Jiyue said it has taken its partnership with Nio on charging a step further, with owners being able to plug and charge at some Nio chargers.
Nio's (NYSE: NIO) charging network has been adapted more for Jiyue's electric vehicles (EVs), beginning to deliver a seamless charging experience to the EV maker.
Jiyue's charging partnership with Nio took a step further on August 31, and owners can simply plug in the chargers at some Nio charging stations to begin charging, the EV maker, created by Baidu and Geely Holding Group, announced today.
It's pure plug and charge for a more convenient experience, Jiyue said.
Nio has the largest charging and battery swap network of any automaker in China, and the charging network is available not only to Nio owners, but also to other brands of EVs.
For EV owners, charging at public charging stations in China usually involves first connecting the charger to the vehicle, then initiating charging by scanning a QR code, and paying via a mobile app at the end of the charge.
Support for plug and charge allows owners to start charging simply by connecting the vehicle to the charger, eliminating the need to wait to initiate charging, a process that can sometimes take several minutes.
Tesla vehicles can achieve plug and charge when using Tesla's charging piles, which is very convenient. Chinese EV makers that currently have their own charging facilities essentially offer this experience to their owners.
Jiyue announced on April 3 that it had entered into a charging network interconnection partnership with Nio, which would allow it to gradually connect to more than 20,000 Nio Power charging piles in 312 cities in China.
Under the partnership, Jiyue owners can complete the entire process of charging at Nio's charging stations through the Jiyue App, including scanning the QR code to initiate charging.
On Nio charging piles that support plug and charge for Jiyue vehicles, as long as the owner has set up a password-free payment, the entire charging process only requires plugging in and unplugging the charger.
After plugging in the charger, the owner does not need to scan the QR code and the charging can be initiated in about 30 seconds, Jiyue said.
As of now, Jiyue's charging network has access to more than 500,000 third-party charging piles, including more than 12,000 from Nio, according to the EV maker.
Only a portion of these 12,000 Nio chargers currently provide a plug and charge experience for Jiyue vehicles, and Jiyue did not disclose the exact number.
Baidu-backed Jiyue plugs into Nio's charging network