Nio's battery swap record during the Chinese New Year travel rush: A closer look
Nio, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, has set a new daily battery swap record of 146,649 swaps on February 15, 2026, coinciding with the start of the Chinese New Year holiday travel rush. This achievement comes just days after reaching its 100 millionth battery swap on February 6. With an extensive energy replenishment network across China, including over 8,600 charging and battery swap stations, Nio is well-prepared to handle the surge in traffic during the holiday period.
The Chinese New Year holiday travel rush is expected to follow a 'low before, high after' pattern, with tidal fluctuations, according to the Ministry of Transport's 'Spring Festival Highway Network Operation Analysis Report'. The report forecasts an average daily traffic volume of 55 million vehicles on national highways during the Spring Festival, a 4.5% increase compared to the same period in 2025. The peak is expected on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year (February 22nd), with traffic reaching 71 million vehicles, approximately double the normal daily volume.
New energy vehicles (NEVs) are expected to account for approximately 22% of total traffic during the holiday period, with a daily average of 12 million NEVs on the road. During the peak day, NEV traffic could reach 15.3 million vehicles. With these projections, Nio's recent battery swap record may soon be broken as more travellers hit the road in the coming days, putting the company's innovative energy replenishment network to the ultimate test during China's busiest travel period.
Nio's previous daily battery swap record was broken during last year's National Day holiday, as China offers free access to its national expressways during several major holidays to promote consumption. The Spring Festival long holiday, which occurs annually in January or February, and the National Day holiday in October, are the most significant of these holidays.
Liu Miao, a contributor to the energy transition at CNC, covers NEVs and batteries and loves driving his electric vehicle around in his spare time.
