NextEV's NIO EP9 is an incredible four-wheel-drive electric hypercar

Thứ Năm, 24/11/2016, 08:52

Chinese electric car start-up NextEV has launched a new sub-brand today, called NIO, and its first car will be this bonkers EP9 electric four-wheel-drive hyper car.

The NIO EP9 reportedly set a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in October, completing the 20.8km circuit in seven minutes and five seconds; beating the previous EV time set by the Toyota TMG EV P002.

Four high-performance motors (one for each wheel) and four individual gearboxes give the EP9 a 777-volt powertrain that develops 1 megawatt of power, equivalent to an astonishing 1,341bhp.

The means the EP9 can accelerate from 0-200kph in 7.1 seconds and has a top speed of 313kph or 194mph (0-62 mph is hit in 2.7 seconds, making it slower in this regard than the Tesla Model S P100D, however).

Photo: NextEV

The electric EP9 can be charged to full in 45 minutes (though its interchangeable battery system could allow the cells to be swapped out in just eight minutes) and it has a claimed range of 427km.

A carbon cockpit and chassis aims to cut weight, which is vital because, thanks to that battery supply, at 1,735kg the EP9 comes in almost 200kg heavier than a LaFerrari or a McLaren P1.

Photo: NextEV

NextEV founder and chairman, William Li, said: “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 showcases what is possible with electric vehilces''.

The company says the car is capable of more than 2.5G lateral force during high-speed corners, while also producing nearly two and a half tonnes of downforce at 150mph (24,000 Newtons of downforce at 240kph).

Photo: NextEV

There is more carbon fibre in the cabin, where the two bucket seats are created out of a single piece of the material, while four displays give off information as the driver steers using a rectangular-shaped F1-style wheel.

NextEV, whose NIO Formula E team won the series’ inaugural drivers’ championship title in 2015, is planning a production run of just six models, and while no prices have been revealed NextEV states that each car costs approximately $1.2 million to build.

Wired