According to Weibo user “@碳粉说电池不胖”, Qin Lihong revealed the following information during a face-to-face event in Changzhou on February 11, 2023:
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It is expected that the 150 degree battery will be put into use during the summer vacation. In the initial stage of opening, it will be tested for two weeks for rental, and whether to open it for sale will be decided according to the situation later. However, the disadvantage of the 150 degree battery is that the cost is very high, which is almost equivalent to a NIO ET5. At the same time, the cost of the 100 degree battery has increased by 40,000 yuan. The price of lithium will gradually return, and the ratio will also be optimized this year.
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NIO will soon be fully promoting NOP+, but NAD (NIO’s autonomous driving system) will be promoted later this year. At the same time, there are also insider rumors that Li Bin has ordered a version that can be charged to be released this year.
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In addition, the infrastructure layout will be expanded. Changzhou will add 10 battery swapping stations this year, and it can be estimated that 1,000 will be added nationwide in proportion. Battery swapping stations will gradually sink from urban areas to townships. The coverage rate of electric zone properties in Changzhou’s city area is 76%, ranking fourth in the country. The current goal is to achieve this data throughout the region. The high-speed swapping stations will be greatly deployed this year, and the budget has been approved. The number of supercharging piles at the swapping stations will increase from 4 to 6 or even more. The Huning Expressway will set up a battery swapping station this year, and the 78 service areas in Jiangsu will gradually be opened, striving to cover all of them in the future.
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As for the layout of charging piles, even if the swapping stations cannot be temporarily put in key transportation hubs, supercharging piles must be installed. This year, NIO users will enjoy priority strategy, especially at critical time points. Long-term and remote advance reservation for battery swapping will be launched next year. Regarding the layout of charging piles at work and residence sites, they will negotiate with each property one by one. In addition, the layout of charging piles in tourist destinations in cities is still insufficient.
Here are some local-related contents in Changzhou. First of all, the NIO space in Changzhou will be gradually upgraded to Niuyu. However, there is a shortage of after-sales service stations in Changzhou, still lacking 1 to 2 stations. Local new car owners in 3 to 4 months compared Ideals and BYDs, but eventually chose NIO ES7. The core concerns are brand, international design, and battery-swapping.
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Chinese electric vehicle market is highly competitive, with only two FOTA and one battery exchange station in Europe. Range is a high perception and high frequency demand, and NIO will further strive to meet this demand. However, the tire and wheel selection of current models still favors performance. Although NIO ET7 is the only Chinese car that has won the “Golden Steering Wheel” award, its rear-seat comfort and luxury still have room for improvement. Moreover, the area of most complaints in the European market is the inability of the backrest to fold. Qin Lihong also mentioned that they will solve the problem of seat bulging this year.
The all-new NIO ES8 has a sofa, but it is unfair to judge the comfort of the third row based solely on the pictures, and we need to wait for the test drive to draw a conclusion. Meanwhile, one row has been given to the encrypted storage box, which can accommodate a computer. Currently, the location of the refrigerator is sitting in the second row, and it will be more comfortable to lie down and take things out. The after-sales team is working on a small table, but the progress and cost are not clear yet. However, there is hope that it will be delivered together with the car. Test drives are expected to begin in May.
Qin Lihong stated that there is no difficulty in releasing and delivering the products immediately. The primary reason why NIO EC7 and NIO ES8 are released on NIO DAY is because of the fixed time. NIO will deliver three models in the first half of this year, and the release will coincide with the test drives, with three test drives within three months for everyone.
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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.