First electric car equipped with solid-state batteries goes on sale

IM Motors, the Chinese car brand linked to the SAIC group, has just put the IM L6 on sale, an electric saloon with slender, streamlined lines, also available in a version equipped with solid-state batteries. The long-awaited technology seems to have become a reality.

The battery in question has a capacity of 130 kWh and promises a range of 1,000 km (621 miles), according to the CLTC homologation cycle which, it has to be said, is a little less stringent than our WLTP. Aside from the mileage, the car is also causing a stir thanks to its price.

The Lightyear Max costs 42,500 euros

IM Motors has announced the price of the L6, available in three variants, as part of the pre-order process. Starting with the Standard Max, which costs 230,000 yuan, we move on to the High Performance (299,900 yuan) and the Lightyear Max (330,000 yuan). It’s precisely the latter that mounts the solid battery.

Let’s look at the prices at the GBP exchange rate :

• IM L6 Standard Max: £25,300
• IM L6 High Performance: £33,000
• IM L6 Lightyear Max: £36,300

IM L6: as is often the case with the latest generation of electrical appliances, it is made entirely of crystal glass.

A “hybrid” electrolyte

At the launch event, the Chinese company announced that the semi-conductor battery had a 900-volt architecture. Thanks to this, the battery, called Lightyear, can be recharged at powers of up to 400 kW, giving a range of up to 400 km (249 miles) in just 12 minutes when parked at a charging point.

The company has announced that the battery is actually a semi-conductor battery, although it still uses an electrolyte that combines a fluid with a solid component. This would suggest that it is closer to the 150 kWh battery used by Nio, which defines it as semi-solid.

At the cutting edge of everything

Batteries aside, the IM L6 aims to make its mark on the market with a series of latest-generation technologies in terms of both infotainment and driving dynamics. The car, for example, is equipped with an Nvidia Orin.

Le cockpit high-tech de l’IM L6

However, when it comes to infotainment, the car, which measures 4.9 metres in length, has two large monitors that serve as the interface for all the parts linked to the instrumentation and infotelematics.

Equipped with an active chassis and four-wheel steering, the car is available in both single-motor variants (with outputs of 293, 337 and 408 PS) and all-wheel-drive variants, with a total output of 787 PS.