Chinese automaker Nio deployed a battery swap station (also known as Power Swap Station, PSS) in a place with temperatures reaching -48°C. It is Heihe, China’s northernmost prefecture-level city that borders Russia. It has long winters with approximately 200 days of sub-zero temperatures annually. Nio officials said that the establishment of the PSS proves that this technology can withstand extreme conditions of northern regions. Heihe is also a well-known location for cold-weather testing of battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Low-temperature conditions usually reduce battery performance. This leads to a drop in range and charging efficiency. Nio’s PSS in Heihe According to Nio, its PSS has an insulated enclosure with an independent temperature-controlled chamber. The battery storage area is equipped with a thermal management system that works around the clock. It helps maintain the batteries within a temperature range of 15 to 30°C. As a result, there is no impact of freezing temperatures on charging speeds. Nio highlighted that automated mechanical components of the station are also pre-heated to ensure the battery-swapping process remains stable. As a result, Nio, Onvo, and Firefly owners can “enjoy a seamless, three-minute battery swap without ever needing to step out of the car, wait in the biting cold, or worry about the uncertainties of energy replenishment in low temperatures,” the press release says. Nio’s PSS network map (as of November 15) It is worth noting that Nio deployed a PSS in Turpan, which is the hottest place in China, with temperatures reaching 50°C. So, the company’s battery swap stations can operate within a 100°C temperature range. Nio currently has 4,262 battery swap stations across China, ranking first in the industry. It has performed 131.29 million battery swaps cumulatively. Nio also deployed 5,593 charging stations with 32,669 piles. It is worth noting that Nio initially planned to establish 4,790 power swap stations worldwide by the end of 2026. However, the PSS network’s international development has been suffering from a bumpy road, with only 62 locations across Europe and the Middle East. So, the current number of battery swap stations for this automaker is 4,324 units. So, Nio is still far from accomplishing its goal. In August 2026, Nio established the first 5-gen battery swap station in China. It supports Firefly-branded vehicles. Moreover, it can perform a battery swap in 1 minute and 48 seconds. It is 36 seconds faster than the previous 4-gen PSS. The new battery swap station can store 28 battery packs. This means it can handle up to 500 swaps a day. According to China EV DataTracker, Nio sold 34,246 cars globally in October 2026, down 15.2% Year-Over-Year. However, its cumulative sales from January to October this year reached 334,547 units, surging by 38.5% Y-O-Y.
Liked by Jenna Anderson, Isabelle Hill
Liked by Jenna Anderson, Isabelle Hill
Liked by Jenna Anderson, Isabelle Hill