The "substation" is gradually laid out in Guilin
Electric bike battery "sharing" do you use
A delivery man removes a new battery from the battery changer.
Two-wheeled electric vehicles are the preferred means of transportation for many citizens to travel short distances, but in recent years, violations such as "flying line charging" and "charging upstairs" are not uncommon, which in turn leads to frequent safety accidents. Behind the vigorous standardization of charging places and the rectification of violations, problems such as charging difficulties, poor endurance, and safety hazards of two-wheeled electric vehicles have become prominent.
As we all know, the "power anxiety" for mobile phones has been solved by the shared charging treasure, so can the "power anxiety" for two-wheeled electric vehicles be solved by a similar method? Recently, the reporter found that there are some two-wheeled electric vehicles "substations" on the streets of Guilin, although ordinary citizens may not know their use, but many couriers and takeaways are already in use. With the accelerated layout of the "substation", it is believed that it will not be long before it will enter the category of daily use of the public.
Easy to replace the battery quickly
At 11:00 a.m. on October 21, it was the peak period for lunch delivery. The reporter saw in a "replacement power station" located in the Tiexi area that couriers and takeaway workers came to replace the battery. The façade is unattended and has 6 "shared battery cabinets" with 12 battery compartments each with an operating guide.
A takeaway delivery man who is ready to change the battery told reporters that the operation process is very simple, and it can be completed in about fifteen seconds. The takeaway worker first took out the old battery on his car, took out the mobile phone to open the corresponding APP, scanned the two-dimensional code of the replacement power station, and then a cabinet door popped up, put the old battery into the cabinet and connected the charger to close the cabinet door, and then another cabinet door will be opened, take out the new battery to change to the car, and the entire battery replacement will be completed.
In Lingui Pedestrian Street, the reporter saw that there are two "shared battery cabinets" of another company here, and from time to time there are couriers and takeaway delivery personnel to change batteries, and their operating procedures are basically the same as those in Tiexi Area.
The reporter contacted one of the companies to understand the relevant situation. Lan Yu, head of the energy replacement business of Guangxi Tower, said that replacing frequent charging in the form of replacing batteries has facilitated couriers, takeaway delivery workers and other people, which not only saves time, but also improves the efficiency of use, and also eliminates the safety hazards caused by violations such as "flying line charging".
Express delivery practitioners favor power stations
At present, the endurance of two-wheeled electric vehicles is still of considerable concern to the public. Among the many users of two-wheeled electric vehicles, the most "power anxiety" is the courier and takeaway delivery man. Therefore, once the power exchange business was launched in Guilin, it attracted a group of express delivery and takeaway industry personnel.
In July this year, under the recommendation of a friend, Mr. Long, a takeaway boy, began to use the power exchange business.
"The range I run for takeaway now is the area around Lingui Peanut Tang and Xingrong County. In the past, when I first entered the industry, I had to run 8-10 hours a day in Lingui Old Town. Mr. Long said that before there was no "replacement power station", his motorcycle needed to be charged once for 3-4 hours, and if the halfway car ran out of power, it would affect the work efficiency. Therefore, he will generally prepare 2-3 electric vehicles to run in turn. In addition to the car you buy yourself, you will also rent it from friends, which is very expensive.
Mr. Long told reporters that he now only needs a motorcycle, and it is enough to replace the battery 1-2 times a day, and the time saved to change the car can receive more orders.
The reporter learned that the price of each company's "replacement power station" battery is different, but these companies almost all launch monthly subscription services for takeaway and express delivery industry people, pay monthly fees, replace batteries unlimited times, and the cost is 8 yuan-9 yuan / day.
"The price of the monthly subscription service I use is 300 yuan, and the company often launches various preferential activities, more than 260 yuan a month, which is very cost-effective for us to run takeaway." A courier told reporters.
The "Power Swap" service has been distributed in several urban areas
According to foreign media reports, in recent years, power exchange services have risen rapidly in the two-wheeled electric vehicle market. According to the statistics of Tianyancha, the number of registrations of enterprises related to the exchange of electric vehicles in China will rise rapidly in 2020, 57% of related enterprises will be established within 1 year, another 31% of related enterprises will be established within 1-5 years, and 1400 related enterprises will be added in 2020 alone.
It is understood that at present, there are 3 enterprises in Guilin's power exchange business that is more extensive, namely tower power exchange, Guangyu power exchange and Small Ha power exchange, "power station replacement" is distributed in many urban areas, and some enterprises even expand to the county seat.
Lan Yu said that Guilin, as the first batch of pilot cities in the country for tower power exchange, officially launched the power exchange business as early as the end of 2019, and the real rapid development was around May 2020. "Affected by the epidemic, the volume of takeaway and express delivery business has surged, the use of electric vehicles has increased, and the 'power exchange' market has also become larger and larger." This year, we accelerated the point layout in Guilin. ”
According to him, at present, the number of registered users using the power exchange service in Guilin has exceeded 5,000, and the customer group is mainly in the takeaway and express delivery industries. At present, Guilin has a total layout of more than 100 power cabinets, covering Qixing District, Xiufeng District, Xiangshan District, Diecai District, Lingui District and Lingchuan County, etc., and it is expected that more than 150 battery cabinets will be replaced by the end of the year.
"Guangyu Kest Power Exchange Leasing" has set up "substations" in Lingui District, Xiufeng District and Xiangshan District. Mr. Li, the head of the company's Guilin region, said that they entered Guilin in May this year, and the number of users has grown rapidly in just a few months. "We have laid out more than 40 machines, of which Lingui District has the most, and about 20 new outlets have entered the final construction stage."
Mr. Li said that their current customers are also mainly riders, so the layout of outlets is generally based on the area where riders are concentrated.
In the future, it will be promoted to the general public
In the interview, the heads of the above companies all mentioned safety and environmental protection.
According to an industry insider, with the implementation of the new national standard for two-wheeled electric vehicles, the lead-acid battery used in the old model can basically not match the new national standard model, and the current product of the power exchange service is lithium battery, which is also suitable for the new national standard model in the future. "At present, many cities in China are promoting battery 'de-leading', and lithium battery replacement can achieve green environmental protection and recycling." The person said.
In terms of safety, these lithium batteries for power exchange are waterproof, drop-proof, and have high durability, and the power exchange cabinets are independently installed with fire fighting devices. According to reports, the substation can also achieve remote monitoring, abnormal alarm, accurate positioning, remote physical locking and other functions.
Is it suitable for ordinary citizens to use the power exchange business? Mr. Li said that in fact, there are also some ordinary citizens who are currently using the power exchange business, mainly some electric vehicles that use high frequency or have no place to charge. However, the current price of the monthly subscription is somewhat high for ordinary citizens. They are planning to promote their business to ordinary citizens and introduce corresponding packages to bring down prices.
Lan Yu also said that Guangxi Tower Energy Company is planning to launch service methods that are more suitable for ordinary citizens in the future, such as pay-per-use leasing and vehicle and electricity integration.
Reporter Lin Yang Wen/Photo