Nio's 150 kWh semi-solid state battery will be available on June 1 for up to $21 per day

Nio's much-anticipated 150 kWh semi-solid state battery is almost ready to actually launch, about two years behind the initial schedule. It will become available on June 1.

There's a twist, however, as you won't be able to buy one. You will, instead, rent it from Nio for those trips which require more range. The prices are based on what battery your Nio car currently has. If you're upgrading from a 70/75 kWh pack, you'll pay CNY 150 ($21) per day, while if you're moving up from a 100 kWh or larger pack, that sum goes down to CNY 100 ($14) per day.

When you want one, you just go to one of Nio's myriad battery swapping stations in China and get it. It will fit because of the modular nature of Nio's battery pack design. With the cost of having it on your car reaching about CNY 4,500 ($622) per month, it's no wonder Nio will try to market this as an option you go for only when you really need the extra range.

Speaking of which, back in December Nio CEO William Li live-streamed an endurance test with the 150 kWh battery in a Nio ET7 which managed to go over 620 miles on one charge, at an average speed of 52 mph. So that's about what you can expect - if you intend to go faster, the range will drop accordingly, of course.

The new battery has an energy density of 360 Wh per kg, which is the highest for any pack currently mass-produced in China. If you're wondering why the per-day pricing is so high and why you can't just buy one, rumor has it the battery pack is incredibly expensive, so the assumption is Nio didn't think anyone would buy it outright.

Source 1 (in Chinese) | Source 2 (in Chinese) | Via