Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee urged on Wednesday the development of the special administrative region into a “demonstration base for green technology.”
In his speech, Lee announced that the government will promote the development of battery-swapping electric vehicle technologies and encourage the construction of district cooling systems.
To strengthen charging infrastructure, six new sites for fast-charging stations will be launched.
In addition, bus operators will open their electric charging facilities to other vehicles.
Hong Kong will also establish its first large-scale EV battery recycling facility, which is scheduled to begin operations in the first half of 2026 — as first reported by the media outlet South China Morning Post.
Shanghai-based EV maker Nio currently holds the largest network of battery-swap stations in mainland China.
As of Wednesday, and according to its website, the company operates 3,497 battery swap stations, with 27,142 charging stalls.
According to the Chinese outlet Lanjinger, the company plans to expand to Hong Kong in the fourth quarter.
Sources cited by the outlet said that the company is looking for a dealership in the region, following the same model it used as it entered the Macanese market in July. Both Hong Kong and Macau are right-hand drive markets.
Exactly a week ago, the company’s founder and CEO William Li said the EV maker will fall short of its 2025 target for new battery swap stations in China — as it shifts resources toward a next-generation system.
Nio opened its very first station in May 2018, in Shenzhen. This year, nearly 500 stations were added — from a target of 1,800 to 2,000.
In March, Nio announced its battery swap network will operate in parallel with CATL‘s, with Firefly’s subsequent newly developed models using the battery giant’s Choco-Swap technology standard.
CATL, the world’s leading battery manufacturer, announced in June that it is planning to build 10 battery swap stations in Hong Kong by 2027, through its brand EVOGO.
In January, the company began construction of the first battery swap station in Hong Kong.
CATL said earlier this year that its long-term goal is to establish a new energy mobility network spanning Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.
The Chinese company entered the battery swap segment in early 2022, and is now further expanding to Europe.
Vice President and Board Secretary Jiang Li told the Financial Times in June that CATL plans to establish 1,000 battery-swap stations in its home market by the end of the year, with a goal of reaching 10,000 stations over the next three years.
“Then we can copy the business model in Europe and other regions,” Li stated.
Nio recently opened its 21st battery swap station in Germany and 61st in Europe, with most of the stations it operates being located in Norway and Germany.
The EV maker entered Europe in 2021 through the Norwegian market, and opened its first battery swap station in January 2022.
The company had doubled its European network to 30 swap stations by November 2023 and added 20 more within eight months, reaching 50 by July 2024.
Since then, and amid investment cuts first reported by EV, there was a major slowdown in expansion.
Earlier on Wednesday, Nio said it has completed a $1.16 billion equity offering, announced last week. The EV maker aims to strengthen its balance sheet while continuing to invest in its products and battery swapping technology.
