(NationalUSNews.com) — Chinese carmaker NIO’s founder and CEO, William Li, livestreamed a trip down China’s east coast on December 17th in an impressive stunt to show off the capabilities of their electric car, the ET7, which is one of the company’s flagship electric vehicles. The 600-mile car trip made on a single charge illustrates the superior staying power over Tesla’s longest-range Model S, which has a range of 405 miles. The battery for the ET7 is one of the largest available in any electric passenger car.
The 150-kilowatt-hour battery pack weighs 1,267 pounds, which is slightly heavier but has the same dimensions as their 100-kilowatt-hour pack. The company will be offering a battery swap system for any of their current electric car models to upgrade to the new higher-efficiency pack. NIO collaborated on the design of the battery with CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, to create cells with a solid-state electrolyte diaphragm, a silicon composite anode, and a high-nickel cathode. This design will make the vehicles have a longer range with a single charge in all weather conditions.
Electric vehicles are often criticized for their high prices which put them out of reach for everyday consumers. Prices start around $30,000, rising to over $100,000 depending on the make and model. This new, improved battery system will cost customers considerably more than NIO’s current battery packs. The ET7 is projected to retail for about 298,000 Chinese yuan, or $42,000 in US dollars. This would put the new model in the same price range as the Tesla Model 3. The Telsa Model 3 has the smallest battery capacity of 262 miles on a single charge.
NIO CEO Li commented that the 14-hour drive in their ET7 represents an incredible advance that may increase consumer confidence that electric cars can compete with internal combustion engines. He believes that this is an important step in the transformation of the automotive industry away from its reliance on gasoline and towards the use of electricity. NIO expects production of their next-generation electric vehicle batteries to begin in April 2024.
Copyright 2023, NationalUSNews.com
