Chinese EV maker NIO has opened its 22nd battery-swapping station in Germany, bringing its European network to 61. But behind the promise of a fully charged battery in just three minutes lies an uncomfortable reality: too few compatible cars, limited use of expensive infrastructure, and little sign of further expansion. Belgium illustrates the dilemma particularly well.
The new Power Swap Station opened on October 26 in Staufenberg-Lutterberg, along Germany’s A7 motorway. Germany now has 22 stations, Norway 20, the Netherlands ten, Sweden eight, and Belgium just one. That is a far cry from NIO’s original ambition to install 1,000 swap stations outside China by 2025.
Barely five swaps daily in Europe, against 27 in China
How often are these stations actually used? NIO reached 300,000 cumulative battery swaps in Europe in June 2026, up from 250,000 in January. That represents approximately 330 swaps daily across the continent, or just 5.5 per station.
In China, the picture is very different. NIO’s network of more than 4,100 stations handles roughly 100,000 to 110,000 swaps on an ordinary day, averaging 25 to 27 per station.
During October’s National Day holiday, daily swaps peaked at a record 183,664, or 44 per station. The busiest individual station handled 211 swaps in one day.
Chinese stations are therefore used roughly five times more frequently than their European counterparts, although the European figure is based on earlier data.
Even China’s average remains below the reported break-even threshold of 60 to 70 daily swaps per station, illustrating the challenging economics of the technology.
European sales remain marginal
The number of potential users remains remarkably small. Across seven European markets, NIO Group registered just 1,321 vehicles in 2025, including its smaller Firefly EV.
In the first nine months of 2026, Norway remained its strongest established market, with 295 registrations, although only 165 were premium NIOs. Germany registered a mere 20 cars, down 90.5% year-on-year, despite having 22 battery-swap stations.
Portugal recorded 171 registrations, illustrating growth in newer distributor markets. Across eight reporting European countries, NIO Group registered 238 vehicles in September, almost 50% more than a year earlier. But much of that increase came from Firefly, which cannot use the existing European swapping network.
Belgium: one station, few cars
Belgium’s only battery-swap station opened in Edegem, near Antwerp, in December 2024, primarily targeting Dutch NIO drivers travelling south. Almost two years later, no second Belgian location has been announced.
Belgian NIO Group registrations rose from 45 in 2025 to 131 in the first nine months of 2026. However, the figures include Firefly, and the breakdown between the two brands remains unavailable.
The Netherlands presents an even clearer picture. According to RDW data, 993 NIO Group vehicles were registered in the country in October, including 839 premium NIOs and 154 Fireflies.
Of the 94 newly registered vehicles during the first nine months of 2026, only 11 were premium NIOs. The remaining 83 were Fireflies. In other words, the group’s recent Dutch sales are barely increasing the potential customer base for its ten battery-swap stations.
A chicken-and-egg problem
NIO appointed Hedin Mobility Group as its Belgian distributor in 2025, but no additional Belgian stations have been confirmed. Possible cooperation with Geely could eventually bring more compatible vehicles into the ecosystem, although concrete European plans remain absent.
Meanwhile, improving conventional fast-charging technology raises further questions about the economics of swapping.
NIO faces a classic chicken-and-egg problem: without more compatible cars, additional swap stations are difficult to justify. But without a denser network, attracting new premium NIO customers becomes equally difficult.
