Chinese electric start-up NextEV unveiled its new electric car brand – NIO, and the first car from the brand – EP9 (Electric Performance 9) at a launch event in London, UK, yesterday. The car claims to be the “world’s fastest electric car”, holding a Nürburgring lap time of 07:05.120. Additionally, on November 4th, it smashed the EV record at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, recording a time of 1 minute and 52.78 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The EP9 is currently a track only, and only 6 will be built.
The EP9 is powered by 4 motors generating a total output of 1 MW (1,000 kW), which equates to 1360 PS or 1341 hp. These motors will also help in torque vectoring and cornering stability. The best thing about any electric car is, all the torque is available at your disposal at 0 rpm. In this case, a peak torque of 1,480 Nm is available from 0 – 7,500 rpm. There are 4 individual gearboxes, one for each motor, with a ratio of 1:4:283. A 777-volt battery pack powers the EP9, and can be fully charged in 45 minutes or can be rapid charged in 8 minutes, and has a range of 427 km. There are 3 driving modes – 12V, 750V and 3G – that’s when you get 1 MW of power.
The company says, the EP9’s carbon fibre chassis is 70% lighter than steel and weighs about 165 kg. The car is capable of achieving 24,019 Newtons of downforce at 240 kph. The EP9 also features an integrated e-control structure and sensor system layout, which could fit the latest autonomous driving technology. Talking about the Active Suspension, the Ep9 features 4-way adjustable dampers and a hydraulic third actuator which helps maintain a consistent ride height allowing for high-performance cornering. The car also has an active rear wing with 3 positions.
The EP9 can achieve a max speed of 313 km/h, and 0 – 200 km/h happens in 7.1 seconds. Stopping power comes from 408 x 40 mm front discs and 408 x 36 mm rear discs with 6-pot calipers, developed in collaboration with Alcon. The hypercar rides on 19-inch wheels at the front and 21-inch at the rear.
The EP9 boasts a futuristic cockpit with full digital instruments. The company is giving experience drives to the potential customers, and as you can see in the screen mounted on the passenger side, their heart rate and excitement levels will be monitored.
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, the 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.”
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