NIO's He Xu Outlines Battery Charging and Swapping Network Layout and Technical Data at TEDA Auto Forum

From September 17 to 20, 2026, the 22nd China Automotive Industry Development (TEDA) International Forum was held in Binhai New Area, Tianjin. On September 18, He Xu, Assistant Vice President of NIO and Head of Energy System Management, delivered a speech at the sub-forum titled “New Scenario Ecosystem Session: Smart Mobility in New Scenarios.” He Xu introduced that NIO offers a range of home charging products from 7kW to 20kW and has installed home chargers for over 400,000 users in recent years. The company has built more than 10,000 liquid-cooled fast chargers, 80% of which serve non-NIO vehicle owners. The fifth-generation battery swap station features 24 battery bays and can provide up to 480 battery swaps per day, compatible with multiple battery types and vehicle models. On the technology front, NIO has independently developed the Bayobolt threaded locking technology, enabling over 3,000 battery swaps with a vehicle-battery connection mileage exceeding 600,000 kilometers. Battery removal and installation are completed within three minutes. NIO currently holds over 1,500 patents covering areas such as battery-swappable architecture and vehicle-to-grid coordination. More than 30 vehicle models are compatible with new batteries, including the earliest model launched in 2018, which can now be upgraded to a 150 kWh battery pack. NIO expects over 40,000 users to utilize its flexible battery upgrade service during the upcoming National Day Golden Week holiday. In terms of operations and maintenance, one engineer can manage more than 15 stations. All swap stations operate fully unmanned, and over 95% of station-related issues are resolved remotely. The battery monitoring system deploys approximately 300 algorithms, achieving a fault detection rate of 95% and algorithm accuracy exceeding 95%. This has driven manufacturing-side innovations, resulting in over 37 process-awareness and technological advancements. In recent years, over 1 billion kWh of electricity has been shifted to off-peak hours through load-shifting strategies. In 2023, NIO launched a 5G real-time connected virtual battery project with Huaneng in Zhejiang and has since provided grid peak-shaving and frequency regulation services in more than ten provinces and municipalities. Regarding network deployment, on August 7, 2026, NIO’s 4,000th battery swap station went live in Quanzhou, Fuzhou. As of now, NIO has deployed over 4,089 swap stations nationwide, including more than 1,000 on expressways, forming a high-speed battery swap network comprising nine north-south corridors, eleven east-west corridors, and 16 major regional routes. Along main urban corridor roads, a swap station is available every 200 kilometers. Over 92 scenic driving routes have been established across the country. Swap stations cover 86% of users within a three-kilometer radius. Also on August 7, NIO reached a cumulative total of 120 million user battery swaps—equivalent to one vehicle departing from a swap station every 0.78 seconds on average.