If there’s one fear that persists about people making the switch to an electric vehicle, it’s all about the range anxiety. NIO, a Chinese EV automaker, is here to fix that exact problem with its new ET7 electric sedan. In a test, the electric vehicle reached a new range record.
As reported by Electrek, the NIO ET7 has achieved a major milestone for electric vehicles. The sedan was able to cross 1,000 kilometers — or 650 miles — on a single charge. NIO CEO William Li drove the ET7 for over 14 hours, covering exactly 1,044 kilometers in the long-range test.
The company was able to accomplish the feat in part due to its new 150 kWh battery. Even after hitting the 650-mile mark, the vehicle still had 3% battery left over — not bad for a record-breaking distance in one charge. The test was live-streamed on Weibo.
NIO’s Li drove for 12.4 hrs (14 with stops), covering 1,044 km (650 mi). The EV was in intelligent driving mode for 92% of the time, or 957 km (595 miles). With 3% remaining, the ET7 could have traveled another 36 miles.
While the live stream showed the ET7 achieving 1000 km, NIO CEO William Li said that the vehicle had already been tested and is capable of reaching 1,145 kilometers — or 711 miles — of range. While that is a groundbreaking feat, it will come with a cost. NIO president Qin LiHong said that the 150 kWh battery could cost as much as the company’s ET5 mid-size sedan. A battery that costs as much as a whole car….wow. NIO says that the 150 kWh battery will go into mass production in April 2024.
It’s great to see electric car companies push the limit of battery technology to address the range anxiety issue that a lot of potential EV buyers are feeling. This achievement by NIO really puts pressure on other EV makers since many of them struggle to break the 400-mile mark. The Tesla Cybertruck, which was just launched last month, is capable of up to 340 miles on a single charge. The NIO ET7 almost doubles that.
Hopefully, we’ll see these kinds of range numbers start to make their way to more models and brands over the next few years. That could start to change the tide for those who struggle to buy an EV due to range worries.
