NIO has signed a five-year extension to its strategic collaboration with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) to co-develop long-life battery cells and advanced battery management systems. The renewed agreement covers joint investment in a new research facility in Hefei, with an initial R&D budget of 500 million yuan over two years. Both companies aim to reduce cell degradation by 30% and enhance energy density by 15% in next-generation lithium-iron-phosphate and ternary-lithium cells.

Building on its battery-as-a-service model, NIO plans to expand its network of battery swap stations from the current 1,700 locations to over 4,000 by December 2025. The company will add 600 new swap stations in first- and second-tier Chinese cities this year, targeting a 25% increase in average daily swap throughput. NIO projects that the expanded network will support up to 800,000 swap operations per month, cutting average customer waiting time to under four minutes.

NIO delivered 31,138 vehicles in December 2024, marking a 72.9% year-over-year increase, and achieved full-year deliveries of 221,970 units, up 38.7% from 2023. The company’s Hefei manufacturing complex ramped capacity to 200,000 vehicles annually in late 2024, with plans to add a second production line capable of 150,000 vehicles per year by Q3 2025. Management expects output to double in 2025, targeting over 440,000 deliveries as NEV adoption grows in China.

NIO opened its first overseas battery swap station in Hungary in mid-2022 and has since established five service centers and two accessory distribution hubs across Europe. The company announced entry into Australia and New Zealand markets in early 2025, with plans to deploy 50 swap stations and six service outlets by year-end. Initial deliveries to Europe and Oceania are slated to exceed 10,000 vehicles in 2025, supporting NIO’s goal of achieving 20% of total volume from international markets by 2028.