A VISION COMES TRUE
On
November 21, at a launch
event at the Saatchi Gallery in London, 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 (see the dedicated video).
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.
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.”