Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
[Update: Nio has contacted EV clarifying that the station has not yet opened despite the customer’s post. Today was a photoshoot day, and the station is scheduled to open in December.]
Electric vehicle maker Nio is planning to open its first battery swap station in Belgium in December. The station will be the company’s first such facility in a market where it does not yet sell its vehicles.
The plan to open the station there was initially announced in late September by the company’s Head of Power, Kajsa Sognefur.
Marnix, Nio’s first customer in Belgium, who purchased a Nio ET7 sedan in the Netherlands last year, shared a picture of the new station on X this Thursday. In the picture, Marnix shared his recently acquired EL8 SUV parked beside Nio’s latest station.
The EV maker currently operates in five European markets, including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Outside Europe, Nio has recently expanded to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and Israel.
Azerbaijan is one of the next markets as confirmed by the company’s co-founder and president Lihong Qin.
In September, Nio’s head of Power said the current focus for the rollout of new battery swap stations “is the main five countries that we are selling cars.” However, the executive added, “But of course, we are also looking at other regions as well.”
Although the company does not sell EVs in Belgium, the new station will benefit customers driving in the region who gain access to a new station to swap the car’s battery.
Nio reported its third-quarter financial results on Wednesday, with management forecasting a sales record for the final quarter of 2024 adding they are “very confident” about doubling the sales next year hinting at more than 442,000 units.
The company, known for its battery swap technology that allows drivers to receive a 90 percent charged battery in just a few minutes, has currently 2,682 battery swap stations in the country and about 60 across six European countries.
With over 58.2 million battery swaps provided in the last six years, Nio said earlier this year it will build a new factory in Wuhan, China, to support the rollout of battery swap stations.
In addition to the new factory, Nio will establish a new headquarters in the Chinese City its Power division.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
