Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio (NYSE: NIO) and furniture retail giant and real estate conglomerate Red Star Macalline Group (Red Star) today signed a partnership agreement to jointly build 60 charging stations and battery swap stations.

Under the agreement, Nio will receive support from Red Star for the construction and operation of the stations in 2021, which is expected to further enhance the quality of energy replenishment services for Nio customers.

Nio Vice President Shen Fei said, "Through this strategic partnership with Red Star, Nio will accelerate the replenishment of energy, and is committed to bringing a more convenient replenishment experience to its customers."

Zhang Peifeng, president of Red Star's parking business, said, "Nio Power is a very important partner in Red Star's ecosystem, and in 2021, Red Star will strengthen the strategic cooperation with Nio and give Nio more support."

Nio built seven new battery swap stations in January, and plans to build 12 more before the Chinese New Year that falls on February 12thisyear.

Nio mentioned the plan when it released January vehicle delivery figures on Monday. The company delivered 7,225 vehicles in January, up 352.1 percent year-over-year and another record high.

Late last month, Nio said it had 179 battery swap stations, 101 Superchargers, 820 superchargers and access to more than 360,000 third-party charging posts as of Jan. 21, 2021.

Nio customers enjoy free lifetime off-site recharge service and 12 free annual off-site recharge services.