New anode technology is claimed to endow the updated SUV with a 1000km-plus range.
GAC electric vehicle brand Aion has unveiled an upgraded version of its LX SUV at the 2021 Guangzhou motor show, claiming it has a range of up to 1008km on the official CLTC (China Lig.ht-Duty Vehicle Testing Cycle) procedure.
Called the LX Plus, the 2022 model adopts a new 144.4kWh lithium ion battery that uses GAC’s patented silicon sponge anode technology, first unveiled at the Shanghai motor show in April, in place of the standard LX’s 95.8kWh unit.
The new anode technology is claimed to provide a 20 per cent reduction in battery volume and 14 per cent reduction in weight compared with similarly sized batteries using GAC’s previous graphite anode process.
This has allowed Aion to increase the LX Plus’s battery capacity by 48.6kWh without any major re-engineering of the two-year-old SUV’s body structure.
GAC also says its new silicon electrode brings improvements in cell energy density, power density and low-temperature performance.
Aion claims an energy density of 205Wh/kg for the LX Plus’s newly developed battery. This compares with 180Wh/kg for the battery used by the standard LX. Energy consumption on the CLTC procedure is rated at 6.6km per kWh.
The four-wheel-drive LX Plus is powered by two electric motors with a claimed combined output of 540kW. Its maker puts the 0-100km/h time at 2.9sec and top speed at 170km/h.
The latest LX also gets a new autonomous driving system that features three lidars supplied by Robosense.
The LX Plus is due to go on sale in China in early 2022. Pricing has yet to be announced.