Xpeng made a filing earlier this year for the P7 with an LFP battery pack, with cell supplier Eve Energy.
(Image credit: Xpeng)
Using lower-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries is a way for many electric vehicle (EV) makers to bring down the price of their vehicles, and that could be a card that Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) will soon be using.
Xpeng announced today that it will launch a new version of its flagship sedan, the P7i, on November 6, saying that the variant will have golden range and powerful smart driving capabilities.
Xpeng didn’t provide more information, though it is hinting that this new P7i variant will have a lower range.
It has been the company’s practice over the past two years to first launch a new model with only Li-ion ternary battery packs that offers longer ranges, and later lower the starting price by offering versions with LFP packs.
LFP batteries are less expensive than Li-ion ternary batteries, but have lower energy density and worse winter range.
Xpeng launched the P7i in China on March 10, an upgraded version of the P7 sedan, which is currently available in only four versions — 702 Pro, 702 Max, 610 Max Performance, and 610 Wing Performance — at a starting price of RMB 249,900 yuan ($34,160), 269,900 yuan, 289,900 yuan, and 339,900 yuan.
All four versions of the P7i are powered by Li-ion ternary battery packs, with two versions having a CLTC range of 702 kilometers and the other two 610 kilometers.
It’s worth noting that Xpeng had already file for the P7 with the LFP battery pack to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) earlier this year.
On August 14, the MIIT released a catalog of models that will be allowed to be sold in China for public comment, and a new version of the Xpeng P7 was included.
The new version of the sedan is powered by an LFP battery pack with cell supplier Eve Energy, according to that filing.
It is powered by a single motor with a peak power of 203 kW and the supplier is Zhejiang Founder Motor.
All of Xpeng’s current models for sale are battery electric vehicles (BEVs), including the G3 series, G6, G9, P5, and P7 series, and they delivered a record 20,002 units in October.
The G6 delivered 8,741 units in October, Xpeng said on November 1, without releasing breakdown figures for other models.
Xpeng delivered 15,310 vehicles in September, with the P7 series contributing 4,666 units, or 30.48 percent, data monitored by CnEVPost showed.
($1 = RMB 7.3162)
