ChargePoint, Nio, and Archer Aviation are high-risk, high-reward plays.
Many electric vehicle (EV) stocks soared to their all-time highs during the buying frenzy in meme stocks in 2021. But in 2022 and 2023, many of those stocks crumbled as rising interest rates curbed the growth of the EV market, compressed their lofty valuations, and drove investors toward more conservative investments.
Some of those stocks recovered in 2024 as interest rates declined, but the unpredictable tariffs and escalating trade war drove many of them to give up their gains in 2025.
It’s not a great idea to go all-in on EV stocks before those headwinds wane, but it might be smart to dollar-cost average into some of the more promising plays in smaller $100 increments. I believe these three unloved EV stocks are worth nibbling on right now: ChargePoint Holdings (CHPT 3.98%), Nio (NIO 4.03%), and Archer Aviation (ACHR 2.66%).
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ChargePoint
ChargePoint is a leading builder of EV charging networks in the U.S. and Europe. At the end of fiscal 2025 (which ended this January), it managed 342,000 charging ports. More than 33,000 of those ports were Level 3 fast chargers.
The company mainly serves businesses that want to host their own charging stations and set their own rates. It supports its hosts with network access, billing, and customer support. By comparison, Tesla‘s network of more than 60,000 Level 3 Superchargers doesn’t offer those services and is an extension of the automaker’s core business.
ChargePoint grew rapidly in fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2023 (which ended in January 2023) as the EV market heated up. However, its revenue only rose 8% in fiscal 2024 and declined 18% in fiscal 2025. That jarring slowdown was caused by rising interest rates, which chilled the EV market and drove many businesses to curb their spending on new charging stations.
In fiscal 2025, ChargePoint’s gross and operating margins improved as it rolled out new dynamic pricing plans and downsized its workforce. For fiscal 2026, analysts expect its revenue to rise 11% as it further narrows its net losses.
With a market cap of $261 million, it looks dirt cheap at 0.6 times this year’s sales, so any positive news could drive its stock a lot higher.
Nio
Nio is a major producer of electric sedans, SUVs, and compact cars in China. It differentiates itself from its competitors with its removable batteries, which can be swapped out at its own battery stations as a faster alternative to traditional chargers. It’s also been expanding into Europe even as it faces higher tariffs.
Annual deliveries more than doubled in 2020 and 2021, but they only rose 34% in 2022 and 31% in 2023. That slowdown, which it attributed to macro, supply chain, competitive, and weather-related headwinds, rattled its investors.
But in 2024, its deliveries increased 39%, and its vehicle margins stabilized. That acceleration was driven by its brisk sales of high-end ET-series sedans and Onvo midsize SUVs.
Nio won’t turn profitable anytime soon, but it’s trying to stabilize its losses by trimming its workforce and is mulling a sale of its low-margin Nio Power battery business. It also still has plenty of cash and is backed by local government subsidies.
For 2025, analysts expect revenue to rise 39% as it ramps up its sales of Onvo SUVs to families, rolls out its Firefly compact EV in China and Europe, and captures more of the premium market with its new ET9 flagship sedan. That’s an incredible growth rate for a stock that trades at 0.6 times this year’s sales.
Archer Aviation
In Archer Aviation’s case, the EVs can fly. It develops electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The company’s flagship product is the Midnight, which carries one pilot and four passengers. It can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge at a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour. Management claims its aircraft are greener, cheaper, and easier to land than traditional helicopters.
Archer has delivered only a single aircraft for evaluation purposes so far. But this year, it plans to deliver its first revenue-generating eVTOL to a new air taxi service in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
It also aims to ramp up its annual production to 10 aircraft in 2025, 48 aircraft in 2026, 252 aircraft in 2027, and 650 aircraft in 2028. It recently started using Palantir‘s AI services to accelerate its production and improve its aviation systems.
Archer hasn’t generated any revenue so far, but it has a big backlog of orders from several major airlines and the U.S. Air Force. If it can achieve its ambitious goals, analysts expect its revenue to surge to $471 million in 2027.
This is still a highly speculative investment. With a market cap of $3.82 billion, the company already trades at eight times its best-case scenario sales in 2027. It’s also expected to stay unprofitable for the foreseeable future.
However, Archer could also grow much bigger over the following years as the eVTOL and air taxi markets expand. If that happens, it could generate multibagger gains for speculative investors who nibble on its stock today.
