Great Wall Motor will this year reveal an electric car capable of covering 1000km on a single charge.
The brand’s new ‘Dragon Armour’ batteries will be available in two chemistries: lithium iron phosphate capable of up to 800km on a charge depending on vehicle, and nickel manganese cobalt capable of 1000km.
The latter will go further as its chemistry is more energy dense, allowing GWM to squeeze more range out of a battery pack that’s the same size.
The new batteries build on the “short-blade” construction featured in more recent GWM packs, and feature cells stacked in a way that allows for greater energy density. The brand also claims the design allows for better thermal management, a key factor that determines how fast a vehicle can charge.
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The first GWM EV to hit Australia, the Ora
The batteries aren’t just a concept; GWM says the new packs will start showing up in production cars very soon.
“For GWM we have a vehicle under development that is scheduled to go to market later this year [2023],” said Mr Shi, product development director at GWM-backed battery company SVOLT.
Don’t expect all GWM electric vehicles to gain the longer-range batteries immediately.
Mr Shi says a range of future EVs will gain the Dragon Armour packs, not just long-range flagships, but lower-end or more affordable vehicles may not feature the tech in the interests of keeping costs down.
GWM won’t be the first brand to hit the magic 1000km marker.
The Nio ET5 revealed in December 2021 has a range claim of 1000km when fitted with a 150kWh battery pack – although that claim does come on the CLTC range test, rather than the tougher WLTP test used by European manufacturers.
BMW currently has a prototype iX SUV capable of a claimed 600mi (966km) of range, while the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept successfully drove 1202km from Stuttgart to Silverstone on a single charge.
GWM’s first electric vehicle in Australia is the Ora hatchback, set to touch down in April 2023. For full pricing and specs, check out our story here.
