Battery Swapping
Battery swapping is the physical exchange of an EV's traction battery pack for a compatible charged pack at a dedicated station.
How it works
The station makes the vehicle safe to disconnect, removes the installed pack, fits another pack, verifies the mechanical and high-voltage connections, and registers the replacement with the vehicle. The removed pack is inspected, conditioned, and charged outside the car.
Swapping shortens the vehicle's stop, but it does not remove charging time or grid demand. It moves those tasks to the station and adds requirements for battery inventory, automation, inspection, and interoperability. Pack dimensions, fasteners, electrical and data connections, thermal interfaces, voltage, and software must all be compatible.
Not the same as BaaS
Battery swapping describes a physical operation. Battery as a Service (BaaS) describes an ownership or subscription arrangement. A swapping service may use customer-owned, leased, or operator-owned batteries, so neither term guarantees the other.
For station operation, vehicle design, safety, inventory, and network trade-offs, see Battery Swapping.