Chinese EV maker Nio has said it will work with UK-based AI software firm Monolith to optimize and validate high-voltage battery packs for the company’s battery swapping service in Europe. Under this partnership, the parties seek to boost battery efficiency and cycle life and make development more efficient.
Nio Battery Testing in Europe and China:
According to the CEO, Richard Ahlfeld, the pilot will take place in five European countries, with the company obtaining licenses to extend the trial to China. This expansion allowed Monolith to enter into future agreements to share production lines with other Chinese automobile manufacturers.
Another client is Monolith, which works with key international automotive companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Honda. Machine learning algorithms help improve the process of testing batteries for EVs. These advanced techniques accelerate battery development, which will assist Western automotive firms in closing the gap with their more rapidly advancing Chinese counterparts.
Closing the Gap with Chinese EV Makers:
Ahlfeld stressed that Chinese EV makers have an impressive time-to-market advantage. EV development takes about two years, while it might take five or more for their European counterparts.
Chinese EV makers such as Nio are now seeking to extend the reduction timeframe even further, with some manufacturers targeting to create new models in one year.
Nio Battery Swapping Service:
A Game Changer: Most of Nio’s service revolves around battery swapping, whereby electric vehicle owners get new batteries with a fully charged battery in place of their discharged one in minutes, not hours.
For instance, 98 percent of Nio’s customers in Europe utilize this service. The battery swaps also create data on new battery designs and battery status, where the AI from Monolith steps in.
Accelerating Battery Innovation:
After each swap using Monolith’s AI algorithms, the detailed battery review will let Nio fine-tune battery design and functionality even better, with much greater efficiency. This fast cycle of evolution helps Nio remain relevant in the extremely competitive field of electric vehicles.
Monolith has secured $22m in VC funding from Insight Partners and Pentech to aid Monolith’sits endeavours in EV battery testing and production transformation.
