Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) will put its first fifth generation battery swap stations into trial operation by year-end, ahead of their official deployment next year.
The pilot sites for fifth-generation battery swap stations will begin trial operations by Christmas this year, with each station's capacity increasing by 20 percent compared to fourth-generation sites, Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong told media outlets including CnEVPost during a media roundtable held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang on September 21.
A day earlier, Nio held its Nio Day 2025 event in Hangzhou, unveiling the third-generation ES8 SUV and the Horizon Edition of the ET9 sedan.
Given the event's duration, the company did not address next-generation battery swap stations at Nio Day, Qin said, noting these will be communicated at a future event.
Qin said about 60 percent of battery slots is utilized across Nio's existing 3,500 battery swap stations, adding that the surplus capacity will sufficiently support Nio's diversified battery scheduling and meet users' flexible demands.
As of today, the company operates 3,502 battery swap stations and 4,749 charging stations across China, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
Its latest fourth-generation battery swap station was unveiled at Nio Day 2023 on December 23, 2023, with deployment commencing in June 2024.
The fourth-generation stations feature 23 battery compartments, boosting daily service capacity to 480 swaps while reducing service time per swap by 22 percent.
Over the past year, Nio's strategy for battery swap station construction has shifted toward greater reliance on partners to reduce capital expenditures.
Since October 2024, the company has entered into bundled construction partnerships with partners in multiple Chinese cities to share costs and revenues.
This model will also be applied to overseas markets. Over the past year, Nio has designated distributors in multiple countries to expand its international footprint through a more asset-light approach.
The bundled solutions Nio offers with overseas distributors cover battery swap stations, Qin said during yesterday's media roundtable.
In some regions, the battery swap station partner and the vehicle sales/service partner may not necessarily be the same entity, he noted.
In overseas markets, Nio will maintain its battery swap stations, though the deployment pace may vary by country, Qin said.
Nio will not solely fund battery swap station deployments but will partner with third parties to share revenue from these stations, he said.
