Shanghai (ZXZC)- NIO's supercharging network will be available to the Xpeng P7, Xpeng Motors' second offering that will hit the market on April 27, the Shanghai-based EV manufacturer announced on April 24 via its Sina Weibo account.

The two Chinese EV startups are both rivals and partners. They agreed in last December the collaboration on battery charging services, pursuant to which Xpeng Motors would gradually connect its charging network and payment processing system with NIO Power's across the country.

(Photo source: NIO's Sina Weibo account)

According to the agreement, Xpeng's car owners would be allowed to use NIO Power's supercharging piles through the Xpeng App. Correspondingly, NIO's users could utilize Xpeng's supercharging piles across many first- and second-tier cities in China.

Besides, NIO Power would also joint Xpeng's home charging service system, offering the latter's customers the services of charging pile home installation.

Charging network is a costly but indispensable part for EV service system. Saddled with the growing pressure led by the advent of more joint-venture brands and the capital shortage, some startups incline to shoulder the risks altogether by forging partnership.

Moreover, the coming of Tesla's China-built vehicles perhaps further underlines the significance of the teamwork. According to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, a total of 18,587 consumers in China bought the Mandatory Liability Insurance for Traffic Accidents of Motor Vehicle (MLI) for Tesla-branded vehicles during the first quarter, of which 16,015 were for the China-build Model 3.

Both NIO and Xpeng Motors were far outperformed by the U.S. EV maker. During the same period, the insurance volume of NIO’s ES8 and ES6 totaled 3,819 units, and only 2,331 Xpeng G3s were insured.