First quarter electric car market share by year in Denmark:
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@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
there's a new thing in #China where you drive up, a machine swaps out your dead batteries for fresh ones, and on you drive
less time than it takes to fill your car up with gas at a pump
kind of like how we swap empty for full propane tanks for our backyard grill
this could be the way forward
it even saves gas stations from extinction
range and charging time/ availability is the big problem with #EV
this idea solves that problem
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio
@benroyce @rubbel @joacim @randahl This tech appears here and there but so far it doesn't stick since car manufacturers prefer integrated non removable battery. AFAIK even Tesla tried this way only to forget about it soon after. It'd require battery standardization if nothing else, but there is zero will
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@benroyce @rubbel @joacim @randahl This tech appears here and there but so far it doesn't stick since car manufacturers prefer integrated non removable battery. AFAIK even Tesla tried this way only to forget about it soon after. It'd require battery standardization if nothing else, but there is zero will
@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
correct, zero will now
but the kind of thing that could grow some will
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@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
there's a new thing in #China where you drive up, a machine swaps out your dead batteries for fresh ones, and on you drive
less time than it takes to fill your car up with gas at a pump
kind of like how we swap empty for full propane tanks for our backyard grill
this could be the way forward
it even saves gas stations from extinction
range and charging time/ availability is the big problem with #EV
this idea solves that problem
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio
@benroyce @mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl I’m a fan of anything that convinces people to move away from gas vehicles.
That said, there’s a huge misunderstanding about how to make EVs convenient. People need to stop thinking of EVs as cars that fill slowly, and understand that they are cars that fill up passively. Anytime in EV is parked it can charge. THAT is the real convenience. These are cars that can use a regular outlet to just be full ALWAYS.
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@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
there's a new thing in #China where you drive up, a machine swaps out your dead batteries for fresh ones, and on you drive
less time than it takes to fill your car up with gas at a pump
kind of like how we swap empty for full propane tanks for our backyard grill
this could be the way forward
it even saves gas stations from extinction
range and charging time/ availability is the big problem with #EV
this idea solves that problem
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio
@benroyce
the idea and prototypes by Peugot, Renault in France is not new. And in China it isn't new either.
@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl -
@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
there's a new thing in #China where you drive up, a machine swaps out your dead batteries for fresh ones, and on you drive
less time than it takes to fill your car up with gas at a pump
kind of like how we swap empty for full propane tanks for our backyard grill
this could be the way forward
it even saves gas stations from extinction
range and charging time/ availability is the big problem with #EV
this idea solves that problem
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio
This stuff is patented (see https://patents.google.com/patent/US12187155B2/en and https://patents.google.com/patent/US8164300B2/en?oq=US8164300B2) but there are others as well. Tesla refused to license the patent(s) and so for the initial growth of EVs this wouldn't happen. In China they are more competitive and this area has recently seen a lot of innovation.
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@benroyce @mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl I’m a fan of anything that convinces people to move away from gas vehicles.
That said, there’s a huge misunderstanding about how to make EVs convenient. People need to stop thinking of EVs as cars that fill slowly, and understand that they are cars that fill up passively. Anytime in EV is parked it can charge. THAT is the real convenience. These are cars that can use a regular outlet to just be full ALWAYS.
-
@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
there's a new thing in #China where you drive up, a machine swaps out your dead batteries for fresh ones, and on you drive
less time than it takes to fill your car up with gas at a pump
kind of like how we swap empty for full propane tanks for our backyard grill
this could be the way forward
it even saves gas stations from extinction
range and charging time/ availability is the big problem with #EV
this idea solves that problem
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5788990/ev-battery-charge-long-china-nio
@benroyce not really new, look it up on wiki (1896!). The thing is: battery life is an issue for many car owners. With swapping you might get a less healthy battery in return, or perhaps you don’t own it. So it makes you dependent on a company (whereas EV driving makes you less dependent overall, as you can charge at home)
@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl -
@benroyce not really new, look it up on wiki (1896!). The thing is: battery life is an issue for many car owners. With swapping you might get a less healthy battery in return, or perhaps you don’t own it. So it makes you dependent on a company (whereas EV driving makes you less dependent overall, as you can charge at home)
@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl@cejjacobs @mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
why not both?
the battery swap just for long drives/ time sensitive/ people who live where they can't charge easily
otherwise, you can swap batteries, and charge from home
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@cejjacobs @mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
why not both?
the battery swap just for long drives/ time sensitive/ people who live where they can't charge easily
otherwise, you can swap batteries, and charge from home
@benroyce fast charging is improving every year, but even on “slow speed” (50-150kW), you’re charging faster than you can use the loo and drink a coffee. And it’s good to take some rest on long journeys! (There is a limit on what truck drivers may drive with a reason!)
Besides, on longer trips you try to only charge what’s needed, no use in arriving with more than a few percent in your battery
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First quarter electric car market share by year in Denmark:
2024: 41 percent
2025: 66 percent
2026: 80 percentThis is Middle Eastern dictators losing their power year by year.
@randahl have you considered asking your Mastodon admins to moderate signups so people can't use your server for spam?
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@benroyce fast charging is improving every year, but even on “slow speed” (50-150kW), you’re charging faster than you can use the loo and drink a coffee. And it’s good to take some rest on long journeys! (There is a limit on what truck drivers may drive with a reason!)
Besides, on longer trips you try to only charge what’s needed, no use in arriving with more than a few percent in your battery
@cejjacobs @benroyce @mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl .... yeah, has someone who's owned an EV for the last couple of years and who makes semi regular trips that are longer than a full battery, I don't know that I agree with you here.
it's something that needs to be planned around, it is an irritation certainly. however, it's an irritation I am happy to have for a car that is better in every other way.
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@Eetschrijver I suppose you have the luxury to charge your car at your house? Here in #Amsterdam infrastructure for electric cars runs far behind and the network in the #Netherlands has serious capacity problems. The individual choice isn't as simple as it seems here in particular if you need an invalid parking spot. I refuse to be called "stark crazy" for a choice I didn't have. @randahl
@saarmuller @randahl It is true that especially corporations in the Netherlands have been sorely amiss to anticipate on a development that has been a long time coming. I'm sorry y'all are now paying the price for that. Being able to charge one's EV in the vicinity of one's home ought not to be a luxury any more than being able to plug in a washer or tv is.
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@mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
correct, zero will now
but the kind of thing that could grow some will
@benroyce @mihamarkic @rubbel @joacim @randahl
Nio tried this in Denmark, and it failed pretty quickly. There are a number of issues, and the first has already been detailed above - no one wants to get a heavily worn battery in their new car when they swap.
That can be fixed if you do not own the battery, but rent it instead. In that case a lower performance may be a nuisance, but not a financial burden.
However, what happens if you want to sell the car, and the potential new owner lives far away from a swapping station? Still rent the battery for a signifikant monthly fee, even if you never or rarely get to use the swapping feature? We hade ONE swapping station in Denmark, so...
Also, the Nio models that were on sale here in Denmark had pretty slow fast charging, so driving your car on vacation in countries without swapping stations was less than ideal, compared to a car with a fixed battery.
Considering that the latest batteries from both CATL and BYD have sub-10 minutes charging times on sufficiently capable fast chargers, I don't see battery swapping going anywhere - it was a stop-gap measure while battery charging was comparably slow. Now? - a solution looking for a problem that has already been solved.
