Here is the new Nio ET5 electric car equipped with a semi-solid battery with a capacity of 150 kWh. Enough to allow it to announce a theoretical autonomy of 1,055 km. This version could well arrive in Europe, but with lower autonomy. We explain why.
Electric cars with a theoretical range of more than 1,000 km are multiplying. We already know the Zeekr 001 with its huge 140 kWh battery promising a theoretical range of 1,032 km. We also know the Nio ET7 equipped with a 150 kWh semi-solid battery. Here is its little sister, the Nio ET5, soon available to order, with a range announced on paper at 1,055 km for the sedan and 1,010 km for the Touring station wagon version.
Half a ton for the battery
It is equipped with the same semi-solid battery with a capacity of 150 kWh, like its big sister. It has just been seen on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Information and Communication, which allows you to know its values, not yet made official by the Chinese manufacturer. At the same time, we learn the weight of this battery: 575 kg.
It’s heavy, but “only” 20 kg more than the 100 kWh battery available from Nio, as the media points out Car News China. The reason: the energy density of the semi-solid battery, which is much higher.
The arrival of this semi-solid battery is scheduled for April 2024 according to the manufacturer. But will we also have the right to have it in Europe? It’s not yet certain, since this battery is extremely expensive for the brand, and it is more of a technological showcase.
But it is still possible, since Nio markets its electric cars in Europe, but not yet in France. At Zeekr, the 001 sedan equipped with the 140 kWh battery is available in limited edition only in China, while the classic version is sold in Europe.
Record autonomy
The range of 1,055 km is theoretical, and will never be announced in Europe. Quite simply because of the approval standards, which are different between China and Europe. There, the range of electric cars is tested with the CLTC mixed approval cycle, which is more optimistic than the European WLTP. Thus, on the Old Continent, we should rather expect a theoretical range of around 900 km. It’s still huge.
For comparison, the Mercedes EQS announces 783 km of WLTP range with a 108 kWh battery. The Lucid Air is even stronger, with 883 km of autonomy thanks to a battery with a capacity of 118 kWh. We therefore see that consumption seems better controlled than on Nio’s sedans, which need a much larger battery to cover the same distance.
We also know the CLTC autonomy of the other models equipped with this 150 kWh battery: 1050 km for the Nio ET7, 940 km for the Nio EC7, 935 km for the Nio EC6, 930 km for the Nio ES6 and ES7 and finally 900 km for the Nio ES8. To help you find your way, the “Ts” indicate sedans, the “Cs” indicate SUV coupes and the “S” indicate SUVs, the number indicating the place in the range.
In practice, however, it seems possible to drive more than 1,000 km in one go with the Nios equipped with these huge 150 kWh batteries. The proof is with the boss of the Chinese company who traveled 1,044 km in a single charge, in the middle of winter. And there were still a few percent of battery left!
Let us also remember that Nio offers, including in Europe, its battery exchange stations, allowing them to “recharge” in less than five minutes.