Nio-Backed Weineng Battery Asset Adds RMB 9.8 Billion Battery Asset Project in Wuhan’s Optics Valley
Wuhan Weineng Battery Asset has signed an agreement with the Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone to build a battery “new infrastructure” project with total investment of RMB 9.8 billion (US$1.4 billion), according to an update from “China Optics Valley” on March 12. The deal marks another expansion by Nio Inc. in Hubei province and reinforces Optics Valley’s push into energy storage.
Weineng Battery Asset was established in Optics Valley in 2020 as a joint venture involving Nio Inc. and Contemporary Amperex Technology, among others. It positions itself as the world’s first battery asset management company built around a “vehicle-battery separation” model and has become a domestic leader in that segment.
The newly signed project will focus on scaling battery asset management, battery application technologies and the commercialization of related outcomes, while supporting Nio’s Battery as a Service users. Under the BaaS model, customers can buy vehicles without purchasing a battery pack, choose different battery capacities for rental and pay a monthly service fee, gaining access to a system that supports charging, swapping and upgrades.
The agreement adds to Nio’s existing footprint in Optics Valley, where it has already deployed phase one and phase two of its Nio Power headquarters project. Nio said it has built 3,753 battery swap stations nationwide and installed more than 28,000 charging piles, underscoring how infrastructure scale has become central to customer retention and service delivery for BaaS-linked offerings.
Local officials have highlighted Nio’s economic contribution in Wuhan as a reference point for the region’s industrial policy goals. In 2025, Nio’s Wuhan operations contributed about RMB 12 billion (US$1.7 billion) in fixed-asset investment and generated roughly RMB 6.7 billion (US$0.9 billion) in service-sector revenue, according to the Optics Valley update.
The Weineng project also lands amid a broader build-out of Optics Valley’s energy storage cluster. The area has attracted a number of major players, including EVE Energy, which has set up an energy storage headquarters and R&D operations focused on core lithium-battery technologies; E-Fortune Laser , whose intelligent assembly lines have achieved volume deliveries and exports; and Junan Energy Storage, which is accelerating work on zinc-bromine flow battery technology aimed at long-duration storage.
For investors, the latest commitment signals continued capital deployment tied to battery services and infrastructure-led business models, while highlighting Optics Valley’s strategy of anchoring a supply chain around asset management, technology commercialization and diversified storage pathways.
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