Shanghai (ZXZC)- Chinese EV startup NIO on Jan. 7 entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Zhejiang Commercial Group Co.,Ltd., a Zhejiang-based state-run company providing trade circulation service, to jointly build battery swap facilities.

NIO, Zhejiang Commercial Group; photo credit: Zhejiang Commercial Group

Under the agreement, both parties plan to build battery swap stations at 15 pairs of expressway service plazas in Zhejiang province by the end of June 2022.

NIO boosts the deployment of its battery swap network through collaboration with partners. It has joined hands with such leading energy firms as State Grid, SINOPEC, PetroChina and Shell, and many commercial business conglomerates like Red Star Macalline, Metro AG, AEON and Yintai Group to jointly build battery swap stations. Besides, NIO also teams up with the expressway operators of Beijing, Guangdong, Anhui, Hubei, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Shannxi for the construction of battery swap facilities on highways.

By the end of Dec. 2021, NIO had deployed a total of 777 battery swap stations, 605 of which were newly built last year. Of the new stations deployed in 2021, 160 were dedicated to expressways, resulting in 205 stations in the cumulative volume.

Moreover, NIO had also deployed 605 supercharging stations, 3,404 supercharging piles, 626 destination charging stations, and has access to over 450,000 third-party charging poles as of Dec. 2021.

The EV startup aims to have over 1,300 battery swap stations, 6,000 supercharging piles, and 10,000 destination charging piles by 2022.