Less than a month after beginning mass production of its new semi-solid-state battery packs, NIO has opened the technology to the public in China to trial this month, ahead of a full rollout of official operations.
NIO ($NIO) continues to gain success from passenger EV sales, but it has also spent plenty of time and money developing and implementing other adjacent technologies, such as battery swap stations and its own branded smartphones.
Another nascent venture NIO has invested in is solid-state batteries, recruiting the help of significant manufacturers like CATL and WeLion. When the Chinese automaker first introduced its ET7 in early 2021, it teased a new 150 kWh pack consisting of semi-solid-state cells from WeLion.
In late 2023, WeLion delivered the 360 Wh/kg semi-solid-state batteries to NIO, ahead of the expected delivery of the cells in mass quantities by April 2024. As we reported earlier this month, NIO officially kicked off mass production in China, and the semi-solid-state cells from WeLion have undergone testing at battery swap stations in Shanghai and Chengdu.
Today, NIO announced it will soon open up the technology to certain battery swap customers overseas as a trial period ahead of full solid-state integration.
NIO semi-solid-state batteries available to test in May
According to a Weibo post by NIO earlier today, the semi-solid-state packs will be available at swap stations in China from May 1 through 31, giving the public its first opportunity to test the energy-dense battery technology.
During the May trial period, the new battery packs will only be available to NIO Destination users, which is the automaker’s vehicle rental service. Customers who rent a NIO BEV for at least three consecutive days in May will be the first to have the opportunity to test the new technology.
However, NIO states that the semi-solid-state battery packs will be randomly available in different EV models across various cities in China. Lucky customers who find one will not have to pay extra fees for the extended-range packs.
NIO also shared it is planning a full rollout of the 150 kWh packs immediately following the May trial run. So, beginning June 1, NIO customers will be able to rent the solid-state packs daily on an extended basis.
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