The Nio EP9 electric supercar.
SHANGHAI: We hear a lot these days about Chinese electric car manufacturers, and major motor shows seem to regularly feature these startup companies showing off their wares, but we don't yet see many of them actually in action.
But during the weekend of July 12-15, Chinese electric carmaker Nio is set to show its Performance Program vehicles in Europe for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Britain. Perhaps most exciting is the news the EP9 will actually take part in the famous hill climb challenge at the event.
The EP9 will be driven by Scottish racing driver Peter Dumbreck, and the EP9 should put in one of the most impressive performances at the entire event after last year breaking the lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The company will also be displaying a new EP9 chassis at the event, as well as the Nio 004 Formula E Gen2 car.
Actually, the EP9 has been around for a couple of years now after first being unveiled in 2016. Even so, this will still be the first time it or any Niro Performance Program model has been shown off to the public in Europe.
Even though it's not exactly new, the numbers associated with the EP9 are pretty staggering. The car has four electric motors and four gearboxes, which all work together in perfect harmony to deliver an incredible 1,360hp, a 0-100kph time of just 2.7 seconds, and a top speed of some 320kph. On top of that, we mustn't forget the autonomous systems developed for the EP9 which also saw it set a record last year in Texas to become the world's fastest autonomous car.
Gerry Hughes, the head of Nio's Performance Program and Formula E team principal, says of the car: "Whilst we have competed in the FIA Formula E Championship since its inception and have showcased Nio's single-seater EV technology through fierce competition on the world's city streets, this will be the first time that anyone has seen the Nio EP9 Supercar run in anger."
The company is also interested in volume electric cars too, of course. An EVE concept was unveiled as a proposed volume model last year in Austin, Texas, and late last year in China a 644hp seven-seat crossover called the ES8 was also previewed.
