Chinese electric vehicle makers Nio and Zeekr said on Thursday they have established a two-way charging network interoperability agreement, allowing users of both brands to access each other’s charging infrastructure across China.
Under the agreement, users of Nio, Onvo and Firefly (Nio’s sub-brands) models will be able to locate and use Zeekr’s charging stations through Nio’s mobile app, in-car navigation systems, and the ‘Power Up’ App.
In return, Zeekr users will gain reciprocal access to Nio’s charging network.
As of Thursday, Nio operated 3,337 battery swap stations nationwide, including 988 located along highways.
The company also runs 4,570 charging stations equipped with a total of 26,308 chargers and offers access to over 1.25 million third-party charging piles.
Zeekr Group, which includes both the core brand and Lynk & Co, delivered over 41,000 vehicles in April — 13,727 Zeekrs and 27,589 Lynk & Co units.
Zeekr, the premium brand under Geely Holding, has recently partnered with Shell to expand its charging network, integrating 666 Shell stations with over 12,000 chargers in China.
Zeekr’s infrastructure now connects to more than 1.29 million third-party charging terminals across all prefecture-level cities in mainland China, including 5,025 highway stations and 7,448 ultra-fast charging sites with outputs of at least 360kW.
The Shell tie-up follows earlier deals with CAMS and GAC Energy to enable network interoperability, boosting access to over 1.1 million additional chargers and expanding coverage across major cities and highways.
Earlier this week, Nio added battery manufacturing and related services to its corporate activities.
Shanghai Nio Automobile Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nio Holding Co., Ltd., updated on Monday its business registration to include battery production, battery sales, and the manufacturing of battery components.
The move follows reports in early April that Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), Nio’s key supplier, was “in talks to acquire a controlling stake” in Nio’s battery services arm, Nio Power — Reuters reported.
