You may know the Chinese Nio from the crushing EP9, which set a record in 2017 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The brand plans to conquer the European market in 2022 and again comes with crushing achievements. The new electric Nio ET5, a medium-sized sedan of format 3-series, should even go 1000 kilometers on a full battery.
A range of 1000 kilometers, no electric car on the Dutch market comes that far. Keep in mind that only the top version of the Nio ET5 can cover this enormous distance, thanks to a 150 kWh Ultralong Range Battery. But you can also get very far with cheaper ET5s, the 75 kWh Standard Range Battery and 100 kWh Long Range Battery. Nio promises that these sedans can go 550km and 700km respectively on a full battery.
Simply change the battery of your Nio
And if it’s up to Nio, it doesn’t have to take forever to top up. In fact, it is not even necessary to top up. Nio works with battery exchange stations. The idea behind these stations is simple. You arrive at such an exchange point with your battery almost empty, and in just a few minutes you have a new and full battery. The system is similar to the original idea behind the Renault Zoe, which never got off the ground. However, thanks in part to this system, Nio is already an established name in China. The Chinese have also gained a foothold in Norway and the Nio batteries are exchanged at such exchange stations. This has not gone unnoticed. Last month, Shell announced that it had entered into a partnership with the Chinese. In time it should become possible to change your battery at countless Shell gas stations. This sounds promising.
Two electric motors: good for 490 hp
Whichever version of the Nio ET5 you choose, it always comes with two electric motors. The front axle is powered by a 150 kW example, while a 210 kW electric motor drives the rear wheels. Together, the electric motors deliver 490 hp (360 kW) and 700 Nm of torque. This allows the ET5 to sprint to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. Nio doesn’t say anything about the top speed.
With the ET5 you get special glasses
From the outside, the Nio ET5 looks neat, but not very exciting. We see many similarities with the Tesla Model S, combined with a touch of Kia and Porsche. The interior is also quite Tesla thanks to the minimalist dashboard, combined with a large interactive screen. Nio praises the new display technology of the ET5. Renamed PanoCinema, the car will have a large panoramic digital cockpit, with AR and VR technology. Special glasses should make it possible to project important information onto the road. Another, also special VR glasses should make it possible to make the 10.2 inch HDR instrument panel even more lively.
How much does a Nio ET5 cost?
There is still some uncertainty about the prices of the ET5. Prices in China start at 45,658 euros for the cheapest ET5. How this will translate to the European market is not yet known. Nothing is known yet about the prices of the more expensive versions. Nio does also provide a Chinese quote for an ET5 with Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS). In that case you pay 35,914 euros in China, but a monthly amount is also debited for the battery. Nio has not yet released how high this amount will be.
As mentioned, Nio is already active in Norway. From 2022, the Chinese also want to serve the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, to eventually be active in 25 European countries by 2025. The first Nio ET5s should be on the road from September 2022.