The Nio ET7 EV sedan sports new high-density solid-state batteries that could be a game changer.
The high-density, solid state batteries Nio (a Chinese automaker) debuted in their ET7 sedan are said to be the next step in EV technology. In this application, the Nio ET7 has a projected range of 621 miles with a massive 150-kWh battery pack. There will be two battery capacities available at launch, a 70-kWh and a-100 kWh pack. A 150-kWh battery pack is will come soon thereafter.
These solid-state battery packs use MultiAxis Bipolar Pack from Chinese tech company ProLogium. Nio and ProLogium formed a partnership in August of 2019. This pack simplifies packaging, helps with heat dissipation and cuts down on materials needed for manufacturing. According to Nio, these solid state lithium batteries will be more reliable, safer and more cost effective than competitors.
Investor confidence in Nio is high. Despite selling less than 50,000 vehicles last year, Nio’s investor’s have inflated their capital to over $92 billion.
The base price seems reasonable, but there’s a catch.
The starting price for the all-electric Nio ET7 sedan will be about $58,378 (378,000 yuan). That price does not cover the battery. Basically, you’re stuck leasing one of two batteries. The leas prices start at $150 a month. If you want to purchase the ET7 with a paid-for battery, the base price is over $69,000. That battery pack pushes the purchase price to over $10,000.
Taking styling cues from other contemporary EVs on the market, the Nio ET7 is fairly sleek externally and comes with an all-glass roof. The interior is said to be “living room-like” and the driver tech extends to LIDAR-assisted semi-autonomous driving. The ET7 will be capable of rapid battery swaps. Nio will build 500 battery swap centers in China that will be able to swap and charge several batteries – a technology Tesla initially proclaimed, then abandoned (for now).
While it’s doubtful that Nio will come to the United States any time soon, their technology could find its way into future electric vehicles via partnerships. If their batteries and the swapping stations prove successful, we may see something similar come to our market in the near future.
