Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio said on Thursday it plans to have its first battery swap station in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region operational by the end of this year as it aims to bring its major unique selling point to new markets.
The announcement came as the company, which celebrates 10 years this month, opened its first showroom in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Nio said it to start local deliveries of its EC6 and ET5 models in the first quarter of 2025 while deliveries of its flagship SUV Nio EL8 have already kicked off, as the founder and CEO William Li announced in the latest earnings conference call.
In September, Geir Nevjen, Nio’s expansion manager, had said on LinkedIn that the rollout of battery swap stations in the UAE would begin at the Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit, about 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi.
“Nio Powerswap Stations coming to [the] United Arab Emirates, starting with Yas Marina F1 Circuit,” Nevjen wrote.
In China, Nio has built 2,714 battery swap stations, and around 60 in Europe. The company is expected to reach 59 million cumulative battery swaps by Sunday, December 1.
On Thursday, Nio also announced that its flagship SUV, the EL8 — sold as the ES8 in China — has been delivered to UAE customers, further establishing its presence in the region.
The company’s Middle East expansion is supported by a joint venture with CYVN Holdings, an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm and major Nio shareholder. The joint venture, announced in October, will operate under the name Nio MENA to oversee the company’s regional strategy.
Last weekend, the company confirmed it officially launched in Israel earlier this month through a partnership with Delek Motors, as exclusively reported by EV on November 4.
When the company initially expanded to Israel, Nio imported vehicles from Norway. Now, Delek Motors has become its official partner.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
