Chinese EV maker achieves 504-mile range with new in-house 96kWh battery

Chinese EV maker Li Auto’s updated i6 electric SUV covered 504 miles on a single charge during a livestreamed endurance test, exceeding its official Chinese driving-range rating despite carrying four occupants and running the air conditioning throughout the drive. The vehicle completed the test using a 96 kWh battery, with the automaker reporting energy consumption of 11.8 kWh per 62 miles. The result showcases Li Auto’s efforts to improve efficiency through its own battery-pack design, electric drive motors and silicon carbide power electronics, while shifting away from CATL as a battery supplier. However, the test took place entirely on urban roads in mild weather, conditions that favour EV efficiency and do not reflect typical highway driving or winter use. Urban driving helps the i6 exceed its rated range Li Auto conducted the test around Lake Tai in China’s Yangtze River Delta, with temperatures ranging from 55°F to 68°F. The SUV carried four occupants, their luggage and an additional 110 pounds of equipment. The company also kept the air conditioning running during the 18-hour drive. The route consisted entirely of urban roads with speed limits between approximately 25 and 50 mph. Those relatively low speeds, combined with mild temperatures, provided favorable conditions for maximizing range. EVs generally consume more energy at sustained highway speeds, while cold weather can reduce battery performance and increase heating demands. During the livestream, the i6 covered 504 miles before its displayed state of charge reached 0%. Li Auto said the vehicle remained operational at that point, suggesting it might have traveled farther, although the company did not establish how much usable range remained, CarNewsChina reported. The result exceeded the i6’s official China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC) rating of 485 miles by about 4%. It also surpassed the model’s reported Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) figure of approximately 398 miles by roughly 27%. Li Auto moves battery development in-house The updated i6 marks a shift in Li Auto’s battery strategy, and instead of relying on CATL for its battery cells, the automaker now uses cells supplied by CALB and Sunwoda, which it then integrates into battery packs designed in-house. The company’s CEO Li Xiang attributed the improved range to the company’s battery design, self-developed electric motors and silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics. These components can affect how efficiently energy moves from the battery to the wheels, making the vehicle’s range dependent on more than battery capacity alone. Chinese media reported that the revised battery design allows the i6 to accommodate an additional 3 kWh of cells. It also reported that updated SiC power modules use revised current paths to reduce operating losses and could add around 19 miles of winter driving range.Silicon carbide semiconductors can improve power-conversion efficiency compared with conventional silicon-based components in some applications, helping reduce energy lost as heat. Combined with improvements to the battery pack and electric motors, those gains can contribute to longer driving range without requiring a proportionally larger battery.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Bojan Stojkovski is a freelance journalist based in Skopje, North Macedonia, covering foreign policy and technology for more than a decade. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, ZDNet, and Nature.