Charging Too Slow? NIO Hits Over 130 Million Battery Swaps, with 4,236 Swap Stations Built across Mainland China

【BitAuto News】One of the biggest headaches with electric vehicles is the wait for charging. NIO has taken a different approach to energy replenishment: instead of waiting for a full charge, drivers can swap batteries directly at a battery swap station, getting them back on the road much faster. This model has completed over 130 million battery swaps across Mainland China, with the network behind it continuing to expand.

Skip the charging wait—swap the battery directly

Unlike conventional charging, NIO's battery swap stations utilise automated equipment to dismount the vehicle's original battery and replace it with a fully charged pack. The entire process is handled by the automated system, sparing drivers from having to wait at a charging station for prolonged periods.

Beyond cutting down replenishment time, the battery swap model also enables centralised battery management, including charging, health monitoring, and fleet dispatching. Working in tandem with the vehicle-battery separation scheme, car buyers can also opt to lease the battery, reducing upfront purchase costs.

4,236 Battery Swap Stations as Expressway Network Continues to Expand

As of 3 November 2026, NIO has built 4,236 battery swap stations across Mainland China, with 1,077 located along expressways. Cumulative battery swap services have surpassed 130 million sessions, with daily swaps exceeding 110,000.

Alongside its battery swap stations, NIO has also deployed 5,556 charging stations and 32,261 charging posts, steadily establishing a dual replenishment network combining battery swapping and charging.

For the Hong Kong market, land constraints and infrastructure conditions differ from those in the Mainland. Whether a similar model can be introduced locally will ultimately depend on real-world demand and supporting infrastructure development.


Source: Official press releases from NIO regarding its 4,000th battery swap station and the Silk Road battery swap route

Web: http://www.bitauto.hk/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@bitautohk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitautohongkong/