Chinese carmaker NIO set itself up to rival Elon Musk's Tesla this month after showing off a 600-mile journey on a single charge with one of its flagship electric vehicles, the ET7.
In a trip down China's east coast and livestreamed by the company's founder and CEO, Li Bin, NIO outdrove Tesla's longest-range Model S, which can hold enough charge for 405 miles.
Li, who embarked on the groundbreaking journey to showcase the real-world range of the carmaker's latest 150-kilowatt-hour semi-solid-state battery technology, drove or was a passenger in the ET7 as the sedan traveled from the port city of Shanghai to Xiamen in Fujian province.
It was a significant leap not only for NIO, which has high ambitions in the global EV market, but also for the electric car industry as a whole. The battery is one of the largest in any passenger car.
Li and his colleagues livestreamed the December 17 journey on the Chinese social media app Weibo and included on-screen statistics including distance covered and the ET7's remaining charge.
At 430 miles, the car had 30 percent of its battery still remaining. He passed 620 miles in the driver's seat with 7 percent left and finished the trip having covered 1,044 kilometers (648 miles) across 14 hours.
During the trip, Li revealed that the battery previously had been tested on a route between Kunming in southwestern Yunnan province and Beihai in the neighboring region of Guangxi, setting a record for mass-produced electric vehicles by traveling 1,145 kilometers (711 miles).
In a post on Weibo, Li said the 150-kilowatt-hour pack is the highest-density battery to be mass-produced globally. All NIO models currently on sale can be upgraded through the company's battery swap system, he said.
The battery weighs 575 kilograms (1,267 pounds) but is only 20 kilograms (44 pounds) heavier than NIO's current 100 kilowatt-hour pack while maintaining the same dimensions.
NIO collaborated with the world's largest EV battery maker, Fujian-based CATL, to create cells with a solid-state electrolyte diaphragm, silicon composite anode and a high-nickel cathode—a design to ensure a longer range on a single charge in all weather conditions.
NIO is expected to receive its first batch of semi-solid-state batteries next April. For consumers, however, it will come with a heavy price tag: the company expects it to cost 298,000 Chinese yuan ($42,000), roughly the same as a Tesla Model 3.
The carmaker's website describes the ET7's interior as a blend of futuristic technology and modern aesthetics, with features like floating displays, a two-spoke, two-tone steering wheel, and invisible smart air vents.
The base model with a 75-kilowatt-hour battery and 275 miles of range starts at around $62,000.
Over the weekend, NIO released its latest flagship executive sedan, the ET9, which it hopes will rival Mercedes' Maybach and Porsche's Panamera series with a cheaper price tag of $112,000.
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Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian ... Read more
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