Nio is building a dedicated battery research and development (R&D) base in Shanghai after signing a cooperation agreement with the local government in the Jiading district, where the Chinese EV maker is headquartered.
The Anting Township government confirmed the agreement on Wednesday, saying the project will focus on next-generation power battery R&D.
The local authority said the base would strengthen the area’s new energy vehicle (NEV) industrial chain in core technology development and create synergies with local battery materials, electric drive and battery swap charging infrastructure companies.
Citing a person familiar with the matter, the local media outlet China Times reported on Thursday that Nio’s new Shanghai subsidiary will focus on R&D of next-generation battery technologies, including solid-state cells that the company expects to deploy at scale after 2027.
The announcement came a week after Nio registered a new wholly-owned subsidiary — Nio Battery Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd — with a registered capital of 100 million yuan ($14.5 million).
Nio already operates testing facilities in Jiading with a combined building area exceeding 60,000 square meters across five centers, including a dedicated battery testing center.
The EV maker, founded in 2014 by William Li and Lihong Qin, holds nearly 10,000 patents granted or pending covering batteries, electric drive systems, intelligent systems, smart chassis domain controllers and battery swap technology.
Existing Battery Operations
The Shanghai entity adds to a far larger battery subsidiary — Nio Battery Technology (Anhui) Co Ltd — established in October 2022 with a registered capital of 2 billion yuan ($290 million).
The Anhui company, wholly owned by Nio Holdings, covers battery manufacturing and sales, electronic materials R&D, and automotive parts production.
The Anhui entity recently underwent corporate changes, with CEO William Li’s role adjusted from chairman to director. He Xu replaced Zeng Shuxiang as legal representative, director and general manager.
Mirattery, Nio’s battery asset operator in China, was founded in August 2020 when the company launched its battery-as-a-service program, which allows customers to lease the vehicle’s battery rather than purchasing it outright.
It recently raised $145 million in a new series C3 round.
CATL Partnership
The new R&D base also comes two months after Nio deepened its relationship with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, the world’s largest battery manufacturer.
In early January, the two companies signed a five-year strategic cooperation agreement covering technology, ecosystem and market development.
CATL said at the time that the partnership would “jointly promote technological advancement and business model innovation in the new energy vehicle industry.” The signing took place in Hefei, where Nio operates three vehicle factories.
The agreement followed reports by Chinese media outlet 36Kr that Nio had halted battery supply cooperation with BYD’s FinDreams Battery unit for its Onvo sub-brand’s L60 midsize SUV, citing insufficient orders to sustain multiple suppliers.
CATL simultaneously took over supply of 100-kWh battery packs for the core Nio brand that had previously been supplied partly by CALB, according to the report.
The battery maker has supplied batteries for Nio since the automaker’s first mass-production vehicle, the original ES8, launched in 2018.
Battery Swap Milestones
Nio reached its 100 millionth battery swap in China in early February.
The company’s network provided over 3.27 million services during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday period, including more than 2.07 million battery swaps — a 29.4% increase over the prior year’s holiday daily average as Nio’s customer base grew by more than 300,000 vehicles.
Single-day swaps reached a new record of more than 170,000 during the Chinese New Year holiday period.
Of the nearly 5,000 charging stations Nio has opened to other carmakers, 85% of the electricity delivered served non-Nio brands.
The company plans to add over 1,000 new stations this year and build more than 100 scenic charging routes across China.
