• NIO takes off in Norway
• Expansion strategy includes further European locations
• Battery exchange stations to be manufactured in a Hungarian factory
First NIO House opened in Europe
The Chinese electric car manufacturer and Tesla competitor NIO now wants to gain a foothold in Europe in addition to the home market. Last year, the car manufacturer opened its first sales location outside of China, the NIO House in Oslo, Norway. Since then, the E-SUV ES8 has also been sold there, which, depending on the model, has a range of 375 to 500 kilometers, can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.9 seconds and starts at a price of 539,000 Norwegian kroner (approx 55,000 euros) is available. With the “Battery as a Service” package, the electric car manufacturer also offers customers rechargeable batteries as a subscription model. A package with a 100 kWh battery is currently available in Norway for 1,999 kroner per month, and from Christmas 2022 the standard package for 1,399 kronor will also be included in the portfolio, which includes a 75 kWh battery. NIO also wants to offer a 150 kWh battery in 2023, but the price for this premium package has not yet been announced.
Sales in Germany are scheduled to start in 2022
In the second half of 2022, NIO also plans to start selling NIO cars in Germany, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. NIO’s global design center, where designs for new vehicles are worked out, is already based in Munich. Germany therefore has priority in future expansion plans, according to a communication from NIO founder and CEO William Li and NIO Germany boss Ralph Kranz from June 2022. “NIO has been connected to this country since our beginnings,” says the Announcement. “NIO’s design DNA, which drives all of our design decisions, was developed at our global design center in Munich. It’s also where our NIO EP9 became the fastest in 2017 electric car the world. The lap record was set with a time of 6:45:900 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.” For this reason, the company also wants to offer its products and services in Germany in the future.
NIO Power Europe plant starts operations in September
The NIO Power Europe plant in Hungary, which will open in September, is now also to drive the expansion into Europe. Located in Pest County, the factory will cover an area of 10,000 square meters. Despite the company’s ambitious plans, the first plant outside of China will not produce electric cars or even batteries, but rather battery swap stations from NIO Power Swap. The stations should enable NIO drivers to quickly and conveniently replace the installed batteries. “By the time your favorite song has stopped playing, the battery has already been replaced with a fully charged battery,” the company writes on its website. “With every swap, the condition of the battery and electrical system is carefully checked to ensure that both the car and the battery are in optimal condition.” In addition, NIO’s vehicles are also compatible with common charging stations.
Preparation for upcoming market entries
In addition to the production of the battery exchange stations, the NIO Power Europe plant will also be used as a service, research and development location for NIO’s charging solutions. With the new Power-Werk, NIO wants to offer European customers a better user experience and make it easier to enter the German, Swedish, Danish and Dutch markets. “The operation of the NIO Power Europe facility will further accelerate the construction of NIO Power Swap stations in these countries and provide a solid foundation for local battery swapping and charging services,” the company said in a press release.
Shell partnership to bring additional stations
In November last year, it was also announced that NIO is working with the oil and gas group Shell to set up a total of 100 power swap stations in China by 2025. In Europe, further battery exchange stations are to be created as a result of the cooperation. European NIO customers should also be able to benefit from Shell’s charging network. “The cooperation demonstrates Shell’s determination to accelerate the energy transition and contribute to sustainable development worldwide,” Li praised the joint agreement. “We believe that by working with Shell, we can offer better services and experiences to EV users around the world.”
4,000 power swap stations by 2025
According to the e-car portal “InsideEVs”, more than 900 NIOs battery replacement stations are already being operated in China. The first power swap station on European soil was opened in Norway in January 2022. By the end of the year, NIO intends to operate 20 such facilities in Europe. By 2025, 4,000 of the stations should have been placed worldwide, with 3,000 of them estimated for China.
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