NIO reveals new battery technology with range of 1000 km

The future of motoring is electric. It does not matter if we agree with it or not, the bright minds in the automotive arena are completely focused on perfecting EV mobility. A major milestone in this journey is now covered by NIO, a Chinese automaker which has now created a large solid-state battery that may give a range of up to 1000 km and quicker charging.

The jump from present-day batteries to a solid-state battery will be a leap as big as the one from old lead-acid batteries to lithium ion. NIO’s new solid-state battery tech combines several technologies, with a Nickel-Ultrarich Cathode and Si/C Composite Anode. This provides the new battery an energy density of 360 Wh/kg, which is higher than present-day batteries. In contrast, the batteries of a Tesla Model 3 have an energy density of 260Wh/kg. The higher energy density can help the batteries be more compact and liberate more room inside the vehicle.

The new 150 kWh battery pack will only be launched in late-2022 but when it does, it will be compatible with all of NIO’s current lineup so the existing owners of NIO cars (which are on sale in China) can upgrade with ease. This can significantly hike the range of these vehicles. The first-gen 2018 NIO ES8 with the new pack can return a range of 730 km. The newer ES8, ES6, and EC6 models will get improved ranges of 850 km, 900 km and 910 km respectively, with the new battery pack.

Along with the new battery, NIO has also launched their flagship sedan, the NIO ET7. The sedan will come with a 100 kWh battery pack for now but when the 150 kWh is available, the ET7 will be able to run more than 1000 km in a single charge, which is genuinely impressive.

NIO also promises “good battery life” and “higher charging efficiency”, which is a given for Solid State Technology. But no details of these improvements are given as of now but should be made public near to the launch date of the new battery pack, in late 2022.

NIO has yet to make headway in the international market as they focus on China for now, so don’t expect to see these cars in the UAE and GCC any time soon.