NIO Reaches 100 Million Battery Swaps, Marking a Defining Milestone in EV Energy Innovation
NIO has reached a landmark moment in the evolution of electric vehicle energy solutions by completing its 100 millionth battery swap, a milestone that underscores both the scale and maturity of its battery swapping ecosystem. The historic swap was delivered to a NIO user driving an ET5 Touring in Haining, Zhejiang Province, symbolizing the everyday practicality of a technology that has now firmly moved beyond experimentation into mainstream adoption.
To commemorate the achievement, William Li, NIO’s Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, joined users, partners, and employees at the NIO Delivery Center in Nanxiang, Shanghai, where the moment was celebrated through a live-streamed event. The gathering served not only as a celebration of numerical scale, but also as a reflection on nearly a decade of innovation, infrastructure investment, and user-centered energy design.
A Faster Alternative to Charging—and Refueling
At the heart of this milestone lies the fundamental advantage of battery swapping: speed. Each NIO Power Swap takes an average of just three minutes, offering a refueling experience that rivals—and in many cases surpasses—that of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.
Across 100 million swaps, this speed advantage has translated into substantial real-world benefits. Compared with traditional EV charging, NIO users have collectively saved 83.41 million hours, averaging more than 88 hours per user. This time efficiency fundamentally reshapes the ownership experience, particularly for users who rely on their vehicles for daily commuting, business travel, or long-distance driving.
When compared with gasoline refueling, battery swapping has also delivered significant cost savings. Over the course of these 100 million swaps, users have saved more than RMB 26.3 billion in energy costs, equivalent to over RMB 27,000 per user on average. These savings highlight battery swapping not just as a technological convenience, but as a meaningful contributor to lower total cost of ownership.
Centralized Battery Management and User Peace of Mind
Beyond speed and cost, battery swapping introduces a fundamentally different approach to battery ownership and management. Rather than leaving battery health entirely in the hands of individual vehicles, NIO’s Power Swap Stations centrally manage and monitor batteries, ensuring consistent standards for performance, safety, and longevity.
Each completed swap effectively functions as a comprehensive battery health check. In total, the 100 million swaps represent 100 million individual inspections, covering metrics such as temperature behavior, charge-discharge cycles, and overall system integrity. This centralized oversight reduces the risk of degradation-related issues and enhances long-term reliability, giving users confidence on every journey.
This approach also allows NIO to continuously optimize battery usage across its network, balancing loads, extending battery lifespan, and improving overall system efficiency—capabilities that are difficult to replicate through conventional charging models.
Tangible Environmental Impact at Scale
The milestone also highlights the environmental impact of battery swapping when deployed at scale. Compared with similar internal combustion engine vehicles, NIO’s low-carbon mobility ecosystem has reduced carbon emissions by 4,169.5 tons. This reduction is equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of approximately 167,000 trees, offering a clear illustration of how alternative energy models can deliver measurable climate benefits.
In addition to reducing tailpipe emissions, NIO’s battery swapping network plays an increasingly active role in grid interaction. By participating in load balancing and energy storage activities, the network has supported load shifting exceeding 740 million kWh. This capability helps reduce peak grid pressure, improves renewable energy utilization, and contributes to a more resilient energy infrastructure—particularly important as EV adoption accelerates globally.
A Journey Rooted in Long-Term Vision
During the celebration event in Shanghai, William Li and NIO’s senior management reflected on the company’s long and often challenging journey to scale battery swapping from concept to industrial reality. When NIO launched its first Power Swap Station in 2018, battery swapping was widely viewed as a niche or experimental approach, facing skepticism around cost, standardization, and scalability.
Yet NIO persisted, guided by a long-term vision that prioritized user experience and system-level efficiency over short-term returns. Over the years, the company has steadily expanded its infrastructure, refined its technology, and demonstrated real-world viability—culminating in today’s 100 million swap milestone.
This journey has been underpinned by sustained investment in research and intellectual property. To date, NIO holds more than 2,100 patents related to charging and swapping technologies, including over 1,500 patents specifically focused on battery swapping. These patents cover a wide range of innovations, from mechanical design and automation to software control, safety systems, and energy management.
Continuous Technology Evolution
Reaching 100 million swaps does not mark an endpoint for NIO’s energy ambitions. On the contrary, the company continues to advance battery swapping technology, improve operational efficiency, and expand compatibility across multiple brands and vehicle models.
A major next step will come in 2026, when NIO plans to bring its fifth-generation Power Swap Stations online. These next-generation stations are expected to further enhance swapping speed, capacity, and intelligence, while supporting broader battery compatibility and more advanced grid interaction capabilities.
By continually upgrading its infrastructure, NIO aims to ensure that battery swapping remains future-proof, scalable, and aligned with evolving vehicle architectures and energy systems.
Expanding a Global Swapping Network
Since 2018, NIO has deployed a total of 3,790 Power Swap Stations worldwide, forming one of the most extensive battery swapping networks globally. A key focus has been long-distance travel, where range anxiety remains a major barrier to EV adoption.
Along major highways in China, NIO has built 1,020 Power Swap Stations, effectively creating a nationwide swapping corridor that allows NIO and ONVO users to travel confidently across regions without concerns about charging availability or waiting times. This highway-focused deployment has transformed EV road trips from a logistical challenge into a seamless experience.
Looking ahead, NIO has laid out ambitious expansion plans. In 2026, the company intends to build 1,000 additional Power Swap Stations, expand its Power Journeys to 100 routes, and connect battery swap routes along the Silk Road. This expansion will further extend the practical boundaries of EV travel and reinforce battery swapping as a viable solution for intercity and cross-regional mobility.
From Milestone to Mainstream
NIO emphasizes that 100 million battery swaps represent far more than a symbolic number. The milestone serves as clear validation from the market and from users, demonstrating that battery swapping has moved into the mainstream of EV energy solutions.
By proving that swapping can operate reliably, safely, and economically at scale, NIO has helped usher in what it describes as an era of “recharging beyond refueling.” In this model, energy replenishment becomes faster, smarter, and more integrated with broader energy systems than traditional fueling paradigms.
For users, this means greater convenience, lower costs, and reduced ownership anxiety. For cities and energy providers, it offers a pathway toward more flexible, grid-friendly electrification. And for the EV industry as a whole, it expands the range of viable solutions beyond one-size-fits-all charging models.
A New Beginning for NIO Energy Services
While the milestone marks the culmination of years of effort, NIO views it as a new starting point rather than a conclusion. The company has reiterated its commitment to continued investment in both charging and battery swapping infrastructure, strengthening its energy business operations, and unlocking long-term value across the mobility ecosystem.
By integrating energy services more deeply into its overall business model, NIO aims to build a sustainable foundation for profitability and long-term growth, while continuing to deliver tangible benefits to users, partners, and society.
As EV adoption accelerates worldwide, NIO’s 100 million battery swaps stand as a powerful demonstration that alternative energy models—when executed with scale, consistency, and user focus—can redefine how mobility is powered in the decades to come.
Source Link:https://www.nio.com/news/20260206001
