NIO Scraps The One Thing That Made It Interesting | The Morning Shift

Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio has been an interesting proposition for the past few years. Currently, it offers a range of EVs in China and Europe, and it has plans to one day launch models Stateside as well. But now, as the EV price war continues to hot up, the company has scrapped one of its most interesting features for all new buyers.

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Nio planned to make its cars stand out by offering free battery swapping for buyers. This meant that if your car was running on empty, you could pop into one of its dedicated battery hubs, pull out your old battery and exchange it for a fully charged, fresh one. It’s a neat idea, and one that has so far seen the company carry out 20 million swaps at its 1,383 Power Swap Stations in Europe and China.

Previously, Nio drivers had been able to swap their battery for free, four times each month. However, Reuters reports that the company is scrapping the policy for anyone who places a deposit for one of its cars from today onwards. Reuters reports:

“The adjustments had been discussed internally for quite a while and we took advice and suggestions from some users,” Nio Chief Executive William Li said on the company’s social media app, referring to the price cuts and the new policy on battery swapping.

“It is the best timing to publish it … but we can’t make everyone happy,” he said.

But the move to scrap free battery swapping doesn’t mean the company is giving up ont the idea. It remains committed to the bit, and says it hopes to have 2,300 Power Swap Stations in operation by the end of 2023.

The effort is part of measures to make the company more competitive as it faces challenges from rivals like Tesla and VW. As well as scrapping the battery-swapping offer, Nio will also cut prices on some of its most popular models.

Nio will cut prices by 30,000 yuan ($4,200) for all its models, including the refreshed ES6 and ES8 SUVs. The price cut marks a reduction of between six and nine percent for Nio’s cars, and will come into effect Monday.