Nio Power, the energy arm of the electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio (NYSE: NIO), has recently announced a new partnership agreement with ZDK Group in Shenyang, Liaoning province, to construct charging and battery swap facilities in northeast China. This collaboration aims to establish 100 battery swap stations in Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Inner Mongolia.
ZDK Group, a prominent state-owned enterprise in Shenyang, is involved in various sectors such as urban development, industrial operations, engineering construction, logistics, and trade. The partnership between Nio Power and ZDK Group is expected to expedite the development of EV replenishment infrastructure in the aforementioned regions, particularly in urban transportation hubs and industrial parks.
The negotiation process for this partnership spanned eight months, according to Yu Xiwei, Nio’s head of energy industry cooperation. This initiative marks the latest instance of Nio collaborating with state-owned enterprises to establish battery swap stations in 2025.
Earlier this year, on March 26, Nio signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Future Science City Group in Beijing to construct 100 battery swap stations. Subsequently, on April 1, Nio partnered with a subsidiary of the Changsha Economic Development Group to jointly build 100 battery swap stations in Hunan. Additionally, on April 9, Nio entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Jining Hi-Tech Holding Group to establish 50 battery swap stations in Shandong.
These collaborations are part of Nio’s Power Up Partners program, which was introduced on August 20, 2024. The program aims to collaborate with partners to develop charging and battery swap facilities, providing them with a revenue stream while reducing capital expenditures.
As of now, Nio operates 3,319 battery swap stations in China, with 988 located along highways. The company also operates 2,816 supercharging stations offering 12,976 charging piles and 1,738 destination charging stations with 13,274 charging piles across the country.
In a related development, Nio recently announced a collaboration with CATL to establish the world’s largest battery swap service network. The newly developed models by Firefly will utilize CATL’s Choco-Swap technology standard, further enhancing the efficiency and convenience of battery swapping for EV users.
Overall, Nio’s continued efforts to expand its battery swap network and charging infrastructure through strategic partnerships underscore its commitment to advancing the adoption of electric vehicles in China and beyond.
