SAIC Motor’s Rising Auto first battery swapping station in Beijing goes live

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On August 14, Rising Auto, the new energy vehicle (NEV) brand wholly-owned by SAIC Motor hosted a themed communication session where it unveiled its advanced technology system for the three core components to NEVs (namely, battery, electric motor, and electric control unit). Simultaneously, the inauguration of Rising Auto's first battery swapping station in Beijing took place.

As part of the aforesaid technical system, the CTP (cell-to-pack, a module-free battery pack concept) dual-layer "recumbent" arrangement of cells represents an innovation that enhances battery safety, longevity, and integration, said the carmaker.

CTP dual-layer "recumbent" cell arrangement; photo credit: Rising Auto

Built upon the dual-layer "recumbent" battery design, the cells are paired and placed within grooves, reducing the contact area by 70%, thereby eliminating the domino effect of thermal runaway. The pioneering MULTI COOLING battery thermal management system seamlessly integrates hardware and software protections – an arrangement of pre-cooling, guided cooling, horizontal positioning, isolation, and spacing – creating a powerful firewall against thermal instability.

Rising Auto said it proactively sought to meet the stringent standards set by the US UL 2580 certification. This certification rigorously tests battery safety, requiring that the battery system remains non-combustible for 60 minutes after a single cell experiences thermal runaway.

Rising Auto F7; photo credit: Rising Auto

Addressing users' pain points in battery swapping experiences, Rising Auto introduces several groundbreaking technologies and innovations, including conducting battery swap with the car's electricity output uninterrupted, the 2.5-minute ultra-fast battery swap, the DRIVE THRU seamless battery swap, active fire-protected stations, and higher single-station battery capacity.

Backed by the joint investment of SAIC Motor, Sinopec, PetroChina, CATL, and Shanghai International Automobile City Group, ENERGIEX serves as a crucial partner of Rising Auto in accelerating the nationwide deployment of the battery swapping network. Aside from the newly launched Beijing station, Rising Auto also has already put 9 battery swap stations into operation in Shanghai.

The automaker aims to establish over 50 swapping stations across 10 cities – including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and Changsha – by the end of 2023, fulfilling a diverse range of user needs for convenient battery swapping.

Battery Mall; photo credit: Rising Auto

Rising Auto also teams up with ENERGIEX to introduce an innovative battery exhibition and retail platform– the "Battery Mall", which is built to offer users who opt for vehicle-to-battery separation services a flexible channel for buying out batteries' ownership.