Nio partners with Monolith to test AI EV batteries in real time

Author: Nick Carey

LONDON (Reuters) – Nio is partnering with British artificial intelligence startup Monolith to test and improve electric car batteries in real time using the Chinese electric vehicle maker’s battery swapping service in Europe, the companies said on Tuesday.

Testing is expected to begin soon in five markets in Europe, and Monolith CEO Richard Ahlfeld told Reuters the company is working on regulatory requirements to do the same in China. This should enable cooperation with other Chinese automakers, Ahlfeld said.

Monolith already works with about 10 of the world’s 20 largest automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Honda, testing electric vehicle batteries using machine learning algorithms to accelerate their development and help Western automakers catch up with newer Chinese rivals.

“Obviously they are far behind China, so they have to learn really fast,” Ahlfeld said.

A European carmaker takes about five or more years to develop a new car, while Chinese electric car makers only need about two years.

“The Chinese want to act even faster. Right now they’re thinking, ‘OK, can we do this in one year?'” Ahlfeld said. Nio operates a battery swap service that allows car owners to replace their electric vehicle batteries in minutes rather than recharging them. Frank Kindermann, head of Nio’s European battery system, said 98% of customers in five key European markets use the battery swap service.

This allows the automaker to test new batteries and check their health, performance and durability with each replacement, using Monolith’s artificial intelligence algorithm to crunch the numbers.

“Nio can basically give you a prototype car at an early stage, and they keep testing and learning from what you do,” Ahfeld said.

Monolith has raised about $22 million to date from investors including private equity firm Insight Partners and venture capital firm Pentech.

(Reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)