- NIO opens its 90th Power Journey route, adding an 989-km Northern Shanxi tourism loop with eight swap stations.
- Company will push to 100 Power Journeys this year as it deploys 5th‑gen swap stations and scales monthly installs to 150.
- NIO targets 400+ swap stations in 2026 and aims for thousands more, already operating 4.1K swaps and 120M swaps done.
On Aug. 31, NIO founder William Li announced the opening of the company’s 90th Power Journeys route — the Northern Shanxi Ancient Architecture Loop.
The 989-km loop starts in Taiyuan, passing through Mount Wutai, Yanmen Pass, Datong, Hunyuan and Ying counties, with 8 battery-swap stations along the route. It links the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple and the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple — some of Shanxi’s most significant cultural landmarks.
Unlike standard charging networks, Power Journeys target long-distance travel and tourism. NIO places battery-swap stations, charging facilities near scenic areas, highways, remote destinations.
Launched in 2020 as Power Up Plan; upgraded to Power Journeys in 2023.
Current routes cover Sichuan-Tibet Highway G318, Duku Highway, Qinghai Lake loop, Great Wall Power Journeys Route, Hainan Coastal Loop, Hulunbuir Grassland, Western Sichuan, Western Yunnan. Limited infrastructure in these regions; swapping extends EV range without relying on conventional coverage.
Turpan station came online last week; becomes 27th station on Silk Road. NIO plans to lift Power Journey count to 100 this year.
The route push comes as NIO ramps 5th-generation battery-swap stations.
From September, most additions use the 5th-gen system; adds 100 stations monthly; rising to 150 per month by year-end. NIO eyes over 400 stations in 2026.
Long-term plan: at least 1,000 stations per year; eyes 8,000 by 2030. Faster deployment potentially lifts network to 10K stations.
As of Aug. 31, NIO had 4.1K battery-swap stations, 5.2K charging stations, 30.2K charging piles; provided over 120M battery swaps to date.
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