So I watched the entire NIO video front to back an
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First, at the beginning of the video, the presenter says that he began thinking about creating his EV company in 2012. In an interesting coincidence, it was also in 2012, when HAN Jianfang wrote the article you can find in the 'board information' in the DD above. The article states ' in order to commercialize the electric vehicle can not simply repeat the traditional model of development from the old car industry, but should create a new path for the development of electric vehicles. To achieve the development six changes are to be considered.'
Han goes on to list the 6 changes and several of them are quite interesting if you look at them with NIO's video and production methods in mind.
1. Battery characteristics are the starting point.
2. Vehicle and battery separation approach (swaps).
3. Hatching and nurturing battery charging and replacement operators to perform battery full service. In other words, full service, hands-off charging stations. Not only are NIO's charging stations hands-off, NIO's car can actually back itself into the swap stations.
4. Separation of vehicle and battery will cause the formation of a new business system. In this system, the car companies only sell bare vehicle without battery. Sound familiar to what NIO is doing? Battery rental?
5. EV battery situation needs to compete with the cost of fuel cars
6. Battery replacement can be completed within 5 minutes, fast enough so that you will not feel difference than refuel the car at gas station; through the battery manual maintenance service.
So I guess it's possible that NIO just copied the Han Jianfang playbook nearly letter for letter, but I see it more likely that a long term plan has been in the works with NIO's management since maybe as far back as 2012. This is pretty much in line with a lot of recent comments on this board about NIO being basically a 'rolling chasis'. I'm not saying it's 'for sure' but it seems entirely possible that NIO's management approached Jianfang and his battery tech people saying 'you make the battery, we'll make our car around it'.
At 5:30 seconds into the movie, the NIO presenter (can't find his name anywhere) says they own over 300 patents. If you wish to prove that NIO is using its own battery tech, I would suggest getting a hold of them and seeing what NIO has for patents in comparison to the battery patents for JBZY. If NIO has specific battery construction and manufacturing patents, then they probably don't need another companies batteries, right?
At 11 minutes in, the NIO presenter also says they are partnered with State Grid, and if I'm not mistaken, there have been rumblings in JBZY about a partnership with state grid as well.
With regard to your 'already having sales' the video also says that charging stations and swap stations hope to number around 1100 by 2020, but no mention is made of how many are out there now, so current sales might be affected by numbers of ways to charge the car. In fact, at 30 minutes in, they said that 'starting today, you can pre-order your ES8 on the NIO app and deliveries in early 2018'. Video was made in December 2017. So it doesn't look like much yet in the way of sales has happened there yet.
From where I'm sitting, it looks like a real possibility that NIO is using JBZY battery tech. I'm not saying it's for sure, but there are real reasons to think its possible.
Just a few observations.