It takes only three minutes to swap a fully charged battery. It would take hours to get a vehicle fully charged.

"The Norwegians are investing very heavily in green technology, and Nio, from China, is coming to Norway with their green technology such as exchange stations," said Marius Hayler, CEO of Nio Norway.

Nio said it plans to install 20 battery-exchange stations in Norway's five largest cities and on some of the country's major roads.

"There is real competition in Norway now. Norway is the country with the greatest variety of EV models available," said Christina Bu, secretary-general of the Norwegian EV Association.

"But where the Chinese are really at the forefront is the technology," said Bu, citing the digital assistant in the dashboard of Nio's cars as an example.

Nio Europe CEO Alexander Schwarz said, "Norway is the starting point in our journey in Europe and beyond."