China’s 1,000th highway battery swap station has been opened by Nio, completing a network that connects 550 cities. As it continues its domestic and European expansion, the company already runs 3,399 swap stations and more than 2,800 supercharging stations around the country.
The new site is situated near the Fushan service area on the G5011 Wuhu-Hefei Highway, which runs parallel to China’s roadways. Thus, 550 cities are now connected by Nio’s highway battery swap network. The 3,399 battery swap stations that Nio maintains in China—both in cities and along highways—have performed 79 million battery swap services to date, based on data from its charging map.
The only firm that offered battery switching for a long time was Nio. However, it is no longer the case. For instance, CATL recently announced that it would be partnering with Sinopec, a Chinese oil firm, to establish at least 500 battery exchange stations for electric vehicles in China this year, while Ample recently opened its first switching locations in Madrid to service fleets. Additionally, it wishes to extend its product line to Europe, and there have been rumours that CATL is interested in purchasing a majority share in Nio’s battery swapping company.
The infrastructure for EV charging is being impacted by recent legislative changes in China. Earlier this month, a joint statement from four government agencies, including the National Development and Reform Commission, mandated that new energy vehicle manufacturers make their in-house high-power charging networks available to all brands without exception.
Currently, cars with the Nio and Onvo brands can use battery exchange services along highways. Following the launch of Nio’s fifth-generation battery switch station the following year, access for Firefly, another Nio sub-brand, is anticipated. Although products based on Nio’s specifications have not yet been released, the business has established battery swap relationships with other manufacturers. For instance, the Fiat 500e is a specially built EV that is utilised in Madrid.
That might also alter. Changhan Automobile delivered the first 1,000 EVs equipped with CATL’s Choco-SEB interchangeable batteries in May. They do not, however, currently work with Nio exchange stations.
In any case, Nio’s network of battery swappers is expanding quickly. The automobile manufacturer announced its 871st installation along a Chinese highway just in October of last year. It was said that there were 2,609 in all. This follows the June 2024 launch of the company’s fourth-generation battery exchange station, which is reportedly 22% faster than the previous model.
With 60 battery switch stations already operating around Europe, the firm is actively growing its swap network abroad. Highway switch stations in China are made to make traffic more efficient at busy times, such as public holidays.