In 2021, NIO delivered 91,429 new vehicles, achieving a remarkable growth compared to the previous year, while being outsold by XPeng in terms of annual deliveries.

Despite the loss of sales championship among Chinese NEV startups, the company made significant headway in roll-out of new products, car production capacity expansion, development of EV charging & battery swap networks and sales & service channels, as well as overseas business deployment last year. ZXZC hereby made the retrospective report about NIO's 2021 stories.  

NIO launches fifth production model ET5 on NIO Day 2021

On Dec. 18, 2021, Chinese EV startup NIO launched its fifth mass-produced model and also second sedan, the ET5, at the NIO Day 2021, its most important event of the year.

At the event, the company officially began the preorder of the newly-unveiled model and said the model is expected for delivery from Sept. next year.

Aside from the unveiling of the ET5, NIO claimed the ET7, the company's first sedan model, will be available for delivery from March 28 next year.

As for the building of NIO's power network, the startup said it had to-day deployed 733 battery swap stations, 3,348 destination chargers, 3,136 Super Chargers, and had access to 440,000 third-party chargers.

NIO fulfills annual target of battery swap station deployment ahead of schedule

NIO installed its 700th battery swap station in China on Dec. 10, hitting its annual target ahead of schedule, according to NIO’s press release.

NIO fully opens monthly flexible battery upgrade service

On Dec. 5, Chinese EV startup NIO announced it has launched a new battery upgrading plan to the public across China, which allows users of 70/75kWh battery pack to get a 100kWh one by paying 880 yuan ($140) on a monthly basis.

NIO to co-build green ecosystem with Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

NIO is about to offer its electric vehicles and EV charging facilities to Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, as part of a plan to co-build the green ecosystem with the park, the EV startup announced on Dec. 2. 

NIO sees ET7's pre-production vehicles come off assembly line

The first pre-production vehicles of the ET7, NIO's fourth mass-produced model, rolled off the assembly line on Nov. 29, indicating that NIO has started the validation of its plant's ability to produce the model in a small scale, the startup announced via its twitter-like Weibo account.

NIO, Shell to team up on construction, operation of battery swap stations

NIO announced on Nov. 25 it has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Shell, a global energy and petrochemical group, to boost the cooperation in the electric vehicle (EV) and energy industries globally.

Manufacturing facility installation begins at NIO's second production plant

On Nov. 24, NIO announced the installation of the first batch of manufacturing facilities commenced at its second production base, which is also the Hefei-based NeoPark's first plant.

NIO works with Guangdong Top-E on building battery swap stations at highway rest stops

NIO signed an agreement in late Nov. with Guangdong Top-E Expressway Service Zone Company Limited (Guangdong Top-E) as part of efforts to expand its battery swapping network for highways.

NIO ET7 to come standard with Dolby Atmos sound tech

NIO announced on Nov. 16 the cooperation it formed with Dolby Laboratories (Dolby), a leader in immersive entertainment experiences. Through the partnership, Dolby Atmos, a surround sound technology developed by Dolby, will be included on the standard equipment list of all NIO ET7s.

NIO Oct. car deliveries impacted due to retooling of production line

NIO would delay the delivery of some vehicles, which are supposed to be handed over to consumers in October, as its vehicle production was affected this month by the modification works at the JAC-NIO Advanced Manufacturing Center in Hefei, according to a notification NIO released on Oct. 29.

Former executive of chip developer Xilinx joins NIO as chief expert

Hu Chengchen, former director of the Labs Asia Pacific of Xilinx, the world's largest programmable chip developer, joined Chinese EV startup NIO in October as chief expert and assistant to vice president, according to the information updated on Mr. Hu's personal Linkedin account.

NIO to introduce distributed photovoltaic power plants for battery swap stations

On Oct. 19, NIO formed a strategic partnership with Unisun Energy, a Chinese leading clean energy solutions provider, to turn its battery swapping stations into distributed photovoltaic power plants, according to a post on Unisun Energy's WeChat account.

JAC-NIO Advanced Manufacturing Center completes staged upgrade for production lines

A phased upgrade for the production lines at the JAC-NIO Advanced Manufacturing Center in Hefei was completed on October 15, according to NIO, paving the way for future introduction of new vehicle models and capacity expansion.

NIO ES8 launched in Norway

On September 30, NIO officially launched its ES8 in Norway and commenced user delivery. NIO House | Oslo opened to the public on October 1.

NIO China's legal entity sees registered capital increase to 6.429 billion yuan

NIO Holding Ltd. (NIO Holding), the legal entity of the Hefei-headquartered NIO China, has seen its registered capital increase to 6.429 billion yuan ($1.011 million) from 6.167 billion yuan ($969.456 million), according to an update from Chinese business data provider Tianyancha.

NIO ET7 hits drag coefficient of 0.208

On Sept. 24, NIO announced the ET7, its fourth mass-produced model and first sedan model, has achieved a drag coefficient of 0.208 as a result of a recent wind tunnel test, versus 0.23 initially announced.

The startup claimed it is the second best performance for production models worldwide, only 0.008 higher than that of the Mercedes-Benz EQS.

NIO launches 75kWh standard-range hybrid-cell battery

NIO announced the launch of its 75kWh standard-range hybrid-cell battery on September 23. Vehicle models armed with the new battery are available for orders from 14:00 on the same day, and would be handed over to users from November 2021.

NIO launches plan for expressway battery swapping network

NIO plans to complete the deployment of its “five vertical + seven horizontal expressways + four city clusters” battery swapping network before the Chinese New Year Holiday in 2022, the Chinese EV startup announced on Sept. 21.

NIO joins hands with property developer Times China to deploy NEV-related facilities

NIO and Times China, a leading urban development operator with engagement in China's residential project development, signed a letter of intent on September 8 to form a long-term strategic partnership for businesses including the deployment of new energy vehicles (NEV)-related facilities, according to a statement from Times China.

NIO releases NIO OS 3.0.0 in-car operating system

On August 31, NIO launched the newest version of its in-car operating system, NIO OS 3.0.0, and started pushing it to users at the same time, said the EV startup.

Compared to older systems, the NIO OS 3.0.0 features upgrades in the interface deployments, interaction logic, and overall visual effect of console-mounted display, dashboard, and HUD (head-up display), providing more sci-tech sense and elegance for NIO’s cockpits.

Meanwhile, NIO released a new naming system for its intelligent operating systems. The NT1 and NT2 platform-based model systems are named “Aspen” and “Banyan” respectively.

NIO, Sinopec's Hainan branch join hands to deploy EV charging, battery swapping stations

On August 31, NIO and Sinopec Group's Hainan sales subsidiary (called “Sinopec Hainan” for short) entered into a strategic agreement to co-deploy EV charging and battery swapping stations.

At the same time, the first EV charging & battery swapping station co-built by the two parties started operation at a rest stop next to a highway in Qionghai city.

NIO to tap mass market by launching all-new brand

NIO, a high-profile Chinese EV startup, has moved faster on its preparations to make mass-market products under a fire new brand, William Bin Lin, NIO's founder, chairman, and CEO, said at the earnings call after the company's Q2 financial results were published on Aug. 11.

NIO teams up with Shanghai's Lingang Group for NEV tech innovation, smart mobility service

NIO and Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co.,Ltd. (Lingang Group), the largest industrial park developer in Shanghai, entered into a strategic partnership on August 9 to co-work on promoting the development of local NEV industry.

According to a statement Lingang Group posted on its WeChat account, both parties will cooperate on NEV-related key projects, the R&D of cutting-edge technical businesses, and the building of industrial platforms.

NIO starts shipping ES8s to Norway

The first batch of the NIO ES8s for delivery to Norwegian users was shipped from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Port on July 20, and was expected for preorder and delivery in September 2021, NIO said on July 22.

NIO aims to deploy 4,000 plus battery swapping stations in world by 2025

NIO is ambitious to deploy over 4,000 battery swapping stations worldwide by 2025, around 1,000 of which will be located outside China, the startup said in early July on the NIO Power Day 2021.

NIO's first C sample of SiC e-motor system comes off production line

NIO announced the first C sample of its SiC (silicon carbide) electric drive system rolled off the production line on June 22. According to the company, the C sample is used for the testing and validation of crafts and production procedure.

JAC continues to offer NIO contract manufacturing service for three years

NIO announced on May 24 it has signed agreements with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co.,Ltd. (JAC) and Jianglai Advanced Manufacturing Technology (Anhui) Co.,Ltd. (Jianglai) for the joint production of NIO's vehicles and relevant fee arrangements, marking a continuity of the EV contract manufacturing service JAC had offered to NIO for five years. 

NIO announces strategy for market entry into Norway

On May 6, NIO formally announced its market entry into Norway, signaling the beginning of its overseas onslaught.

The first vehicle to be introduced to Norway is the ES8 SUV, NIO's first mass-produced model. NIO said it will start delivering the ES8 in the country in this year's September and then hand over the ET7 sedan from 2022.

NeoPark officially kicks off

On April 29, 2021, NeoPark, a smart electric vehicle industry park at Xinqiao, Hefei, Anhui province, was officially kicked off.

NIO is honored to be one of the largest members of NeoPark, a world-class smart electric vehicle industry cluster encompassing innovative research and development of vehicles, core parts and components, and autonomous driving, envisions becoming a pioneering innovation chain with global competitiveness.

Bright spots of NIO at Auto Shanghai 2021

At the Auto Shanghai 2021, NIO strived to grab the attention of as many as viewers by bringing its iconic NIO House experience and showcasing its entire product lineup.

Among the models being showed, the ET7, NIO's smart electric flagship sedan unveiled at the NIO Day in January, made its first appearance at an auto show with the official debut of the interior.

NIO launches Power North energy supply plan at Auto Shanghai 2021

At the Auto Shanghai 2021 kicking off on April 19, NIO announced its new energy supply plan “Power North” that focuses on the construction of EV charging and battery swapping infrastructures and charging preferential policies for consumers using NIO's cars in North of China.

NIO, Sinopec ink agreement to co-develop battery swap business

NIO and Sinopec, the Chinese state-owned oil producer, signed an agreement on April 15 for a strategic cooperation on the deployment of battery swapping stations.

Under the agreement, the duo will also carry out all-around collaboration on such spheres as new materials, smart electric vehicles, BaaS (Battery as a Service), vehicle procurement and the building of scenarios for recreation and consumption. NIO said they would leverage respective advantages to develop innovative cooperation models for both global energy and automobile industries.

NIO hits 100,000-unit production milestone

On April 7, NIO saw its 100,000th mass-produced vehicle roll off the assembly line at the JAC-NIO Advanced Manufacturing Center in Hefei.

NIO to suspend car production for 5 workdays due to semiconductor shortage

NIO announced on March 26 that it decided to suspend the vehicle production in the Hefei-based JAC-NIO manufacturing plant for five workings days from March 29, 2021 because of the shortage of semiconductors.

NIO Holding, JAC Motors to set up joint venture in Hefei

The Anhui-based automaker JAC Motors and NIO Holding Ltd. signed on March 4 a letter of intent for the establishment of a joint venture in Hefei, where NIO China is headquartered, according to JAC Motors’ announcement.

The joint venture was temporarily named “Jianglai Advanced Manufacturing Technology (Anhui) Co.,Ltd.”.

Under the letter of intent, both parties intended to deepen their cooperation on advanced manufacturing, management of services and supply chain related to intelligent-connected new energy vehicles.

NIO, Red Star Macalline to co-work on building EV charging, battery swapping stations

NIO and Red Star Macalline, a leading Chinese furniture retailer, signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement on Feb. 2 to jointly build EV charging and battery swapping stations.

NIO launches first sedan model ET7 at NIO Day

Chinese EV startup NIO launched its first sedan model, the NIO ET7, at the NIO Day held on Jan. 9.

The car adopts Qualcomm's third-generation automotive digital cockpit platform and carries such connectivity capabilities as 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and UWB (ultra-wideband). Moreover, the 7.1.4 immersive system with 23 speakers is also one of the selling points touted by NIO.

NIO launches used car service ‘NIO Certified’

NIO launched its self-operating used car service dubbed “NIO Certified” on Jan. 3, which is in tune with its emphasis on service and user experience.