Chinese Electric Cars' Secret Trick to Conquer Europe

Articles about the seemingly unlimited range of Chinese electric cars have been circulating online. The secret? They use a trick. Chinese manufacturers build their cars with a homologation criterion that is too lax, allowing them to claim autonomies of up to 300-400 kilometers without passing the pedal of the accelerator. The industry is now racing to make these promises a reality, with most voices pointing to solid-state batteries. NIO has already covered 1,044 kilometers with a single charge, and Mercedes has confirmed that its VisionEQXX prototype has covered 1,200 kilometers with a single charge. The key to these records is not only the batteries but also the cars' aerodynamics and efficiency. NIO has developed a new solid-state battery that promises record-breaking autonomy for a street vehicle, with a much higher energy density than current batteries. However, the price of these batteries is still a major obstacle, as acquiring one is comparable to buying a Mercedes C-Class. Despite this, NIO has already started using this new battery in its vehicles, while Toyota and Nissan have announced plans to do so in the future.