The tech trend clearly indicates that cars become more and more computer on wheels, car components grow increasingly modular and so do business models. This creates a variety of business ideas that have little to do with typical sales models known from the OEMs.s.

Subscribing power
China-based premium Carmaker Nio now launched a subscription model that allows the buyer to lease the battery instead of having to buy it along with the car. Nio thus manages to sell electric vehicles for just over 10,000 USD. The monthly fee for the battery subscription is 150 USD. The option of replacing old batteries with new models over time is also attractive to many potential buyers, who are showing increasing interest in the "Battery as a Service" business model.
Battery Asset Company

In order to finance this business scheme Nio, CATL and Hiebt Science Technology Investment Group Co., Ltd. have founded the Battery Asset Company. Each of the four players put up 30 Million USD and hold 25% equity interest in the company. What has been Tesla’s hall of fame namely the build up of a heterogeneous electric supply grid shifts is shifting now to the attention of Nio’s activities: 143 battery swap stations have been built in China so far across 64 cities and over 800.000 battery swaps for users have been completed.

Source: BloombergSource
Photo: Freepick