Chinese EV maker Nio is looking to open its second battery swap station in the United Arab Emirates, six months after opening its first site in Abu Dhabi.
The company said recently that about 15% of Nio drivers in the UAE used the inaugural swap station during its first five months of operation.
The Shanghai-headquartered brand began deliveries in the UAE last year but has not disclosed sales figures for the region since then.
Roberto Lopes da Silva, Nio’s country chief for the UAE, said on Tuesday the company is “proactively looking” for a location in Dubai for its second station.
“The power swap station is in Abu Dhabi. We are proactively looking for a location in Dubai so… watch this space,” da Silva told local broadcaster Dubai Eye 103.8.
He said the main challenge in securing new sites is the heavy power requirements of the infrastructure.
“The difficulty is that we need a place that has at least 250kW of power because the power swap station works as a power bank,” da Silva said.
“It carries 21 batteries, it can perform 400 swaps in a day. And therefore, we need the right location not just because of the power input that we need, but also to make sure that it is in a place that is convenient for our users. It’s about making it easier for our users,” he added.
Nio opened its first battery swap station in the Middle East in February at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina F1 Circuit. The site is about 30 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi.
Battery swap stations allow Nio drivers to exchange their depleted packs for nearly fully charged ones in about three minutes.
The company ended 2024 with nearly 3,000 such facilities in China and set a target of adding 1,800 to 2,000 more this year.
As of September 9, however, fewer than 500 new stations had been built, leaving around 1,300 still required in the final months to reach the lower end of its goal.
Earlier this month, it opened its first Nio Hub in the Middle East, located off Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.
The site combines a showroom, delivery center, after-sales service, test drives and a Nio Café.
The EV maker previously launched a Nio House in Abu Dhabi in late 2024 and a Nio Space in January at Dubai’s Gate Avenue.
Da Silva, who joined Nio in mid-2024 after serving as chief sales officer at Canadian EV company AXL, leads the company’s operations in the country.
Nio’s presence in the Middle East is managed through Nio MENA, a joint venture with its Abu Dhabi-based backer CYVN Holdings.
