WeLion officially began delivery of the battery cells to Nio, submitted a warranty commitment and the two companies signed an annual order.
(Image credit: WeLion)
Nio's (NYSE: NIO) semi-solid-state battery supplier began delivering high-energy-density cells to it as the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker is set to begin delivering them to vehicle owners later this month.
Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology began delivering 360 Wh/kg Li-ion cells to Nio on June 30, holding a delivery ceremony in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, where its manufacturing facility is located.
WeLion executive vice president Xiang Jin formally delivered the battery cells to Nio senior vice president Zeng Shuxiang and submitted a warranty commitment, and the two sides signed an annual order, a press release from the battery maker said today, without disclosing the amount of the order.
The delivery of the battery cells to Nio is an industry-wide milestone event, the result of more than two years of joint team efforts between Nio and WeLion, WeLion chairman Yu Huigen said at the delivery ceremony.
Yu also expressed his gratitude to the Huzhou city government for the smooth start-up of WeLion's phase I plant in the city.
The delivery of this Li-ion battery cell is good news for all Nio owners, who can continue to enjoy the benifits of the battery upgrade, said Nio battery systems vice president Zeng Shizhe.
"Today's delivery is just one small step in the growth of WeLion and Nio together, and hopefully this small step will lead to a big leap in technology for the whole industry," he said.
WeLion also announced at the delivery ceremony that it has officially opened the company's R&D center for Yangtze River Delta in Huzhou.
WeLion is headquartered in Beijing and has four production sites in Fangshan, Beijing; Liyang, Jiangsu; Huzhou, Zhejiang; and Zibo, Shandong, according to its press release.
Of those, the Huzhou site is WeLion's automotive power battery production base, it said, without disclosing details of the other production sites.
Nio unveiled the 150-kWh semi-solid-state battery when it launched its flagship sedan, the Nio ET7, at the Nio Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021.
After that, the battery's delivery schedule was delayed several times, and Nio filed for the use of the pack in its models in early May of this year.
With WeLion's batteries, Nio's vehicles will weigh just 20 kg more than before, according to regulatory filings at the time.
On May 24, at the launch of the new ES6, William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of Nio, announced that the 150-kWh semi-solid-state battery pack will be available in July.
The new Nio ES6 can get a range of 930 km when equipped with the 150-kWh pack, he said at the time.
It is worth noting that this battery pack is currently very costly because it uses the latest technology.
The 150-kWh pack costs about the same as an ET5 sedan, Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong said at a face-to-face event in Changzhou, Jiangsu province on February 11. The ET5 currently starts at 298,000 yuan ($41,090).
Nio owners will be able to start experiencing the 150-kWh battery pack during the summer, which will initially be available for rent only, with a buyout option available in the future, Qin said at the time.
On November 22, 2022, WeLion saw the first solid-state cell roll off the line at its battery production facility in Huzhou.
WeLion began construction of its Huzhou battery site in 2021 and completed construction of the plant and production line after a year, said Tian Qiyou, general manager of the company's Huzhou branch at the time.
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NIO's 150-kWh pack will initially be available for lease only, with a buyout option to be offered in the future.