Nio cooperates with EnBW: 20 charging parks with battery exchange station

With the Nio ET7, the manufacturer’s first electric car has also been available in Germany since October 2022, albeit initially only as a car subscription. One special feature is the battery-changing stations, which have been few and far between in this country. Nio is cooperating with EnBW to change that and is equipping 20 charging parks with the battery swap stations.

Nio cooperates with EnBW

The battery swap stations from Chinese automaker Nio allows batteries to be changed in about five minutes. At least in the case of the Nio ES8 e-SUV. The change is fully automatic. In China, the stations are enjoying enormous popularity.

In October 2022, the first battery exchange station went into operation at the Sortimo charging park on the A8 between Munich and Stuttgart, just in time for the local market launch of the Nio ET7 e-sedan. Now, thanks to a new cooperation with EnBW, a whole 20 new charging parks will follow.

“NIO users will be able to have their batteries swapped at up to 20 fast-charging parks in the EnBW HyperNetz in the future, including in Herleshausen (Hesse) and Großburgwedel (Lower Saxony),” the automaker announced in the corresponding press release.

More battery swap stations to follow

At EnBW’s fast-charging sites, Nio is installing its Power Swap Stations (PSS), which allow batteries to be swapped quickly and fully automatically. Other locations with PSS are to follow at additional EnBW sites in the future. Cooperation is also to be intensified in other areas, such as energy management.

“In addition to the options of charging at the home wallbox and fast charging, these get maximum flexibility: in addition to the possibility in the future also to change to another battery size and so if necessary to upgrade the vehicle, thoughts concerning the life of their battery are a thing of the past,” says Ralph Kranz, General Manager Nio Deutschland GmbH.

Worldwide, more than 1,200 of the Nio Power Swap Stations are already in operation. A PSS is thereby approximately as large as a double garage and is to be able to accomplish maximally 312 battery changes per day. Up to 13 e-car batteries are charged at 40 kW to 80 kW, which is particularly gentle on the grid and batteries.

Nio ET7, EL7 and ET5 now also with purchase option

Nio starts in Germany with the models ET7, EL7 and ET5, others are to follow. Meanwhile, the models are also available with a purchase option. The manufacturer’s flagship sedan, the Nio ET7, starts from 69,900 euros.

The more compact and less expensive ET5, on the other hand, is available from 49,900 euros. The Nio EL7 electric SUV, on the other hand, is priced from at least 73,900 euros. The battery is not yet included in the price of the vehicles.

Here the manufacturer offers two variants: A standard battery with a capacity of 75 kWh and an extended battery with 100 kWh, which of course significantly increases the range of the electric cars. The ET7 has a range of 445 km according to WLTP and 580 km respectively. The batteries can be subscribed to for a monthly fee or purchased directly – which at 12,000 euros for the standard battery and 21,000 euros for the extended battery module is no bargain.