Nio Power, the energy infrastructure subsidiary of Nio, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Zhongan Energy to jointly build 500 battery swap stations across China within the next year.
The agreement was signed on June 25 by Zhongan Energy Chairman Wu Guanqiong and Nio Power Vice President Guo Chenggang, according to a company statement released on Friday.
Nio founder, chairman and chief executive officer William Li and Nio chief financial officer and Nio Power head Stanley Qu attended the signing ceremony, along with Liu Wenfeng, deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and Li Ming, general manager of Anhui Province Energy Group.
Expanding a Proven Partnership
The latest agreement builds on cooperation launched in December 2025, when the two companies completed the deployment of their first 50 battery swap stations.
Nio said the expanded partnership marks the transition of its “technology operation plus asset holding” model from regional pilot projects to nationwide implementation.
Under the arrangement, Nio is responsible for battery swap technology and daily station operations, while partners own and finance the physical infrastructure, reducing Nio’s capital expenditure requirements.
The companies said they will combine their resources to accelerate deployment and long-term operation of battery charging and swapping infrastructure across China.
Zhongan Energy’s National Expansion
Zhongan Energy was established in January 2024 with support from the Anhui provincial government.
The company is jointly funded by Anhui Province Energy Group, Nio and Gotion High-tech.
Its original development plan called for the construction of 1,000 integrated energy stations combining battery swapping, charging and energy storage services, beginning in Anhui Province before expanding across the Yangtze River Delta and the rest of China.
Following the launch of the first 50 stations in Anhui last year, the new agreement to add 500 more stations represents a significant acceleration of the rollout.
Supporting an Asset-Light Strategy
The partnership reflects Nio’s broader strategy of expanding its battery swap network through collaboration with external investors.
The company introduced its Power Up Partner programme in August 2024 and has since worked with partners to develop hundreds of battery swap stations.
According to data compiled by CnEVPost, Nio added 679 battery swap stations in 2024 and 681 in 2025, a slower pace than earlier expansion efforts as the company sought to better manage capital spending.
Despite the more measured rollout, Nio continues to target the addition of more than 1,000 battery swap stations in China during 2026, with partnerships expected to play an increasingly important role in achieving that goal.
Preparing for Fifth-Generation Swap Stations
The expanded cooperation also coincides with Nio’s rollout of its fifth-generation battery swap technology.
The redesigned stations are capable of accommodating a wider range of vehicle sizes, allowing them to serve flagship models such as the ES9 alongside compact vehicles from Nio’s Firefly brand.
Nio has previously said large-scale deployment of the fifth-generation stations will begin during the third quarter of 2026, creating a unified battery swap network shared by Nio, Onvo and Firefly vehicles.
Earlier this week, Firefly announced that internal testing of the fifth-generation battery swap stations had begun in several Chinese cities.
