Nio plans to add 1,000 new battery swap stations in 2026

On February 6th, the Chinese EV maker reached the historic milestone of completing its 100 millionth battery swap service. Standing at this milestone, William Li, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Nio, officially shared the company’s infrastructure plans for its energy replenishment network in 2026: these plans include constructing 1,000 new battery swap stations in 2026 

Nio founder, chairman and Ceo William Li (center, holding phone) celebrates the company's 100 millionth battery swap services milestone with Nio owners, partners and his team

On February 6th, NIO reached a historic milestone—cumulative battery swap services surpassed 100 million times. The journey from zero to 100 million swaps took 2,819 days. Standing at this milestone, William Li, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Nio, officially shared the company’s infrastructure plans for its energy replenishment network in 2026. 

These plans include constructing 1,000 new battery swap stations in 2026 and increasing the number of “Rechargeable Scenic Routes” to 100, Li said, reiterating the target mentioned in a January 1 live video broadcast. 

According to the plan, the 1,000 new swap stations to be added in 2026 will primarily feature the fifth-generation stations. Compared to previous generations, the biggest breakthrough of the fifth-generation stations is their ability to be compatible with three brands—Nio, Onvo, and Firefly—breaking down brand barriers. 

The Firefly sub-brand launched its first model on April 19, 2025, allowing users to purchase vehicles through a BaaS (Battery as a Service) plan, though battery swap is not yet supported. 

Furthermore, following last year’s completion of the G318 Sichuan-Tibet and Yunnan-Tibet battery swap routes, the Silk Road battery swap route will be opened this year. The company will continue to enhance the commercial operational capabilities of its charging and battery swap network, laying a solid foundation for profitability in the business, said William Li in an open letter on Monday. 

The milestone not only marks a significant achievement for Nio Inc but also signifies that the battery swap model has gained large-scale validation from users and the market, Li said in the open letter published on the company's mobile app on Monday. "Standing at this new starting point of 100 million battery swap services, we are more determined than ever to pursue what we believe in," William Li said. 

The expansion of Nio’s battery swap network is not a solo endeavor. In August 2024, Nio officially launched the “Recharging Partner” program, which has also seen substantial progress. By the end of 2025, Nio had collaborated with 35 partners, including urban and transportation investment companies from 25 provinces and municipalities, to jointly build nearly 200 charging and swap stations. This leverages a lighter-asset model to accelerate network coverage. 

Simultaneously, Nio has engaged in deep cooperation with energy and power enterprises and industrial partners like Sinopec, State Grid, and CATL. The battery swap model has transitioned from Nio’s “strategic choice” to an “infrastructure consensus” within the industry. 

William Li revealed that over the past 11 years, during its exploration of battery swap technology and business models, Nio has invested approximately 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) and filed over 2,100 related patents. To date, Nio has built 3,729 battery swap stations, 28,035 charging piles, and has provided access to over 1.56 million third-party charging piles.