WionDrive News Desk 
NIO, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, has achieved a milestone by completing a battery challenge with its mass-produced ET7 sedan, covering an impressive 1,044 kilometres on a single charge.
The Record-Breaking Journey
The NIO ET7 completed the extensive 1,044 km journey and arrived at its destination with a 3% state of charge, equivalent to 36 km of remaining range. The achievement was realised in just over 14 hours of continuous driving, with William Li, NIO’s founder and chairman, behind the wheel for the majority of the trip. Shen Fei, NIO’s vice president, also contributed to driving part of the way.
The Technology Behind the Success
The key to this groundbreaking achievement lies in NIO’s innovative 150 kWh battery pack, boasting a remarkable energy density of 360 Wh/kg. This semi-solid state battery pack, considered one of the highest-density mass-produced batteries for EVs, has been developed in collaboration with Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology.
NIO’s Autonomous Driving Suite
In addition to the range, NIO also showcased its autonomous driving capabilities during the journey. The NIO ET7 featured the Nio Pilot Plus, an autonomous driving suite similar to Tesla’s highway autopilot. Approximately 957 km of the 1,044 km trip utilised Nio’s pilot plus feature, emphasising NIO’s commitment to advancing autonomous driving technology.
Operating in Challenging Conditions
Despite suboptimal winter temperatures during the testing, with a starting temperature of minus 2 degrees Celsius, the NIO ET7 demonstrated its endurance with an average energy consumption of 132 Wh/km at an average speed of 84 km/hr.
Weibo Announcement and Industry Impact
Celebrating this milestone, NIO shared the accomplishment on its Weibo page, stating, “Today, we have witnessed that the range of smart pure electric vehicles has entered the era of one thousand kilometres.” The company’s successful range test sets a benchmark for EV development, providing a glimpse of the potential advancements in mass-market electric cars in the years to come.
