On December 17th, NIO CEO Li Bin drove from Shanghai and broadcasted the test results of NIO's first 150kWh ultra long endurance vehicle power battery all the way south. "It is recommended that all CEOs of (car companies) come up for live testing and announce their vehicle endurance performance," Li Bin said during the live broadcast.
In fact, as early as NIODay in 2021, NIO had already released a 150kWh battery to the public and announced that it would be installed on the all-new model ET7. At that time, data released by NIO showed that NIO's 150kWh battery no longer used the industry's mainstream liquid lithium battery technology, but instead adopted mass-produced solid-state battery technology, achieving a 50% increase in energy density. Moreover, NIO emphasizes that through innovation in materials and processes, NIO's 150kWh battery has achieved a high energy density of 360Wh/kg.
According to Li Bin's initial plan, the NIO 150kWh battery is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2022, but it has not been achieved so far. "150 degree battery pack, everyone has been waiting for a long time." On December 16th, Li Bin posted on his personal Weibo account that currently, all models of NIO's first and second generation platforms have completed verification and announcement, and the team has also conducted various tests, with performance such as range exceeding expectations.
Sina Weibo (@ Li Bin)
NIO introduced that the NIO 150kWh battery is a thermal runaway free soft pack CTP battery, which uses battery cells independently developed by NIO and has an energy density of up to 360Wh/kg. This battery can adapt to all models of NIO's first and second generation platforms and is expected to be mass-produced in April next year.
It is reported that the NIO battery research and development team began to be formed in 2021. In June last year, Li Bin introduced that NIO currently has a battery related team of over 400 people who are deeply involved in the research and development of battery materials, battery cell and whole package design, battery management systems, manufacturing processes, etc., and comprehensively establish and enhance the systematic research and industrialization capabilities of batteries.
It is worth noting that NIO's self-made battery project has been delayed after the latest internal adjustments. "The reason for postponing the self-made battery project is that when evaluating the project, the company found that it did not see the possibility of improving gross profit margin within three years, so it decided to choose another method to manufacture batteries." Li Bin explained at a corporate communication meeting held on December 14th, but NIO will continue to independently develop battery cells and packs, but will entrust others to produce them.
