NIO is set to officially launch its first ten third-generation battery swap stations on March 28, slightly ahead of its previously announced schedule, reports CnEVPost.
In an article published on NIO’s mobile app on Monday local time, the company shared that 10 special guests will be present on-site to witness the delivery of these battery swap stations.
The third-generation battery swap stations, unveiled during NIO Day 2022 on December 24, can store up to 21 battery packs, an improvement from the 13 packs in the second generation and five in the first generation. The new stations can serve up to 408 swaps per day, a 30% increase over the previous generation.
Equipped with two LiDARs and two Nvidia Orin chips, these stations boast a total computing power of 508 TOPS. After announcing plans to add 400 battery swap stations in 2023, NIO raised the target to 1,000 last month, aiming for over 2,300 stations by the end of 2023.
Mass production of the third-generation stations is underway, with volume production set to begin in April and deployment to accelerate in May. NIO expects to maintain a construction rate of 120-150 stations per month starting in June.
To support a faster buildout, NIO introduced a wish list feature on its app on February 28, allowing vehicle owners to suggest preferred locations for battery swap stations. To date, NIO has received 132,238 wish lists, with 68.3% of users favoring urban areas and 31.27% preferring highway locations. Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou were the most frequently mentioned cities.
NIO has held 221 events in 134 cities, meeting 6,459 users face-to-face to gather feedback after receiving the owners’ wish lists. As of March 5, the company has 1,321 battery swap stations in China, according to CnEVPost.
