621 Miles of EV Range? You'll Need This Chinese Company's Solid State Battery

pcmag.com:

A Chinese company seems to have quietly cracked the code on commercializing what it calls "semi-solid state" EV batteries, which increase the range on electric vehicles significantly.

Most EVs on the market today can travel anywhere from 200-350 miles on a single charge, but a new battery from Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology (WeLion) can go up to 621 miles, the company says. WeLion was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Beijing. It holds a "series of core patents and technologies" and says it is the "only industrialization platform of solid-state battery technologies," according to its website(Opens in a new window).

While solid state batteries have long been dismissed as vaporware that's "always just around the corner," WeLion batteries are now available to consumers in a mass market EV: The Nio ES6.

The Nio ES6 debuted in May 2023 with a traditional lithium ion battery pack made by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), the same Chinese company Ford is partnering with on its $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan. As of July 2023, the ES6 is available with the upgraded WeLion "semi-solid state" battery, according(Opens in a new window) to CnEVPost and as reflected by the Nio ES6 website(Opens in a new window).

With the WeLion battery, the Nio ES6 achieves a 578-mile range, according to the Chinese version of EPA range tests (the CLTC). That's slightly less than the 621-mile max WeLion says its battery can achieve, possibly because an SUV tends to be less aerodynamic than a sedan, but it's higher than any EV sold in the US today. The ES6 is also compatible with Nio's battery-swapping program.

Nio EVs are primarily sold in China, but drivers in other regions may eventually experience WeLion's