• Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO recently tested out the driving range of its ET7 EV with a new 150kWh battery.
• The car, which was test driven by NIO’s CEO, managed to drive 1 046 kilometres from a fully charged battery.
• The new battery will go into production for NIO’s future vehicles from April next year.

In China the race to build the top performing electric vehicles is more hotly contested than any other region of the world, especially as a number of technology companies are now entering the motoring fray by collaborating with long-established names in the industry.

As such, the pursuit to improve battery technology, particularly when it comes to the driving range of EVs is never-ending. The latest company to showcase what its efforts have yielded is NIO, which is a lesser-known manufacturer out of China.

The company recently showcased the capabilities of its new semi-solid state 150kWh battery, with CEO William Li taking one of its ET7 EVs for a test drive in which the battery delivered a driving range of 650 miles (or 1 406 kilometres for those in South Africa).

Per Car News China, the 150kWh battery mustered the feat with Li and a passenger in the car, and 3 percent battery capacity left. The company says that remaining amount would have yielded a further 30 kilometres before the battery was drained completely, illustrating just how much NIO has been able to improve the capabilities of the powertrain for its EVs.

Having also completed the feat in 14 hours, the figures set by the ET7 put many petrol or diesel-powered vehicles to shame. That said, top speeds were limited to 90km/h to put the above numbers in context.

It is also worth noting that the 150kWh battery was used in a previous, less publicised test, of the ET7, driving from Kunming to Beihai in China and setting a record for the mass-produced EV by travelling 1 145 kilometres from a single full charge in the process.

“The completion of this endurance challenge proves the product power of the 150kWh ultra-long endurance battery pack,” Li shared in a Weibo post. “More importantly, all models on sale can be flexibly upgraded to 150kWh batteries through the NIO battery swap system,” he added.

Here Engadget points out that NIO plans to sell the battery to customers in China via a leasing system, which is a tactic some EV makers adopt in Europe. This may be a more affordable option given the new battery would cost as much as the car itself at roughly $42 000 (~R777 594).

As for when the new battery will be put into mass production, NIO plans to do so in April of next year, although it remains unclear for now whether the EVs will go on sale outside of China.