- Nio has established a new battery tech firm in Shanghai to accelerate solid-state battery R&D, expecting scaled application after 2027.
- The move marks Nio's establishment of a "Shanghai R&D plus Anhui manufacturing" layout for its battery business.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO, HKG: 9866) continues to advance its footprint in the power battery sector, despite setbacks in such efforts a few years ago.
The Anting town government in Shanghai's Jiading district recently signed a cooperation agreement with Nio, under which the electric vehicle (EV) maker will locate its new battery R&D base in Jiading, according to a Wednesday statement from the district government.
Nio's global headquarters is located in Jiading, where its R&D team is based. The company's manufacturing plants are in Hefei, Anhui province.
The company already has multiple vehicle and battery testing centers in Jiading with a total floor area of over 60,000 square meters, the Wednesday statement noted.
The newly signed project focuses on the R&D of next-generation power batteries, which will help Nio improve its battery layout and expand its strategic depth, the statement said.
The statement did not provide further details on the battery R&D. Separately, according to a Thursday report by local media China Times, the latest move marks Nio's establishment of a "Shanghai R&D plus Anhui manufacturing" layout, following the battery company it set up in Anhui in 2022.
Nio's new Shanghai battery company will focus on advancing the R&D of cutting-edge technologies such as solid-state batteries, which are expected to see scaled application after 2027, China Times reported, citing a Nio source.
Nio has already begun its layout in the solid-state battery field, collaborating with multiple industry players and research institutions to explore various technological routes, including oxides and sulfides, the report noted.
Nio Battery Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd, wholly owned by Nio, was recently registered with a registered capital of 100 million yuan ($14.5 million).
Nio's battery strategy has undergone significant adjustments over the past few years. In late 2023, to cut costs and achieve profitability as quickly as possible, Nio reportedly planned to spin off its battery manufacturing unit, opting to outsource production while retaining core tech R&D.
Despite abandoning asset-heavy in-house manufacturing, Nio's pace in battery R&D and commercialization does not appear to have stalled.
In June 2025, local media Yiou reported that Nio, backed by its major shareholder CYVN Holdings, began developing battery packs based on 4680 large cylindrical cells for British supercar brand McLaren.
Subsequently, in September 2025, Nio's founder, chairman, and CEO William Li confirmed for the first time that the company had a partnership with McLaren and had received technical service revenue from the automaker.
While strengthening its in-house R&D, Nio is also consolidating its external supply chain ecosystem.
On January 6, Nio signed a five-year deepened strategic cooperation agreement with CATL (HKG: 3750, SHE: 300750).
In December 2025, Nio's semi-solid-state battery supplier, Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology, initiated its pre-IPO tutoring.
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