WeLion reportedly expects to send NIO 150 kWh solid-state batteries at volume in Q2 2024
Days after Chinese automaker NIO showcased the massive range potential of its incoming 150 kWh solid-state batteries, their manufacturer, WeLion, shared some insight on when consumers can expect to see the technology roll out in mass quantities. This could herald a new era of EV mobility of safer cars that charge faster and drive farther.
Solid-state batteries remain the holy grail for OEMs as their non-volatile, lightweight, and energy-dense properties offer the performance spec consumers have long sought in their decision to ditch gas-powered vehicles once and for all.
While solid-state technology already exists and continues to evolve amongst several battery developers, the ability to scale and reach cost parity with traditional lithium-ion cells remains a massive hurdle.
Chinese OEMs are paving the way by introducing the first passenger EV models to feature the tech. For example, some vehicles with semi-solid-state cells are already for sale overseas, but we have yet to see the full potential of solid electrolyte batteries on the consumer market.
NIO ($NIO) hopes to change that with its EVs, particularly its ET7 sedan. When the flagship EV was first introduced in early 2021, NIO also unveiled a 150 kWh packed equipped with solid-state batteries from Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology, better known as WeLion.
However, the public saw few updates on the progress of the potentially revolutionary battery technology until this past May, when a filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology revealed that two NIO SUVs and one sedan would receive battery upgrades using cells from WeLion. By the end of June, WeLion held a ceremony with NIO to commemorate the progress of the potentially revolutionary battery technology.
Earlier this week, NIO founder, chairman, and CEO William Li took an ET7 equipped with WeLion’s solid-state batteries out for a range test and successfully drove 1,044 km (650 mi) with 3% battery remaining.
Now that we’ve seen the range potential of the solid-state packs in real-world driving situations, WeLion has shared that it expects to begin mass production of the packs next year.
NIO may be first to offer EV lineup with solid-state batteries
According to a report from Chinese media outlet Jiemian, WeLion has made plenty of progress on its 360 Wh/kg solid-state batteries for NIO and is planning to deliver them in mass quantities by April 2024. Per WeLion:
The company expects to supply semi-solid-state batteries to Weilai (NIO) in bulk in April next year. The specific scale will be determined based on Weilai’s needs, and it should be a gradual climb.
NIO will use the solid-state batteries in a cell-to-pack (CTP) design that removes the need for modules, thus further increasing energy density and, as a result, all-electric range. While we’ve already seen the technology propel NIO’s ET7 sedan, we should expect to see solid-state batteries in plenty more of its current and upcoming models.
As we reported back in October, NIO’s initial tests with WeLion’s energy-dense cells led the automaker to file plans to expand the battery upgrades to 11 additional EV models. This Saturday during its annual NIO Day event, the automaker will unveil its most premium model to date – an executive flagship sedan called the ET9. No word yet on whether that EV will offer the solid-state CTP technology, but it would make sense given the sedan is expected to debut as NIO’s most technologically advanced offering to date.
We will learn more as we venture into 2024 and approach WeLion’s Q2 mass production target.
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Fancy German-made mid-drives are often considered the premier option for electric bikes, offering higher precision engineering and an overall more sophisticated experience. But they’ve also been quite pricey, at least until Ride1Up began running an incredible sale on its normally $2,195 Prodigy XC electric mountain bike, marked down to just $1,295.
I reviewed the urban version of this bike back when it was at full price, and it was a great buy even at its MSRP. But now with this killer Black Friday price, this is a deal that is unlikely to ever be seen again.
The Class 3 electric bicycle can hit speeds of up to 28 mph (45 km/h), and comes with all the benefits of that nice Brose TF Sprinter mid-drive motor. That means you get the smooth and refined torque sensor-based pedal assist, the color screen, and the higher-end ride quality.
Other nice components found on the bike include the Maxxis Forekaster off-road tires, the Tektro quad-piston hydraulic disc brakes, and the 120mm-travel air suspension fork.
At this price, Ride1Up is almost certainly selling the bike at below cost, meaning you’re getting it for less than it costs the company to build these highly-acclaimed e-bikes.
Why would they do that? Because this is the previous generation of the bike, which was eclipsed by the second-generation Prodigy V2. But hey, if this bike was good enough when it came out a year before the V2 (and it was), then it still a great bike today. For those who don’t need the nicest and newest version of a piece of tech, this is an incredible steal of a deal.
Ride1Up is all but certain to be moving these Prodigy XCs at such a low price to clear up shelf space in their warehouse, so when these are gone, they’re gone for good. And this isn’t only a Black Friday price – the company has been moving these bikes for several months at this crazy sale price. That further underscores that this is a clear-out-the-previous-version sale that will be gone for good when the bikes are gone.
At this price, there’s simply no other German-made mid-drive e-bike out there with the bang-for-buck offered by the $1,295 Prodigy XC right now, that’s for sure.
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Working oil pumps against a sunset sky.
Imaginima | E+ | Getty Images
Higher fuel prices could be in the cards if President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his tariff threats on Canada, according to industry experts, who are skeptical on whether the new levies will ever be implemented.
Trump on Monday pledged to implement additional tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico on day one of his presidency, according to his posts on social media platform Truth Social. He said he would sign an executive order on Jan. 20 imposing a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, a move that may breach the terms of a regional free trade agreement.
Goldman Sachs’ Co-Head of Global Commodities Research Daan Struyven said that if a 25% levy hit Canadian crude exports to the U.S. “that could, in theory, lead to some pretty significant consequences for three groups.”
U.S. refiners who rely on Canadian oil barrels could face lower profit margins, and consumers may potentially face higher prices, surmised Struyven. Lastly, Canadian producers may suffer revenue losses if they are unable to reroute their barrels that would have otherwise gone to the U.S.
America’s imports of Canadian crude oil hit a record of 4.3 million barrels per day in July 2024 after the expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
If we were to see a 25% tariff on Canadian energy exports, I think it could have some very significant ramifications for trade flows.
Daan Struyven
Goldman Sachs
Additionally, refiners in the Midwest, which are more adapted to process Canada’s heavy sour crude rather than the low sulfur sweet crude produced domestically, could also have problems switching should the Canadian imports be interrupted, Struyven told journalists at an online conference.
“If we were to see a 25% tariff on Canadian energy exports, I think it could have some very significant ramifications for trade flows,” Struyven said.
Mexico and especially Canada have “notable tightly integrated linkages” with the U.S. when it comes to the oil, natural gas and auto industries, Citigroup wrote in a note following Trump’s announcements this week.
“Absent carve-outs, this would increase costs for U.S. refiners and U.S. consumers,” said the bank’s research team led by Energy Strategist Eric Lee.
However, Goldman highlighted that it is unlikely that the tariffs will be implemented as announced, on the premise that the Trump administration is focused on reducing energy costs.
Trump cannot allow inflation to get out of control in the 15 months before the midterm election season, Viktor Shvets, global strategist at Macquarie Capital, told CNBC. Shvets believes that tariffs are used as a negotiating tool to achieve certain objectives such as strengthening the border.
“I do not believe for a second that there will be a massive increase in overall tariffs because that will represent a tax on U.S. domestic manufacturers. That will also represent a tax on U.S. exporters,” said Shvets.
Canada’s trade bodies have shared their concerns, too.
“As Canadians, we need to be eyes-wide-open on the President-elect’s promise for across-the-board tariffs,” the CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Lisa Baiton, reportedly said.
Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta which accounts for the largest production of crude in Canada, said that the Trump administration has “valid concerns related to illegal activities at our shared border,” and urged the federal government to resolve said issues immediately to avoid any “unnecessary tariffs” on Canadian exports.
On today’s fact-checking episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got a showdown brewing between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, an updated 650 hp Kia EV6 GT that’s ready to take on the world, and some sweet deals on battery-powered goodies.
We’ve also got new electric buses at UCLA that are powered by inductive current in the road itself, and a massive new solar project on a site more famous for coal than clean. All this and a little bit of fact-checking on some fresh musky nonsense – enjoy!
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Learn more at this link.
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Read more: E-quipment highlight | Palfinger FLS 25 eDRIVE truck mounted forklift.
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