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Chinese EV Maker Nio to Make Self-Developed Battery Packs from 2024

A Nio electric vehicle (EV) is seen displayed during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021. (Reuters)
A Nio electric vehicle (EV) is seen displayed during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021. (Reuters)
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Chinese EV Maker Nio to Make Self-Developed Battery Packs from 2024

A Nio electric vehicle (EV) is seen displayed during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021. (Reuters)
A Nio electric vehicle (EV) is seen displayed during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021. (Reuters)

Chinese electric-car maker Nio said that in 2024 it will start making high-voltage battery packs that it has developed itself, as part of a drive to improve profitability and competitiveness to take on rivals such as Tesla.

Nio, plans to start producing an 800-volt battery pack in the second half of 2024, its chairman William Li told analysts on a call on Thursday.

Most electric vehicles operate with 400-volt batteries while Porsche's Taycan electric cars are powered by 800-volt lithium-ion battery packs, which recharge faster.

Li said Nio - which has over 400 employees working on the research and development of battery technologies - also plans to use a combination of self-produced and externally sourced batteries in the long run, a plan similar to Tesla's.

Li said Nio plans to use self-produced battery packs for its new mass-market marque, which is expected be ready for sale in the second half of 2024. These new models are expected to be priced around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan ($30,000-$45,000), he added.

Nio said battery costs would have risen in the second quarter after the renewal in April of an agreement with its sole battery supplier CATL.

The company said on Thursday its net loss narrowed to 1.8 billion yuan in the first quarter from 4.9 billion a year earlier.

But Nio forecast deliveries of between 23,000 and 25,000 vehicles in the quarter ending June 30, down from 25,768 in the first quarter, reflecting a general drop in production by major automakers as a result of a two-months long COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai.

US-listed shares of Nio, which closed down 7.7% on Thursday, have lost 44% of their value so far this year.

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Technology

Meta Unveils Cheaper VR Headset, AI Updates and Shows off Prototype for Holographic AR Glasses

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing glasses (Reuters).
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing glasses (Reuters).
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Meta Unveils Cheaper VR Headset, AI Updates and Shows off Prototype for Holographic AR Glasses

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing glasses (Reuters).
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing glasses (Reuters).

Meta unveiled updates to the company's virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday as it tries to demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen.”
“The technical challenges to make them are insane,” Zuckerberg told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta's Menlo Park, California, headquarters. The holographic augmented reality glasses, for one, needed to be glasses — not a bulky headset. There are no wires and they have to weigh less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces), among other things. And beyond interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion has a “wrist-based neural interface” — it lets you send a signal from your brain to the device, using a wristband that translates nerve signals into digital commands.
There is no release date for Orion — Zuckerberg called it a “glimpse of the future.”
Seemingly in his element speaking to a cheering crowd, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to “bring the future to everyone” with its headsets, glasses and AI system. As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina.
“We are trying to build a future that is more open, more accessible, more natural, and more about human connection," Zuckerberg said. ”This is the continuation of the values and ideas that we have brought to the apps and technology that we have built over Meta’s first 20 years.”
An AI update aimed at influencers allows them to craft AI versions of themselves — for interacting with fans. On the keynote stage, an AI version of creator Don Allen Stevenson III appeared on the screen and answered a few questions just as the actual creator would. When Zuckerberg asked the AI creator about cattle ranching, it responded “my expertise lies in technology and design, not agriculture.” An earlier version of this tool was text only.
Other AI updates include live translation, which Zuckerberg demonstrated on stage. While wearing the smart glasses, Zuckerberg spoke in English to Mexican mixed martial artist Brandon Moreno replying in Spanish — the conversation was translated in real time. People can also dub their videos in another language so that it looks like they are speaking natively — even going so far as changing their lips movements to match.
Meta AI now has 500 million users, the company said. Jeremy Goldman of the research firm Emarketer called the number “jaw-dropping.”
“Meta has transformed from just a social media company into an AI powerhouse. Zuckerberg’s move to celebrity voices is not just for fun — it’s a direct challenge to OpenAI, with an emphasis on real-world utility," Goldman said.
Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, also showed off a cheaper version of the VR goggles — the 3S — that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15.
“Meta is aggressively undercutting Apple’s Vision Pro to dominate the middle-tier AR/VR market,” Goldman said. Those VR goggles, which came out earlier this year after much anticipation, cost $3,500.
While VR goggles have grabbed more headlines, the augmented reality Ray Bans turned out to be a sleeper hit for Meta. The company hasn't disclosed sales numbers, but Zuckerberg said during Meta's July earnings call that the glasses “continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected — thanks in part to AI.” Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Meta seems to have gotten past the supply issues that plagued the Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand.
“They are kind of the perfect form factor for AI,” Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant “see what you see, hear what you hear” and help you go about your day.
For instance, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to pick up groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit.
Meta — which renamed itself from Facebook in 2021, still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In its most recent quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms such as VR headsets and AR glasses.
“VR headsets, despite Meta’s assertion, will not go mainstream," said Forrester research director Mike Proulx. “They’re too cumbersome, and people can only tolerate them in short bursts.”
Glasses, on the other hand “put computing power directly into a common and familiar form factor. As the smart tech behind these glasses matures, they have the potential to disrupt everyday consumers’ interactions with brands.”
Proulx said the Orion prototype "sets the stage for a future where a revolutionary 3D computing platform is within reach and can actually be useful to the everyday consumer.”