Nio's 150-kWh battery packs, of which some have been produced recently, are expected to begin entering service in late April, William Li said today.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Nio (NYSE: NIO) provided a more specific timeline for putting the 150-kWh battery pack into service as the electric vehicle (EV) maker begins to ramp up its marketing efforts for the semi-solid battery pack.

The 150-kWh pack has seen some production recently and is expected to begin entering service in late April, Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li said today.

Li revealed the plan during a video call with Nio's team conducting the 150-kWh battery pack range challenge. The company is conducting the challenge using the battery pack on the Sichuan-Tibet route starting today and live streaming until April 15.

On December 17, 2023, Li himself took part in the pack's range challenge and drove an ET7 sedan for more than 1,000 kilometers on a full charge.

The 150-kWh ultra-long-range battery pack will go live in the second quarter, Nio said on March 5 in its fourth-quarter 2023 earnings highlights posted to its Chinese-language social media accounts.

The current priority for the ultra-long-range pack is to progress mass production and improve yield, Li said today.

Initial production capacity of the pack is limited, and it is unlikely that it will be able to meet the demand of many car owners, he said.

At the same time, Li acknowledged that the 150-kWh ultra-long-range battery pack is more symbolic than practical.

Building more infrastructure makes more sense, Li said, adding that just as people can now charge their phones whenever they want, there is no need to ask for ultra-long range.

"Far more of our customers choose 75-kWh packs than 100-kWh packs. Why? Because we now have a lot more charging piles and battery swap stations than ever before, they don't see the need to have to buy a model with a 100-kWh pack," Li said.

A 150-kWh pack only makes more practical sense if owners need to go somewhere remote or are in a hurry, he said.

Nio announced the 150-kWh semisolid battery when it unveiled the ET7 sedan at the January 9, 2021, Nio Day 2020 event.

The semi-solid battery's cells come from local startup Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology, which started delivering 360 Wh/kg lithium battery cells on June 30, 2023, to Nio.

As a new technology, the 150-kWh battery pack is currently costly, with Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong mentioning in February 2023 that the pack costs about the same as an ET5.

The ET5 is Nio's least expensive model at the moment, with a starting price of RMB 298,000 ($41,200) including the battery.

The pack is already in mass production, and Nio held a ceremony in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on April 3 to celebrate the rollout of its first mass-produced 150-kWh pack.

($1 = RMB 7.2340)

Nio sees 1st mass-produced 150-kWh semi-solid battery pack roll off line