Nio Group‘s Onvo sub-brand said on Sunday it has deployed more than 6,150 new battery packs across China’s swap network, reaching 76.88% of its target to double battery availability ahead of the Chinese New Year travel rush.
The family-oriented brand announced that it remains on track to complete the initiative by mid-January, adding over 8,000 battery packs to the network shared with the Group’s core brand Nio.
Nearly a month ago, on December 13, Onvo said it had deployed approximately 2,600 packs — just 32.5% of the target.
The company has added roughly 3,550 battery packs in the four weeks since — a weekly rate of nearly 900 stations.
Battery Availability
The availability of Onvo-compatible batteries at Nio‘s swap stations has been a key concern for customers, who rely on the network to replace their vehicle’s depleted battery with a nearly fully charged one in approximately three minutes.
The issue is particularly relevant for Onvo owners who purchased their vehicles through Nio‘s Battery as a Service program, which allows customers to pay a monthly subscription fee for the battery instead of buying it outright with the car.
BaaS subscribers depend on the swap network for their regular charging needs and would face significant inconvenience if compatible batteries are unavailable when they arrive at a station.
The company will unveil later this quarter its new generation of stations, which are expected to store more batteries while reducing the time needed to perform each battery swap.
Once the initiative is completed, the number of Onvo-compatible batteries in the nationwide swap network will more than double compared to levels before the plan began, according to the company.
Spring Festival Preparations
The expansion aims to meet increased demand during the Spring Festival travel period, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travelers return to their hometowns.
Chinese New Year falls on February 16 this year, and highway traffic typically surges in the weeks leading up to and following the holiday.
Onvo announced the battery doubling initiative on December 5, with deployment having begun in November.
The effort comes as more battery production capacity shifts from vehicle assembly to energy replenishment facilities.
L90 Sales Decline
The network expansion comes as deliveries of Onvo‘s second model, the L90 three-row SUV, have fallen to their lowest level since launch.
According to China Passenger Car Association data and figures disclosed by Nio CEO William Li, Onvo delivered approximately 4,175 L90 units in December — a 30% sequential decline from November and down 64% from the October peak of 11,722 units.
Onvo delivered 9,154 vehicles in December across both models, with the L60 compact SUV accounting for 4,979 units.
LiDAR Variant Coming
To boost demand, Onvo plans to introduce a LiDAR-equipped version of the L90 in the second quarter, the brand’s chief Shen Fei confirmed last week.
A dual-tone body option will also be added to the L90 lineup, following a similar strategy Nio employed with limited editions of its flagship ET9 sedan.
Brand Performance
Nio launched Onvo in May 2024, with deliveries of the debut L60 model beginning in September that year.
The brand reached 100,000 cumulative deliveries on October 18, 2025, and contributed 107,808 units to Nio Group’s 326,028 total deliveries for the full year.
Onvo competes directly with Li Auto, the Beijing-based automaker that had focused exclusively on extended-range hybrid vehicles until 2024.
Li Auto launched its first fully electric model, the Mega MPV, that year, and introduced its first fully electric SUV in 2025 — putting both brands in direct competition in the family-oriented pure electric vehicle segment.
