Chinese electric vehicle pioneer Nio showed no signs of letting up on its swappable battery ambitions in April, rapidly expanding its nationwide network of battery swap stations and charging piles.
Added 14 new swap stations during the month reports from NIO Weibo, bringing its worldwide total to a staggering 2,411 locations, also tacked on 292 charging piles, pushing its network to over 22,000 piles across China.
The accelerated rollout highlights Nio’s conviction that readily swappable batteries providing “refueling” in just three minutes will be a key differentiator. Consumers seem to agree, with nearly 80% of Nio’s charging demand coming from its lightning-quick swap stations or home charging options.
They’re really going all-in on battery swapping in a way no other automaker is at the moment, It’s become a core part of the Nio ownership experience.
Swap Stations Cover 80% of Chinese Cities
The swap station total now covers over 80% of major urban areas across China, with at least one station within a 3 km radius of where Nio owners live or work. On highways, there are 795 swap stations connecting over 700 cities, with an average gap of just 231 km between locations.
In April alone, Nio owners completed nearly 2 million battery swaps for a total of over 43.1 million swaps to date. That equates to one Nio vehicle driving off a swap station fully recharged every 1.31 seconds during the month.
Charging for All EVs
While swap stations get the limelight, Nio is also rapidly growing its charging options. It added nearly 300 new piles in April for a total of over 22,000 – the largest from any domestic brand. Notably, over 85% of charging orders came from non-Nio EV owners across over 190 different brands.
The recent moves further cement Nio as the clear leader in swappable battery technology for EVs. With partners like SAIC-GM and Lotus joining its charging ecosystem, the company is aiming to make anytime, anywhere charging a reality worldwide.
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