The Shanghai-based company’s CEO William Li put it to the test by livestreaming a 14-hour road trip. Driving an all-electric ET7 from Zhejiang province to Fujian province, Li covered 1,044km (649 miles) at an average speed of 84km/h. The journey was completed without recharging and there was 3% battery charge remaining at the end.
“The completion of this endurance challenge proves the product power of the 150kWh ultra-long endurance battery pack,” Li posted on Chinese social media website Weibo. “This battery is currently the battery pack with the highest energy density in mass production in the world and has excellent safety performance. More importantly, all models on sale can be flexibly upgraded to 150kWh batteries through the Nio battery swap system.”
The battery-swap system is an alternative to plugging the car into an outlet and waiting for the battery to recharge. A mechanism built into the vehicle means that an empty battery can be swapped with a fully charged battery in less than three minutes – roughly the amount of time it takes to refill a fuel-powered vehicle.
Nio claims its next-generation battery will enter mass production in April 2024, offering a longer range than any other electric or fuel-powered car currently on the market.
