Nio has launched its first batch of fifth-generation battery swap stations in China, with Firefly vehicles connecting to the network for the first time. Credit: Nio
- The new stations support wheelbases of up to 3.5 meters, allowing the Nio, Onvo and Firefly brands to share the network.
- Nio’s 4,000th swap station in China opened in Quanzhou, Fujian, and is also its first fifth-generation site.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) put its first batch of fifth-generation battery swap stations into operation on Friday in seven cities — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hefei, Chengdu and Quanzhou. Firefly, its small-car brand, is now formally part of the swap system.
The station at the Qiaoxiang Gymnasium in Quanzhou, Fujian province, is the electric vehicle (EV) maker’s 4,000th swap station in China, as well as its first fifth-generation site.
The fifth-generation station uses a new, in-house-developed swap platform that can adjust its configuration in real time to locate the fastening bolts, according to a Nio statement.
It supports wheelbases of up to 3.5 meters, covering all body sizes from small cars to large sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
That means all models from the Nio, Onvo and Firefly brands are fully compatible for the first time. The 4.003-meter-long Firefly was previously unable to use existing stations because its wheelbase was too short.
Nio founder, chairman and CEO William Li said at a ceremony in Quanzhou that the company’s energy infrastructure buildout has reached another milestone, going from its first swap station in 2018 to the 4,000th today.
The charging and swap network has achieved network effects at scale, delivering an experience where “recharging is as convenient as refueling,” and has become an important driver of sales growth, he said.
At 8:09:16 am Beijing Time on Friday, Nio’s cumulative battery swap services topped 120 million. That came just six months after the company reached 100 million on February 6, a sign that usage is accelerating.
As of August 7, Nio had built 9,166 charging and swap facilities in China, including 4,006 swap stations, 5,160 charging stations and 29,801 charging piles.
It has 1,049 swap stations along highways, linking nine north-south and 11 east-west corridors as well as 16 major city clusters, and covering more than 550 cities.
In cities, 80.1% of users have at least one swap station within three kilometers of their home or workplace.
The expanding energy network is supporting sales of higher-priced models. Nio said cumulative deliveries of the ES8 have topped 130,000 units, making it the best seller in the large SUV segment and in the market above 400,000 yuan ($58,910) in the first half of 2026. Cumulative deliveries of the flagship ES9 SUV are about to exceed 20,000.
The milestone comes just 6 months after the 100 million mark was reached on February 6, showing accelerating usage.
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