Better Place, China Southern Power Grid open EV battery-swap center in Guangzhou
Better Place, a U.S. battery recharging company, this week joined with China Southern Power Grid Co. to open an electric vehicle battery-swap center in the south China city of Guangzhou.
The 1,900-square-meter center near a major local auto mall is the first of its kind in south China, Better Place said in a statement.
The center offers automated EV battery swapping, with an entire switch taking less than five minutes, Better Place said.
State-owned China Southern Power Grid is required by the Chinese government to build EV infrastructure in five south China provinces: Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan and Hainan.
Better Place aims to build a network of EV charging stations, leasing batteries to customers for use in their vehicles.
In 2010, the California company signed an agreement with Chery Automobile Co. to develop switchable-battery EV prototypes in China.