Nio has reached milestone of 100 million battery swap services

The Chinese EV maker has achieved a cumulative total of 100 million battery swap services. The milestone was reached at 22:33:18 Beijing time on February 6, with Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li and the team celebrating the achievement. Nio opened its first battery swap station on May 20, 2018 at Nanshan Science and Technology Park in Shenzhen

After 2,819 days, Nio’s core underlying capability—the battery swap network—has reached a milestone worthy of the Chinese automotive history books: 100 million battery swap services, marking a significant milestone for its signature energy replenishment solution. 

The milestone was reached at 22:33:18 Beijing time on February 6, with Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li and the team celebrating the achievement. William Li and Shen Fei witnessed this moment via livestream. Simultaneously, Shen announced a festive giveaway: ONVO owners will enjoy waived service fees for battery swaps during the Chinese New Year. 

Nio opened its first battery swap station at Nanshan Science and Technology Park in Shenzhen on May 20, 2018, and has continued expanding its network despite widespread skepticism in the early days. The 100 millionth battery swap service was completed 2,819 days after the first. 

Back then, a station held only 4–5 batteries, with a daily capacity of 72–120 swaps. Each swap took 4–5 minutes and required manual assistance for vehicle positioning—a process that gave birth to the early, iconic “NIO Squat”. Fast forward nearly six years, the network has evolved to its fourth generation. The swap time has been slashed to 2 minutes and 24 seconds, while capacity has grown to 23 batteries per station, supporting up to 480 swaps daily. By Q2 2026, Gen 5 stations will begin construction, promising even faster speeds, better compatibility, and lower costs. 

To date, Nio owners have consumed 5.28 billion kWh of electricity through battery swap stations, equivalent to the annual power usage of 2.64 million households, according to the company. Compared to charging, the service has cumulatively saved users 83.41 million hours, equivalent to an average of 88 hours saved per user. Compared to equivalent gasoline vehicle usage, the battery swap service has cumulatively saved users 26.3 billion yuan, equivalent to an average of 27,000 yuan per user. The service has also helped reduce 4,170 tons of carbon dioxide emissions compared to gasoline vehicles, equivalent to the annual carbon absorption capacity of 167,000 trees. 

To date, Nio operates 3,729 battery swap stations across China, including 1,020 along highways. It also has 4,898 charging stations in China, providing 28,035 charging piles. This network—covering “9 Vertical, 11 Horizontal, and 16 Major City Clusters”—connects 550 cities across China. 

Furthermore, Nio’s “County-to-County” initiative is hitting its stride, with nine provinces already fully covered. In 2025, the network reached the famous G318 Sichuan-Tibet highway and other remote routes, drastically enhancing travel convenience. From another perspective, Li’s “Chargeable, Swappable, Upgradable” philosophy only gains true credibility once the system proves its stability and sustainability through such massive usage and coverage. 

Nio achieved its first 1 million battery swaps in 29 months. On July 4, 2022, the service reached the 10 millionth milestone, four years after its initial launch. Nio's 50 millionth battery swap service was achieved on August 5, 2024, followed by the 60 millionth on December 13, 2024. The company reached the 70 millionth battery swap service milestone on April 1, 2025, and achieved the 80 millionth service just under four months later on July 19. On October 27, 2025, Nio reached the 90 millionth battery swap service milestone. The company has cumulatively provided 563,922 battery flexible upgrade services to users. 

As Nio moves onto a trajectory of positive growth, the inherent advantages of battery swapping—convenience, safety, and sustainability—will become increasingly prominent, just as Li has insisted for years. The difference now is that the audience believing in this commercial narrative is far larger than ever before. 

Profitability in Q4, the 1M production milestone, and now 100M swaps—each marks a “New Starting Point” for Nio. For the company and its supporters, the moment of “seeing the moon through the clouds” (the light at the end of the tunnel) has finally arrived.