BERLIN -- Chinese electric startup Nio caused a stir when it announced its ultra-long-range battery in early 2021.
Now the company is downplaying the 155-kilowatt-hour battery’s significance and says its customers are actually asking for cheaper, shorter-range batteries that fulfill their range needs at a lower price.
Nio is still working on its 155-kWh pack, which it says is “part solid-state,” referring to the energy-dense but still-unproven future battery chemistry.
However, it has delayed that battery pack’s launch in China from late this year to the first quarter of 2023, Fei Shen, head of Nio Power, said on the sidelines of the company’s German market launch event here earlier this month.
When it arrives, the company believe the 155-kWh pack will cause more of a stir among the media than its customers.
“Personally, I don’t think this battery will be widely used,” Shen said. “In China they more often ask us when we will deliver a small capacity battery.”
Smaller capacity means a smaller monthly bill for current Nio owners as well has new customers thanks to Nio’s battery-swapping technology.
Nio operates a leasing system for its batteries with the cost based on the capacity of the battery, meaning customers favor the lowest capacity to meet their daily needs.
“Most users buy or lease our standard battery, which is 75 kWh, and when they need to travel longer distances, such as when they are on holiday, they can upgrade their battery to 100 kWh,” Shen said, referring to the two sizes Nio offers.