- The car manufacturer will not sell its battery pack but only offer it through its battery-swapping stations.
- Chinese reports claim the battery pack alone is worth as much as a Nio ET5 sedan.
- An ET7 fitted with the 150 kWh pack recently traveled 665 miles on a single charge.
Nio has been promising to release a BEV with a semi-solid state battery pack for more than two years now and has finally confirmed that on June 1, its long-awaited semi-solid state battery pack will become available. It works with all existing Nio models and can be installed through one of the firm’s battery-swapping stations.
The new pack has an energy density of 360 Wh/kg, the most of any mass-produced electric vehicle battery in China. It has the same dimensions as all other Nio batteries and weighs just 44 lbs (20 kg) more than Nio’s current 100 kWh lithium-ion battery flagship. Interestingly, the semi-solid state battery will only be available to rent and can not be installed as standard in new Nio models.
Read: Nio ET7 With Semi-Solid State Batteries Drives 665 Miles In Real-World Test
Local media reports that Nio owners who have a car with either the brand’s 70 kWh or 75 kWh pack will have to pay 150 yuan ($21) a day to use the 150 kWh pack. Those who drive around in a Nio model with the 100 kWh pack will have to pay 100 yuan ($14) a day for the semi-solid state option. The Chinese car maker has opted against selling the 150 kWh pack outright due to how exorbitantly expensive it is. In fact, some outlets believe it costs about the same as a Nio ET5, which starts at 328,000 yuan ($45,000).
While the battery is expensive, it does give the flagship ET7 sedan an impressive range. During recent real-world testing, Nio drove 665 miles (1,070 km) on a single charge from Kunming to Zhanjiang. Making this feat all the more impressive is the fact the car was carrying 400 lbs (200 kg) worth of cargo at the time and ascended to 6,151 feet (1,875 meters) during its journey.
Nio hasn’t said how quickly the battery pack charges but as all will reside in Nio battery swap stations, it doesn’t matter as drivers will be able to swap out the pack when the range is low.
