Zeekr will not build a car with battery swapping. Geely’s deal with NIO serves a different purpose.

Zeekr confirmed during an official Q&A session that it currently has no plans for models with interchangeable batteries. This statement came after Geely and NIO reached a broad agreement on September 28, covering battery swap stations as well as the integration of their charging networks.

Geely will hold 30% of shares in NIO Power. In return, it will contribute its entire E-Energee business along with 640 million yuan, equivalent to about $95.5 million in cash. NIO will take a 10% stake in Geely’s Haohan Energy company.

Zeekr sticks with the 900 V architecture

The lack of battery swap plans is not surprising when considering Zeekr’s technology. The brand already uses a 900 V architecture, allowing it to develop very fast charging capabilities without having to redesign the floor, battery casing, or the entire production process.

The Zeekr 9X is among the top three best-selling full-size SUVs in China. However, adding a swappable battery would mean direct competition with the NIO ES8 and ES9, without any guarantee of a clear advantage. Faster charging is a simpler approach, though its effectiveness depends on battery temperature and the power available at the charging station.

The partnership between Geely and NIO covers more than just passenger cars. The E-Energee will be integrated into NIO Power, with some of the infrastructure designed to serve commercial fleets, including CaoCao vehicles and robotaxis.

The network will be divided into a consumer segment and a commercial segment. The former will remain available to NIO drivers and future Geely passenger models with swappable batteries. The latter will serve fleets. William Li assured that these two groups of users will not interfere with each other.

Lotus Remains a Candidate, But Without an Official Model

It is unclear which Geely brand will first adopt NIO’s system in a passenger car. Geely Galaxy and Lynk & Co are positioned lower than NIO, whose average transaction price in China is around 404,000 yuan, or $60,300.

Lotus seems to be a more natural candidate. The company already reached an agreement with NIO in 2024 regarding battery standards, swapping technology, battery management, and designing compatible models. This is still not an announcement of a specific vehicle.

The scale of its existing infrastructure is impressive. As of September 30, NIO had 4,155 battery swapping stations, 5,337 charging stations, and 30,780 charging points in China, with the number of swaps exceeding 120 million.

Geely is thus acquiring access to an existing system, but Zeekr does not intend to subject its cars to it. Would you prefer a Zeekr that charges very quickly or one compatible with NIO’s swap stations?

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