In high-frequency heavy-duty truck operations such as ports, mining areas and trunk logistics routes, the key concerns for investors when planning battery-swapping projects are ‘how long does the swapping process actually take’ and ‘will there be long queues during peak hours’. Currently, different manufacturers claim swapping times ranging from 2 to 5 minutes, resulting in confusing data and widespread exaggeration.Some companies calculate only the “pure battery-swapping operation time”, whilst overlooking critical stages such as vehicle positioning, battery preparation and safety checks, resulting in the actual end-to-end process often taking over 10 minutes. Worse still, the use of single-channel station designs coupled with inefficient dispatch systems leads to queuing times of over half an hour during peak periods, directly causing heavy goods vehicles to lie idle and significantly reducing operational revenue.

For heavy-duty truck operators, battery swapping efficiency directly determines vehicle availability – every minute of delay translates into a direct reduction in transport revenue. The two persistent problems currently prevalent in the heavy-duty truck battery swapping market – “inflated data” and “peak-hour congestion” – are becoming the core factors eroding project profits.According to the *2025 Economic Feasibility Assessment Report on the Battery Swapping Model for New Energy Heavy-Duty Trucks*, over 60% of battery swapping stations take twice as long to complete the full process as advertised, whilst nearly 40% experience peak queuing times exceeding 30 minutes, directly leading to a 25–40% decline in operational revenue.

Data inaccuracies are further disrupting investors’ decision-making logic and return expectations. In addition to inflated claims regarding battery swapping efficiency, the ‘data embellishment’ on the investment cost side of battery swapping stations is similarly amplifying the erosive effect of the profit black hole — as can be seen from the graph illustrating the impact of battery capacity (E=282kWh) and charging rates on station investment costs:As charging rates increase, the investment cost per battery-swapping station shows a significant upward trend: taking a battery capacity of 282 kWh as an example, the actual investment cost (solid line) for a station with a 600 kW charging rate approaches 11 million yuan, representing an increase of over 57% compared to the approximately 7 million yuan cost at a 350 kW rate;At the same time, as the actual investment cost must be rounded due to the number of operational units (such as battery bays and battery-swapping robotic arms), it exhibits a stepped fluctuation; however, some project promotions use a ‘linearly fitted approximate cost’ (dotted line) as the basis for investment projections.

Figure: Impact of battery capacity and charging rate on station investment costs

This “misrepresentation of cost data” directly disrupts investors’ calculation logic: for example, a project promotion might claim that a 600kW-rate station costs approximately 10 million yuan based on the fitted data, but in reality, due to the rounding of equipment figures, the investment required is 11 million yuan, meaning the initial investment alone exceeds expectations by 10%;Compounded by the shrinkage in operational revenue caused by overstated battery-swapping durations (such as the average daily service volume halving from 288 vehicles to 144), the payback period—originally calculated at three years based on promotional data—would in reality be extended to over six years —— The combination of ‘embellished theoretical figures’ on the cost side and ‘inflated duration estimates’ on the efficiency side creates a double whammy, transforming heavy-duty truck battery-swapping projects from ‘assets with profit potential’ into long-term drains on capital.
For investors, ‘actual efficiency’ and ‘dispatch capability’ have become the core prerequisites for project profitability.The latest 2025 survey by the China Commercial Vehicle Battery Swapping Industry Alliance clearly states: when the total battery swapping time is consistently kept within 5 minutes and queuing during peak hours does not exceed 10 minutes, the full life-cycle cost of the battery swapping model is 20–30% lower than that of the charging model, with energy utilisation efficiency reaching as high as 95%, fully highlighting its cost advantages.This implies that only by moving beyond the "pure operational time" numbers game and resolving congestion through verifiable end-to-end efficiency and intelligent dispatch capabilities can battery swap stations be upgraded from "cash-burning infrastructure" to "core assets generating stable profits", thereby truly capitalising on the market dividends arising from the penetration rate of new energy heavy-duty trucks exceeding 25%.

Nengyixing’s 3-minute real-time battery swapping + intelligent scheduling: precisely addressing dual pain points
As one of the earliest domestic enterprises to engage in battery swapping technology R&D, Nengyixing focuses on “end-to-end real-world efficiency”. Through continuous technological innovation and station optimisation, it has successfully achieved “3-minute end-to-end battery swapping”, transforming efficiency commitments into tangible returns.

Nengyixing’s “3-minute battery swap” encompasses the entire duration from “vehicle entering the swap lane” to “swap completed and vehicle exiting”, covering all critical stages including precise vehicle positioning, battery unlocking, removal, replacement, locking and safety checks, with fully traceable data.This has been validated through actual operations at heavy-duty truck battery swap stations in multiple locations, including Midong, Xinjiang, and Chengdu, Sichuan. Taking a top-mounted dual-channel battery swap station in Midong, Xinjiang, as an example, under high-intensity conditions serving an average of 360 vehicles per day, the end-to-end battery swap duration remains stable at 2.8–3.2 minutes, with no instances of falsified data recorded.Based on the operational data from this battery swap station, assuming a 24-hour operation, it can serve approximately 18–20 vehicles per hour; its daily service capacity far exceeds that of some companies that inflate their figures.

To address congestion during peak periods, Nengyi Xing optimises operations from a dual perspective of ‘hardware layout and software scheduling’.It employs a flexible multi-channel design that dynamically adjusts channel usage based on actual vehicle traffic; it is equipped with an AI-powered intelligent dispatch system that can precisely arrange the battery swapping sequence based on vehicle arrival times and battery status, thereby improving efficiency; it enables unmanned operation, reducing manual intervention and minimising delays caused by human error; and it supports remote operation and maintenance, allowing for the timely resolution of unexpected issues and ensuring the stable operation of the swapping station.

As the penetration rate of new energy heavy-duty trucks continues to rise, competition in the battery swapping market has shifted from a “price war” to a “war of efficiency”.‘Verifiable battery swap times’ and ‘the ability to maintain smooth operations during peak periods’ will become the core criteria for investors when selecting partners. In the highly competitive heavy-duty truck battery swap sector, only by firmly grasping ‘true efficiency’ as a core competitive advantage can long-term profitability be secured. Nengyi Xing is safeguarding investors through technological innovation, working together to secure a leading position in the new energy logistics charging market.