Nio launches first fifth-generation battery swap stations

Nio has opened its first fifth-generation battery swap stations in China. The new stations allow Firefly models to use the swap network for the first time. At the same time, Nio has passed the milestone of 4,000 battery swap stations in its home market.

Nio has opened its first fifth-generation battery swap stations in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hefei, Chengdu and Quanzhou. The station at Qiaoxiang Gymnasium in Quanzhou is both the first fifth-generation site and Nio’s 4,000th battery swap station in China.

At the heart of the new generation is a swap platform developed in-house by Nio. According to the company, the system adjusts its configuration in real time and locates each vehicle’s battery mounting points precisely. It supports vehicles with wheelbases of up to 3.5 metres, covering models from small cars to large SUVs.

For the first time, vehicles from all three of Nio’s brands – Nio, Onvo and Firefly – can use the same battery swap network. This brings battery swapping to Firefly models for the first time: the roughly four-metre-long electric compact car could not use previous-generation stations because of its shorter wheelbase.

Nio Surpasses 120 Million Battery Swaps

The launch of the new stations coincides with another milestone: Nio completed its 120-millionth battery swap on 7 August. The company had only passed the 100-million mark in early February, meaning it completed another 20 million swaps in around six months.

Nio continues to expand its network. As of 7 August, the company operated 4,006 battery swap stations in China, alongside 5,160 charging stations with a total of 29,801 charging points. Of the swap stations, 1,049 are located along motorways and connect nine north-south and eleven east-west routes as well as 16 major metropolitan areas, according to Nio. The network now covers more than 550 cities.

In urban areas, Nio says 80.1% of its users have at least one battery swap station within three kilometres of their home or workplace.

For now, Nio is focusing the expansion of its battery swap network on its home market in China. The company recently slowed its international expansion and does not plan to add further battery swap or proprietary charging stations in Europe for the time being. Instead, it is focusing on partnerships and a less capital-intensive business model. Nio also does not expect to introduce new vehicles based on its 900-volt NT3 platform in Europe before late 2027 or early 2028.

As a result, Nio’s European battery swap network is likely to remain at its current size for the foreseeable future, while the company continues to expand the concept in China. The fifth-generation stations also broaden the network’s reach by allowing models from all three group brands to use the same infrastructure.