Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) has started displaying Coca-Cola advertisements on the walls of some of its battery swap stations, the first time the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker has done so.
To date, 32 battery swap stations are displaying Coca-Cola advertisements, Nio announced today, calling these sites co-branded theme stations.
This marks Nio's first display of third-party advertisements at its signature charging facilities. It remains unclear whether this will generate advertising revenue.
The company currently operates 3,555 battery swap stations across China, including 1,003 located along highways.
These facilities have not displayed any advertisements on their exteriors for many years, partly because the company likely wanted them to remain clean and tidy. It wasn't until about a year ago that Nio began marketing its own fast battery swap capabilities at these stations.
The battery swap stations featuring Coca-Cola advertisements are currently only visible in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chengdu.
Nio will also organize 24 offline events for this campaign, offering free Coca-Cola to participants.
The company reached the milestone of 90 million battery swap service miles on October 27, with daily battery swap services now exceeding 100,000.
Nio built its first battery swap station in Shenzhen on May 20, 2018, and completed its first million battery swaps within 29 months.
On July 4, 2022, the service reached the 10 million milestone, four years after its initial launch.
