Today, at a launch event at the Saatchi Gallery in London, UK, electric car company NextEV unveiled its brand, NIO.
This visionary electric car brand will help users rediscover the ‘joyful lifestyle’ of car ownership by creating inspiring vehicles that deliver superior performance, a new benchmark for aesthetic design and unique user experiences. Additionally, the company unveiled its electric supercar, the NIO EP9, which has achieved a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschliefe. On October 12th 2016, the EP9 lapped the 20.8km ‘Green Hell’ in 7m 05.12s, beating the previous EV lap record held, marking it out as the fastest electric car in the world. Additionally, on November 4th, it smashed the EV record at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, recording a time of 1m 52.78s, eclipsing the previous record of 2m 40s.
With four high-performance inboard motors and four individual gearboxes, the EP9 delivers 1-MegaWatt of power, equivalent to 1,360PS. The EP9 accelerates from 0-200kph in 7.1 seconds and has a top speed of 313kph. With an interchangeable battery system, the EP9 is designed to be charged in 45 minutes and has a range of 427 kilometres.
The carbon cockpit and chassis embodies a new approach to performance vehicle design to handle the physical demands of a car with 3G cornering capabilities, with added structural solidity and aero efficiency. The EP9 is capable of achieving 24,000 Newtons of downforce at 240kph.
The EP9 features a visionary integrated e-control structure and sensor system layout, which could fit the latest autonomous driving technology. Additionally, it utilises our intelligent, user-friendly interactional design concept, which provides a joyful experience for users with digital interaction and instant sharing.
NextEV Founder and Chairman, William Li, said: “Today we launched our electric supercar that broke the record at the Nordschliefe. The NIO EP9 was born to push limits and is the first stage of automotive production for NIO. It is a statement of our vision and technical and manufacturing capabilities. It is a best-in-class product that showcases what is possible with electric vehicles. We believe that when the car ownership experience exceeds expectations, electric vehicles will become the natural choice for everyone, leading to a more sustainable tomorrow. And with that, our vision of a blue sky will come true.”
In a statement during the launch event, US CEO of NextEV, Padmasree Warrior, said, “In the past, cars gave people the freedom of mobility. In the future, cars will go one step further and give people the freedom of time. It’s a future we’re excited to shape.”
This Nio EP9 is a 1,341bhp electric supercar
A megawatt of power and a Nürburgring record for NextEV's new plug-in hypercarEvery time a quick electric car launches, it’s deemed a Tesla rival. Not least by us. Sorry. But there’ll be none of that here, for this fully electric Nio EP9 lives in a whole different ballpark.
Looking not unlike a Koenigsegg – the styling is exciting, if a bit uninventive – it has similarly scintillating numbers on its spec sheet.
Like the Koenigsegg One:1, it comes with one whole megawatt of power, which translates into 1,341bhp. You’ll know this is comfortably more than a Bugatti Veyron or LaFerrari.
That’s enough for 0-124mph in 7.1 seconds – quicker than a Mazda MX-5 will complete 0-62mph – while its top speed is 195mph, unusually high for an EV. It’s also the fastest EV around the Nürburgring, with a 7m05s lap time. We suspect that wasn’t a difficult record to claim.
Perhaps more pertinently, it will apparently charge up in a mere 45 minutes, endowing it with a 265-mile range figure before you need to plug it back in again. Quite what performance that’s allied to we don’t know. A few 7.1sec blasts at full throttle will probably cut that number significantly…
The Nio EP9’s maker, NextEV, also claims 3G ability. Nope, not for your phone signal, but in corners. That’s quite some G-force to contend with.
The chassis is built to Le Mans LMP1 standards and employs lots of carbon to keep strength high and weight low, though it’s still a relatively portly 1,735kg. Decent for a car stuffed full of batteries, perhaps, but plenty for a supercar to haul along.
Which perhaps makes its performance yet more impressive, even if its 0-62mph time – 2.7secs – is a touch behind Tesla’s best. Oops, mentioned Tesla. Sorry…