Cars are sometimes in comparison with Formula One’s observe stars. The advertising and marketing normally works — everybody needs a slice of life within the quick lane. But, a automobile can hardly ever promise extra in efficiency than the elite racing sequence. Nio’s newest release does just that.

The all-electric supercar comes with an eye-watering price ticket of $3 million and a prolonged record of efficiency specs and lap information that put that intention to place that worth into perspective. Six minutes and 45 seconds on the Nürburgring and two minutes and forty seconds on the Circuit of the Americas despatched the flying saucer of a supercar up the ranks as each circuits’ document holder when examined in 2017.

Nearly seven years later, the Nio EP9, an abbreviation for the “Electric Performance 9,” is on the brink of hit the market. Here is every thing we all know to date.

In order to provide the latest and correct info attainable, the info used to compile this text was sourced from numerous producer web sites and different authoritative sources, together with Nio, Formula E, and Lamborghini.

Nio Debuts A 777-Volt Powertrain

Just a yr and a half after envisioning what the quickest EV may appear like, Nio debuted the EP9 in 2016. Nio has been at the forefront of the electrical automobile market by way of vary and was the first automaker to bring solid-state batteries to the mass electric vehicle market.

However, the model was decided to additional develop and check the automobile, stated David Hilton, the automotive’s senior design director. New patents were filed as recently as 2019 for the vehicle, in keeping with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. After an unique and restricted launch with out highway legality, it appears the Nio is lastly able to hit the streets and open up availability to on a regular basis consumers — or no less than consumers with $3 million of their wallets. In testing and enhancements, the supercar has placed on fairly the efficiency.

A Powerhouse (and Station) On Wheels

The EP9 acts as a pure powerhouse with one megawatt of most energy, solely beat out by Lamborghini’s Lanzador electric vehicle concept that guarantees multiple megawatt. In comparability, Nio’s earlier one hundred pc electrical automobiles provide nowhere close to the identical quantity of energy.

In addition, the EP9 features a 777-volt powertrain. While more cars with 800-volt architecture are expected to hit the streets, the EP9’s 2016 launch with such energy was a novelty. In comparability, the primary 800-volt EV was launched in 2019 with the discharge of the Porsche Taycan. The EP9 additionally gives fast charging occasions and an interchangeable battery system with cooling expertise. The battery takes 45 minutes to cost absolutely whereas swapping it out takes just eight minutes.

1,091 Pound-Feet Of Torque

The energy and peak efficiency do not cease there. According to Nio, the EP9 supercar gives 1,091 pound-feet of most torque at its motor and 4,671 pound-feet of most torque at its wheel. Along with torque, the automotive gives 4 inboard motor producing items that “allow for fast cornering and track stability levels that few EV cars have ever achieved.” On prime of all of it, four-way dampers which are adjustable and paired with a hydraulic third actuator spherical out the supercar.

Nio EP9 Technical Specifications

(Data sourced from Nio)

The Nio EP9 Has Proven Its Prowess Even On The Nürburgring

It Generates Up To 24,000 Newtons Of Downforce

Pegged as one of many quickest electrical automobiles on the earth by Nio, the EP9 is promised to be fast to say the least. From 0 to 124 MPH in simply “five heartbeats” (or 7.1 seconds), the acceleration charge of the EP9 is speedy past perception. While it could wow in velocity, the actual jaw-dropping issue lies in its downforce capabilities.

Twice The Downforce Of A Formula One Car

If the automotive’s observe occasions — record-setting ones — are something to go by, one factor the EP9 can do is persist with the pavement. With 24,019 newtons, the supercar is sort of a magnet on a observe’s floor; the surplus downforce thanks to an enormous rear wing solely helps propel the automotive ahead.

Doing The Talking On Track

Nio is not new to electrical sports activities automobiles. The Chinese brand helped usher in the popularity of Formula E, F1’s electrical cousin, with a debut race in Beijing and a staff boasting the Nio title. While the staff gained the primary FIA Formula E Drivers’ Championship, latest years haven’t been as variety. In the 2022-2023 season, Nio 333 completed ninth out of the 11 groups on the grid. For the upcoming 2024 season, Nio’s title has been dropped as new buyers swoop in.

A High-Tech Display Dominates The Cockpit

While specifics concerning the newest model of the automobile’s inside are beneath wraps, Nio’s other electric vehicles lengthen the model’s dedication to sustainability to the cockpit. The automaker’s eco-friendly line of cushioning and sustainably sourced wooden is joined by a sophisticated expertise show aimed to entertain, inform, and support in efficiency.

Nio’s Sustainable Material Mission

Clean+ is Nio’s bespoke line of environmentally-conscious supplies designed in-house with an emphasis on round economic system and renewable assets. These supplies embrace foam made out of soybeans and toxin-free material. On the 2023 Global 100 World’s Most Sustainable Companies record, Nio ranked first in comparison with all different automotive producers.

While Nio’s inside line of supplies aided within the firm receiving the award, its 2022 sustainability report and Clean Parks program — an initiative that advocates for electrical automobile use in nationwide parks and guarded pure areas in addition to investing in renewable vitality infrastructure globally — pushed it to the highest.

Nio’s Integration Of The Latest Technology

While the automobile first launched in 2016, the tech inside is something however dated. The automobile’s inside photographs present a whopping 4 screens adorning the entrance finish of the automotive. A long verticle iPad-like screen sits in the center performing as an infotainment middle above the gear stick, whereas a retractable passenger aspect display slides up and down out of the dashboard.

An further display sits within the middle of the flat-bottomed racing-style steering wheel. The last display juts out simply above the steering wheel forward of the motive force. The assortment of devices is part of Nio’s integration of “wearable technology” into their automobiles.

According to Nio, the techniques work just like the supercar’s mind. By digesting efficiency info and the magnitude of pressure throughout the drive, the EP9 is ready to spit out simplified and simple steerage to ensure that the motive force to make split-second choices whereas on observe.

How It Stacks Up Against The Competition

Dubbed the costliest electrical automobile ever made, Nio’s supercar tops the charts simply behind the Aspark Owl’s $4 million all-electric hypercar. However, regardless of its observe information, relating to acceleration and prime speeds, the Nio EP9 isn’t as quick as another multi-million greenback electrical automobiles in the marketplace.

A Pretty Penny For Performance

At 195 MPH, the EP9 reaches its full speed potential. In comparison, the all-electric Lotus Evija hits 218 MPH for $700,000 less. In the opposite course, the Aspark Owl is faster by nearly 55 MPH for an additional million {dollars}. Where the EP9 does stand out among the many speedsters is in its aerodynamic capabilities. With a ton of downforce and a carbon fiber construction, the automobile is gentle and pliable as air swoops round it on observe.

Nio EP9 vs. Competition

(Data sourced from Nio, Lotus, Aspark, and Pininfarina)

How It Compares To The Best Of The Best

When the EP9 hit the infamous Nürburgring track in 2017, it launched electrical sports activities automobiles ahead by outperforming the earlier document holder: Lamborghini. Few electrical automobiles can declare to hit the numbers the EP9 does — in torque and energy.

However, a handful of electrical supercars rise above the requirements Nio has set in horsepower, torque, velocity, and acceleration. The Pininfarina Battista, for example, offers around 650 more ponies and almost the identical quantity of added torque. The Battista mannequin additionally tops a 217 MPH velocity whereas the Nio stays beneath the 200 MPH mark. All of that is introduced dwelling by the truth that the Battista is inexpensive.