Nio has further plans for capacity deployment and aims to announce them by May 1, Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of the Chinese electric vehicle company, said Monday.

Qin made the remarks in an interview with Chinese media when asked if Nio was building a second factory.

The Nio plant's capacity rose to 7,500 units per month at the beginning of the year, and deliveries last month were close to 7,300 units, with an actual capacity of a little more than 7,500 units, he said.

Nio can produce 150,000 units per year and expects to reach it in less than a year, he said, adding that capacity is never a problem to worry about in China.

In late January, CnEVPost reported that the construction of Nio's second plant has entered the construction bidding stage.

The Hefei Public Resources Exchange Center issued a tender announcement to recruit contractors for the construction of a new energy passenger vehicle body parts project for Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co.

The announcement did not specify that the project is Nio's second plant, but cls.cn quoted the project manager as saying, "This project is the second plant JAC is building for Nio, and the current production capacity is no longer enough."

The announcement shows that the estimated contract price of the project is about RMB 350 million ($54 million), with a planned construction period of 370 calendar days.

The construction of the project includes a new painting workshop, PDI workshop, energy center and sewage treatment station, parking lot for finished vehicles, shipping yard for finished vehicles and related supporting auxiliary facilities.

(Source: CnEVPost)