Battery switching for electric cars is already established through the Better Place model in countries such as Israel and Denmark– and now it is coming to China.
China Southern Power Grid has teamed up with Better Place to open what is known as the Switchable Electric Car Experience Centre, in Pearl River New Town in Guangzhou.
It will be the first fully automated battery switch facility in the five provinces of southern China and there will be three Better Place charge spots outside the facility. Reservations can be made through the customer service centre and there are guides available to help visitors throughout the facility.
The two companies actually signed a strategic co-operation framework agreement earlier this year, with the aim of developing electric vehicle infrastructure in China. China Southern Power Grid is implementing the country’s national energy conservation and low emission strategy as part of the Enterprise EV Industry Alliance. Its strategy has battery switching at its core, as well as centralised electric vehicle charging.
It has already signed electric vehicle infrastructure agreements with Guangdong, Guizhou, Guangxi, as well as other provinces. There are also co-operative agreements in cities such as Haikou, Nanning, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, with the company boasting 14 electric vehicle charging stations in its network.
