The time it takes to charge an electric vehicle battery has long been one of the factors restricting sales. Now Chinese EV brand NIO and global energy company Shell, think they may have found a solution to this problem in the form of combined battery charging and swapping stations. 

 
The two organisations have reached an agreement on a new strategic partnership to install pilot EV battery swapping stations across Europe, together with an additional 100 in China by 2025, where NIO already operates some 300 points. 

While EV charges, even the very fastest, take over 20 minutes, with many much longer. However, developers say the exchange facilities can remove a spent battery and replace it with a fully charged one in just 3 minutes. This puts it in a similar time frame to present conventional refuelling of petrol and diesel cars. 

The two brands say they will, "Continue to explore more collaboration opportunities in battery asset management, fleet management, membership systems, home charging services, advanced battery charging and swapping technology development."

NIO has currently only made tentative steps into Europe, selling to models in Norway. However, it is expected to expand rapidly in the coming years.