Engadget RSS Feed-A Chinese EV squeezed 650 miles of range from its 150 kWh battery
December 18, 2023 2 min 363 words
这则报道揭示了中国制造商蔚来推出的电动汽车配备的150kWh电池，刷新了乘用车电池容量纪录。该车型通过CEO李斌的测试，以卓越的表现行驶650英里，引发了对其续航能力的关注。然而，这一创举也伴随着高昂的价格，电池单独租赁的费用相当于整车售价，可能在市场上面临一定的挑战。此外，报道指出，该电池采用半固态技术，拥有较高的能量密度和防火性能，但距离实现全固态电池仍有一定距离。对于美国市场而言，由于政策规定，使用特定中国电池组件的汽车可能失去税收抵免，这或将影响蔚来在美国市场的竞争力。总体而言，这一新闻突显了中国电动汽车行业在技术创新和市场竞争方面的领先地位，但也提醒我们在可持续性和成本方面仍面临一些挑战。
An EV from Chinese manufacturer Nio will soon go on sale with a "semi-solid state" 150kWh battery (140kWh usable) that's the largest in any passenger car, Car News China reported. To show much range that will deliver, Nio CEO William Li drove a prototype version of the ET7 1,044km (650 miles) in 14 hours, a distance surpassing many gas-powered vehicles.
The test was run in relatively cool temperatures (between 28 – 54 F) and livestreamed. Driving was done mainly in semi-autonomous (or Navigate-on-Pilot+, as Nio calls it), and speed-limited to 90 km/h (56 MPH). The average speed was 83.9 km/h (a respectable 52.4 MPH), with a travel time of 12.4 hours excluding stops.
"The completion of this endurance challenge proves the product power of the 150kWh ultra-long endurance battery pack," said Li in a Weibo post (Google translation). "More importantly, all models on sale can be flexibly upgraded to 150kWh batteries through the Nio battery swap system."
In fact, the ET7's 150kWh battery will only be available on a lease separate from the car, much as we've seen with some cars sold in Europe. Previously, the company said that the battery alone would cost as much as an entire car (the company's entry-level ET5 EV), or around $42,000.
Manufactured by WeLion New Energy Technology, the battery has a single-cell energy density of 360 Wh/kg or 260 Wh/kg for the entire pack (Tesla's latest cells are under 300 Wh/kg). Semi-solid state batteries use gel, clay or resin electrolytes, offering greater energy density and fire-resistance than current batteries. However, they're still far from the promised land of full solid-state batteries, which could feasibly double energy density.
We likely won't see the 150kWh battery pack stateside, though. With the Biden administration's latest rules, some US cars like Tesla's Model 3 Long Range that use specific Chinese battery components will no longer receive the full $7,500 tax credit.
Nio is a luxury EV manufacturer in China that offers vehicles without a battery, letting you sign up to a battery-as-a-service (BAAS) monthly subscription. That service also allows you to swap out your battery at any time for a larger one.