While we are still discussing fast charging versus refueling, in China it is the most normal thing in the world to change your entire battery. NIO has set a new daily record: nearly 150,000 batteries were swapped in a single day. The figures show that the system works, although the scale on which this happens is barely comprehensible by European standards.
The start of Chinese New Year, the largest annual movement of people in the world, is traditionally the ultimate stress test for infrastructure. Millions of Chinese get in their cars to visit relatives.
For NIO, Feb. 15, 2026, was a historic day. The brand performed a whopping 146,649 battery changes in 24 hours. This record follows shortly after another milestone: earlier this month, the brand passed the mark of 100 million swaps in total since its inception in 2018.
Scale in China is huge
To put these figures in perspective: NIO now has a network of more than 3,750 switch stations (Power Swap Stations) in China, of which more than 1,000 are located along highways.
The idea is simple: you drive into a box, a robot unscrews your dead battery and puts back a full one. The process takes a few minutes, faster than fast charging. The infrastructure now connects 550 cities and covers major thoroughfares from north to south.
Switch station proves itself during peak load
The peak during Chinese New Year is no coincidence. The Chinese government makes the highways toll-free during holidays, creating a huge traffic rush. An estimated 12 million New Energy Vehicles (EVs and hybrids) are on the road daily during this period.
Whereas charging stations during such peak times are often occupied and cause long waits, the switching system provides a faster alternative for the masses. NIO expects the record to be broken again in the coming days, if the travel rush continues.
Dutch situation lags behind Chinese reality
While the technology is impressive, the situation in Europe and the Netherlands is of a different order. Here, NIO is steadily building a network of switching stations, but density and usage are not yet comparable to the home market.
In the Netherlands, ten stations are operational, providing sufficient coverage for local NIO drivers, but for now it remains a niche solution compared to the finely meshed network of fast chargers (such as Fastned and Tesla Superchargers) that we know here. Each NIO station can switch batteries up to 312 times a day and can accommodate 13 batteries.
The question remains whether this technology will ever achieve the same mass adoption in Europe as in China, or whether it will remain a luxury extra for a specific brand.
Image source: Robert / Adobe Stock
