NIO Power Day 2022: 500 kW Fast-Chargers Unveiled, Next-Gen Swap Stations

NIO also teased its third-generation swap station at Wednesday’s NIO Power Day event, set to have a larger capacity and a more flexible layout, according to statements from Co-Founder and President Qin Lihong, as reported by CnEVPost.

Additionally, NIO plans to begin installing new 500kW ultra-fast charging stalls throughout China and Europe by the end of 2022, a technology that offers peak currents of around 650A.

The swap station technology is nearing the end of development, said Qin, and he also added that more details on it will be shared by the end of the year.

Qin also said the fast-charging piles are expected to charge vehicles to 200 kilometers in just five minutes, and from 10 to 80 percent in just 12 minutes.

NIO currently has 1,011 operational swap stations across China, the first 200 of which were first-generation units and were deployed prior to April 15, 2021.

NIO deployed its second-generation swap stations last year, starting with the company’s 201st station.

Earlier this year, NIO said it was open to sharing its swap station tech with other automakers, though Tesla closed its own battery swap program as far back as 2015.

NIO officially hit 10 million battery swaps earlier this week, with the stations averaging roughly one swap every 28 seconds.