delivery companies, the electrification rate was 5-10% for e-cars.
5. The advantages and disadvantages of e-cars were also discussed. Advantages included less maintenance, emission-free operation, and quietness. Disadvantages included range limitations, lack of infrastructure, and high investment costs.
6. The chances and risks of swapping batteries were examined. Chances included no need for own infrastructure for station-based car-sharing, and more loading volume due to lighter swappable batteries for delivery companies. Risks included a lack of standardization for batteries and technology, high costs, and long innovation cycles.
7. The conclusion of the research indicated skepticism towards public loading infrastructure due to its insufficiency, malfunctioning, user-unfriendliness, and high costs. The most promising use-cases with fleet operators and automobiles are those that need to be charged in public, such as free-floating car sharing and long-distance applications. Commercial heavy vehicles also show promise for battery swapping.

Presentation 2:

Presenter: Shawn Guan from CATL

CATL Battery Swap

Accelerates the Electrification of Commercial Application

Based on the text you’ve provided, here’s a potential summary:

This presentation is about the battery swap technology developed by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) and its application in commercial vehicles. CATL is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, with businesses covering research, development, production, and sales in battery systems for new energy vehicles and energy storage systems.

Key points from the presentation:

1. The presentation begins with an overview of the rapid growth of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) and New Energy Commercial Vehicles (NECVs) in China, highlighting the increasing electrification rate.
2. It then discusses the major applications and trends of NECAs (New Energy Commercial Applications), mentioning that the potential volume of commercial application is about 1.9TWh/Y globally if commercial vehicles (CVs) are fully electrified.
3. The presentation identifies the major pain points of CV electrification, including high purchase cost, charge concerns, low residual, range anxiety, and payload loss.
4. CATL’s battery swap technology is presented as a key solution to these concerns. It lowers purchase cost, enables quick charging and swapping, reduces maintenance and insurance costs, allows for seamless battery technology upgrades, and improves the second-hand vehicle value.
5. The presentation then provides an overview of the development process of battery swap technology, from its start-up stage in 2006 to its reacceleration stage in 2020.
6. CATL’s layout for battery swap technology is then presented, covering various commercial scenarios such as construction machinery refuel, marine swap, HD truck swap, city delivery vehicle swap, and bus swap.
7. The presentation also provides an overview of CATL’s HD truck battery swapping roadmap, highlighting the evolution from back swapping solution in 2021 to chassis swapping solution in 2023.
8. CATL’s major innovations are then presented, including innovations in material and electrochemistry system, structure system, extreme manufacturing, and business model.
9. The presentation concludes with CATL’s carbon neutrality plan, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality in its core operations by 2025 and across the battery value chain by 2035. It also mentions the world’s first zero-carbon battery factory established by CATL.

Overall, the presentation emphasizes the potential of battery swap technology in accelerating the electrification of commercial applications and addressing the major challenges associated with CV electrification.

Presentation 3:

Presenter: Lifang Liu from SPIC

The presentation is about the State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) and its subsidiary, Shanghai Qiyuan Green Power Technology Co., LTD. SPIC is an integrated energy service corporation with the largest installed clean energy capacity in the world, totaling up to 235GW, of which 67% is clean energy. Their main business covers power generation, power grid, power load, and power storage.

Key points from the presentation:

1. SPIC is an international integrated energy group with overseas business covering 46 countries and regions, with an overseas installed capacity of up to 8.84GW.
2. Clean transportation is a key path to reduce carbon emissions with economic growth. China’s commercial vehicle market is expected to experience a sales growth of 20% to 25%. It is urgent to seek implementation paths for transportation carbon emission reduction with economic growth.
3. SPIC provides customized clean transportation solutions. They have over 320 heavy truck battery swapping stations in China and are committed to promoting the deep integration of clean energy and transportation.
4. They have a ‘Three-in-One’ Mode for battery swapping vehicle which includes heavy truck import certification, local assembly of heavy-duty trucks to reduce high import tariffs on complete trucks, and a fully functional electric vehicles and power battery after-sales Service Network.
5. The advantages of the Battery-Swap Mode include efficient energy replenishment, large cost reduction, and battery-charging safety.
6. They have a range of representative products including B-S Truck and Machinery and B-S stations.
7. They have a project case of Low-Carbon Port with BS Trucks where they have reached strategic cooperation with large state-owned ports such as Liaoning Port Group, Shandong Port, Lianyungang port, Shanghai international port Group, Ningbo port, China China Merchants Port Holdings Company, Shenzhen Yantian port and Hainan Yangpu Port.
8. Another project case is the Huolingol South Open-pit Mine Project where they plan to build another 15 BS stations and put another 300 mining trucks into use within 2 years.
9. Battery-swapping heavy trucks have been extensively applied in key logistics scenarios in China, from typical closed scenarios, medium and short distance trunk logistics, to intra-provincial, interprovincial, and regional trunk networking.
10. The presentation concludes with a sandbox of application scenarios of BS heavy-duty trucks and a statement that every change that makes the environment better is a great moment worth recording.

Presentation 4:

Presenter: Feng Zhang from GCL Energy Technology

This presentation by GCL Mobile Energy, presented by Feng Zhang, discusses the practice and consideration of battery swapping for commercial vehicles. Here are the key points:

1. GCL Group: The GCL Group is a leading new energy enterprise, ranked No. 1 in China and No. 2 in the world. It has several listed companies under its umbrella, each specializing in different aspects of the energy industry, such as mobile digital energy technology, photovoltaic materials, PV system integration, and solar power plant construction.
2. Dual Carbon Strategy: The company is committed to contributing to China’s dual carbon goals (carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060). They are focusing on technologies that will help reduce carbon emissions, such as GCL-FBR particulate silicon.
3. Battery Swapping for Commercial Vehicles: GCL is exploring the use of battery swapping for commercial vehicles as a way to reduce carbon emissions. They are developing a business model that includes vehicle customization, battery rental and recycling, and the construction of battery swapping stations.
4. GCL Energy Hub: This is an integrated solution that adheres to 5S standards – economical, safe, convenient, intelligent, and professional. It includes a full digital cloud platform for operation support.
5. Market Forecast: The company predicts a steady increase in the number of battery-swapping vehicles, estimating that the market size of battery-swapping services will exceed 100 billion in 2025.
6. Case Studies: The presentation includes case studies of urban construction and coal power projects where their solutions have been implemented. They highlight the economic and social benefits of their strategies, such as reduced carbon emissions and improved operational efficiency.
7. Future Plans: By 2023, GCL expects to sell 36,000 electric heavy-duty trucks, including 21,000 electric heavy-duty trucks for battery swapping. They also plan to build about 550 new battery swapping stations.
8. Government Collaboration: GCL is working with government entities to promote urban carbon emission reduction and enhance regulatory capacity through real-time data connectivity.
9. Zero-Carbon Transportation Solutions: The company aims to create scenario-based zero-carbon transportation solutions through the integration of source, network, load, and storage.

This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of GCL’s strategies and initiatives in the new energy sector, particularly in relation to battery swapping for commercial vehicles.

Presentation 5:

Presenter: Frank Nemeth_ TÜV SÜD AG

The presentation is about TÜV SÜD AG, a global provider of technical, safety, and certification services. The company has a rich history of over 150 years in the field of safety, security, and sustainability. They operate in over 1,000 locations worldwide with more than 26,000 employees and generate an annual revenue of €2.9 billion. They have issued 70,000 product certificates, 50,000 system certificates, and 550,000 personnel certificates.

Key points from the presentation:

1. TÜV SÜD is a one-stop solutions provider, offering a comprehensive portfolio of technical solutions to help businesses manage risks and access global markets. Their certification marks and certificates are globally recognized and provide third-party endorsement.
2. The presentation discusses the legal requirements to install and operate a battery swapping station. It emphasizes that CE compliance is extensive but not sufficient. Businesses must also implement the operational requirements and meet the requirements of local authorities.
3. In Europe, particularly in Germany, different states have different requirements and definitions for a battery swapping station. It is important to inform the authority as soon as possible about the building project and collect all requirements needed for approval.
4. The presentation lists the most important documents needed to install and operate a battery swapping station. These include overall operating instructions, overall risk assessment, operating manuals and component documentation, user information, declarations of conformity and incorporation, electrical circuit diagrams, measurement and test reports, proofs of statics and material properties, type test reports, among others.
5. TÜV SÜD recommends evaluating all relevant directives, norms, and standards before designing a station, assigning a third party like TÜV SÜD to accompany the design phase, defining and setting up the responsible legal entities regarding manufacturer and operator at an early stage, determining all necessary tests before commissioning and planning their implementation, and installing a fully comprehensive project and document management system.
6. The presentation concludes with contact information for Frank Nemeth, a Senior Project Manager and Consultant at TÜV SÜD, for businesses interested in transforming their operations with TÜV SÜD’s services.

Presentation 6:

Presenter: Mats Skoldberg from VOLVO

This presentation discusses the application of battery swapping in construction equipment, particularly in China. The focus is on the limitations of fixed on-board batteries and the potential benefits of battery swapping.

Key points from the presentation:

1. Battery swapping has been implemented in heavy commercial vehicles in China, starting with On-Highway Trucks. The system involves a standardized mounting interface and vertical battery rack, with variations that lift from the top or the side. This system has recently begun to be duplicated on Off-Highway Equipment.
2. Electric vehicles face limitations as they grow larger. There comes a point where the battery is too large or cannot be recharged fast enough to meet the needs of a job. By separating the charging from operation, downtime for charging can be eliminated and lower power charging can be used.
3. Due to the lower operating costs of running electric, targeting the most aggressive use case provides the biggest customer savings and the largest CO2 savings. Only 5% of machines can operate most days on a single charge, accounting for 30% of CO2 savings. With one recharge, only 55% of machines can operate most days, accounting for 70% of CO2 savings. However, with battery swapping, 100% of the fleet can be operated.
4. The presentation also discusses the delivery of energy to electric sites. It notes that 25% of customers are on the grid and have electricity, they just need a charging solution. For transient on-grid sites, the customer doesn’t have electricity today, but a solution could be provided. For off-grid sites, which account for 75% of customers, the customer will need an energy plan to generate or deliver power.
5. The proposed solution is to integrate the swapping mechanism into the machine and have the batteries as fully self-contained power units. This allows the system to adapt to the jobsite, instead of forcing the jobsite to adapt to the machine. By having the battery as a self-contained unit, it can now be charged on any available charging equipment or used as part of a micro-grid solution at the site. This can also remove the need to install battery Power Units with the customers’ chargers, as the power needs of the site can be managed through the quantity of swap units, not through redesigning the charging solution.

Presentation 7:

Presenter: Chunfan Hu from Jiangsu Electric Investment Easy Charge New Energy Technology Co.

City-level battery swapping in heavy truck network ecology

The document discusses the development of a sustainable city-level battery swap ecosystem in China, focusing on the application of this technology in commercial vehicles. The initiative is driven by China’s “dual carbon” target, which aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The document highlights the key pain points of new energy heavy trucks, such as slow charging, inefficient operation, high costs, and safety issues, and suggests that battery swapping can address these issues.

The document outlines the application scenarios for the battery swapping mode in various fields, including engineering construction, sanitation cleaning, public transportation, citizen travel, logistics and transportation, and industrial production. It also discusses the implementation plan for battery swapping in Nanjing, which aims to promote and apply over 20,000 vehicles in the battery-swapping mode by the end of 2023.

The document emphasizes the need for regulatory innovation, policy guidance, safety supervision, and standardization to ensure the sustainable development of the new battery swapping business. It also discusses the development of a city-level battery swapping big data operation platform and the research and application of battery swapping products.

The document concludes by discussing the potential for building a trillion-level battery swap ecology. It suggests that in the next 10 years, new energy heavy trucks will gradually replace fuel heavy trucks, realizing the iteration of tens of millions of vehicles. The document proposes two cooperation methods: jointly building a city-level heavy-duty truck battery swap network and mobile comprehensive energy supply.