Since we started writing about NIO, something has always made us curious: the battery pack swap conditions. Was it exclusive for those who opted for Battery as a Service (BaaS), or any NIO owner could swap the battery pack? According to CNEVPost, NIO always allowed anyone to use its battery swap stations, including those buying them. Well, Rising Auto will do that differently with the R7 it just introduced.
We told you about the new electric SUV from SAIC and that the Chinese automaker joined forces with CATL, Sinopec, and PetroChina to have battery swap stations in fuel stations. The first vehicle to present that capability is the R7, but SAIC promised to expand it to products from MG, Maxus, and Roewe in all market segments and categories.
SAIC’s system for battery swaps makes more sense than that NIO uses. Why would anyone buying the battery pack with the EV ever want to swap the component? What if the car ended up with an old battery pack instead of the new one the customer just bought?
Photo: Rising Auto
On top of that, how much does it cost for the owner of a depleted battery pack to swap it for a charged one? We only have the prices for those leasing the battery pack. NIO’s BaaS costs RMB980 ($136.15 at the current exchange rate) monthly for the 75-kWh pack and RMB1,680 ($233.41) for the 100-kWh unit.
Rising Auto offers two battery packs for the R7: either a 77-kWh or a 90-kWh unit. Only those customers leasing the battery packs can swap them at Rising Power stations. The prices for switching them are RMB1,260 ($175.05) per month for the 77-kWh battery pack and RMB1,560 ($216.73) for the 90-kWh unit.
Photo: Rising Auto
As we already told you, the R7 is 4.90 meters (192.9 inches) long, 1.93 m (75.8 in) wide, 1.66 m (65.2 in) tall, and has a wheelbase of 2.95 m (116.1 in). It will be sold in four derivatives: standard, long-range, performance, and flagship.
The standard costs RMB289,900 ($40,276) after subsidies and is the only one equipped with the 77-kWh battery pack. If customers decide to lease the battery packs instead of buying them, the price drops to RMB205,900 ($28,606) with the RMB84,000 ($11,670) discount.
Photo: Rising Auto
The long-range costs RMB309,900 ($43,055) and is the first version to come with the 90-kWh battery pack. With the single 250-kW (335-hp), 450-Nm (331.9 pound-feet) rear motor, it can travel 642 kilometers (399 miles) under the CLTC cycle). The standard derivative has the same motor and a CLTC range of 551 km (342 mi). Curiously, both go from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 5.8 seconds. Being lighter, the standard R7 should be quicker.
The performance (RMB326,900, or $45,417) and the flagship (RMB356,900, or $49,585) get an extra 150-kW, 250-Nm motor on the front axle. Both present the same CLTC range (606 km, or 377 mi) and the same 0-to-100-kph acceleration time: 3.8 s. We suspect performance and flagship refer solely to decorative elements.
Photo: Rising Auto
The only flagship aspect of this R7 version seems to be the Luminar LiDAR it can have as an option. This is the first car to offer it. For RMB20,000 ($2,779) more, the electric SUV can have the equipment with a detection distance of more than 500 meters (663 yards). All units of the R7 come with the NVIDIA DRIVE Orin as their smart driving chip and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip for the intelligent cockpit. The only exception is the flagship derivative: it comes with two Orin chips, possibly to deal better with the Luminar LiDAR.
CNEVPost said that all R7 derivatives with the 90-kWh battery pack get an RMB100,000 ($13,893) discount with the battery pack lease option. In other words, the long-range ends up costing RMB209,900 ($29,162), the performance gets an RMB226,900 ($31,524) price tag, and those willing to have a flagship R7 disburse RMB256,900 ($35,692).
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