Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Shanghai-based electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio is set to open its first battery swap station in the Middle East later this month, according to information shared by an internal source.
X user Arthur Shen, citing the source, stated that the station has been powered up and is undergoing testing, with a launch expected by the end of February.
On November 29, a company spokesperson told EV the station was planned to open by the “end of 2024,” depending on the permit approval process.
Shen added that while “the approval process took time,” this “should speed up future deployments.” Adjacent to the station, the EV maker is also preparing to establish a vehicle delivery center.
The first UAE battery swap station will be located at the Yas Marina F1 Circuit, about 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi, Nio’s expansion manager Geir Nevjen said in September.
Nio’s battery swap technology allows drivers to exchange an empty battery for a fully charged one in about three to four minutes. The company closed 2024 with nearly 3,000 stations in China and aims to add 2,000 more this year, bringing the total to 5,000.
Roberto Lopes da Silva, Nio’s general manager for the UAE market, joined the company in May after serving as Chief Sales Officer at Canadian EV company AXL.
In mid-2024, Nio’s engineering and product development team tested its vehicles to a range of harsh conditions in the Desert, including temperatures reaching up to 124°F (51 degrees Celsius).
Nio x CYVN Holdings
Last October, Nio announced the formation of a joint venture with its major investor CYVN Holdings, an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm, to expand to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region under the name Nio MENA.
In December 2023, Nio secured a $2.2 billion investment from CYVN Holdings, an Abu Dhabi-based investment vehicle, which increased CYVN’s ownership to 20.1% of the company’s total issued and outstanding shares.
The investment followed a $1 billion investment made by CYVN a year ago in July 2023.
Nio’s First Middle East Showroom
Last November, and a few weeks after inauguring its first retail store in Israel, the Shanghai-based opened its first store in the United Arab Emirates. The showroom is located in Galleria Al Maryah Island, a high-end hub in the UAE capital.