Yichang opens battery-swapping station for big rigs
Yichang's first battery-swapping station for new energy heavy trucks went into operation on Friday in Xiaoting District. It only takes three minutes to replace the fully charged battery.
The station keeps seven fully charged batteries in stock. These are no ordinary batteries. They each weigh 2.8 tons.
When one of these big trucks needs to change battery, it sends data to the station via an onboard device. The station is equipped with four cameras to ensure safety and reliability during the power change.
The smart battery-swapping station can change batteries for up to 240 trucks per day. Depending on the vehicle model, the battery will last for 160 to 280 kilometers.
Compared with diesel fuel, new energy heavy-duty trucks have zero emissions, and their operating costs are nearly 40 percent lower.
“Drivers like me save 3,000 RMB (US$431) to 4,000 RMB per month with a new energy heavy-duty truck,” said Huang Dengyun.
Yichang is the main production area of phosphate ore in Hubei Province, with over 3,000 big rigs involved in transporting phosphate ore. Another 3,000 heavy trucks transport other cargo, such as containers.
Yichang is investing 1 billion RMB to build a city-wide truck battery charging and swapping system for its phosphate ore transport.
This year, Yichang is expected to build five new smart battery-swapping stations for big trucks and put 100 to 150 new electric heavy-duty trucks into operation. A further 30 battery-swapping stations and 300 to 600 new energy heavy-duty trucks will make their appearance by 2025.
