NIO Inc. has completed its 100 millionth battery swap service. The Chinese EV maker hit the mark at 22:33:18 Beijing time on February 6, 2026. NIO founder, chairman, and CEO William Li celebrated with his team. The milestone came 2,819 days after the company’s first swap in Shenzhen on May 20, 2018.
Highlights
- NIO completed 100 million cumulative battery swaps, reaching the milestone 2,819 days after launching its first station in Shenzhen in May 2018.
- The service has saved users a combined 83.41 million hours and RMB 26.3 billion compared to gasoline vehicle costs.
- NIO now operates 3,729 battery swap stations across China, including 1,020 along highways, alongside 4,898 charging stations.
- The company plans to add at least 1,000 new swap stations in 2026, accelerating from 679 and 681 stations added in 2024 and 2025.
Growth Accelerated in Recent Milestones
NIO’s battery swap adoption has gained speed over the past two years. The company took 29 months to reach its first 1 million swaps. It hit 10 million on July 4, 2022, four years after launch.
The pace then picked up sharply:
- 50 million: August 5, 2024
- 60 million: December 13, 2024
- 70 million: April 1, 2025
- 80 million: July 19, 2025
- 90 million: October 27, 2025
- 100 million: February 6, 2026
The jump from 90 million to 100 million took roughly 100 days. NIO now averages more than 100,000 battery swaps per day.
User Savings and Environmental Impact
NIO reported significant financial and environmental benefits from its swap network. Owners have consumed 5.28 billion kWh of electricity through swap stations. That total equals the annual power usage of 2.64 million households.
Compared to gasoline vehicles, the service has saved users a cumulative RMB 26.3 billion. That works out to roughly RMB 27,000 per user. Time savings totaled 83.41 million hours, or an average of 88 hours per user.
NIO also reported a reduction of 4,170 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The company said that figure equals the annual carbon absorption of 167,000 trees.
Swap Network Infrastructure Expands
NIO’s current infrastructure spans 3,729 battery swap stations across China. Of those, 1,020 serve highway corridors. The company also operates 4,898 charging stations with 28,035 charging piles.
The automaker has offered 563,922 battery flexible upgrade services. This feature allows owners to temporarily upgrade battery capacity for longer trips.
NIO slowed station construction over the past two years. The company added 679 stations in 2024 and 681 in 2025. For 2026, CEO William Li has committed to adding at least 1,000 new swap stations. That target would bring the total beyond 4,600 by year-end.
Competition From CATL Intensifies
NIO faces growing competition in the battery swap space. CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, launched its “Choco Swap” ecosystem in December 2024. CATL’s stations can replace a battery in 70 to 80 seconds, roughly half the time of NIO’s current systems.
CATL deployed 1,020 Choco Swap stations in 2025, hitting its target one month ahead of schedule. The company raised its 2026 goal from 2,500 to more than 3,000 stations across 140-plus cities.
Fifth-Generation Stations on the Horizon
NIO is currently testing its fifth-generation battery swap stations. Mass production is planned to begin in the second quarter of 2026.
The new stations are expected to store more batteries than the current fourth-generation model, which holds up to 23. Swap times should also decrease. CEO Li noted that deployment of fourth-generation stations has slowed. Those stations cannot support new battery sizes for NIO’s sub-brands, Onvo and Firefly.
The fifth-generation design aims to address that limitation with greater flexibility across all three brands.
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