The new NIO ES8
electric SUV for China, looking ultra clean in light blue. The ES8 was
scheduled to hit the market yesterday December 12, but the launch has been
delayed. NIO however has announced a price range: 310.000 to 410.000 yuan (US$ 46.800
– 62.000) including all NEV subsidies.
NIO, formerly known as Next EV, is a new Chinese
electric vehicle brand. They ES8 is their first passenger car. They are also
developing the limited-edition NIO EP9 electric supercar.
The ES8 is a full-size seven-seat electric SUV. Dimension
size is 5022/1962/1756 mm, wheelbase is 3010 mm, and curb weight is a hefty
2460 kilo. NIO doesn’t have its own factory. The ES8 and subsequent vehicles
will be manufactured by a joint venture between NIO and the Jianghuai
Automotive Corporation (JAC).
The joint venture is called Jianghuai-Weilai, with
Weilai being the Chinese name of NIO. Interestingly, this JAC is the very same
company that recently agreed a joint venture with Volkswagen to develop and
manufacture a series of cheap EVs for China.
Total output is 326 hp and 420 Nm, good for 0-100
km/h in 4.4 seconds. 0-50 km/h is gone in 2.2 seconds. Top speed is 200 km/h
but it can only do this for 1 kilometer with a special boost. Real life
top-speed is 180 km/h and this it can do for 30 minutes until the battery runs
empty.
Range is 355 kilometers (NEDC) and 500 kilometers
when an average cruising speed of 60 kilometers per hour (this is a much used
non-official Chinese standard). Battery: 192 Ah/67 kWh. Charging: 8 hours for a
full charge on 220V and one hour for 80% charge on a fast charger.
Finally we can have a good look at the interior.
Very specious and high tech. Large touch screen in the middle, digital
instrument panel, smart mirror, and air vents that visually extend over the
whole width of the dashboard. The company hasn’t announced any new details on
the underlying technology yet.
Drive selector looks cool but seems a tad too small
for easy use. Up for reverse, down for drive, and press the button on the side
for P. Camera in the roof, pointed at the passengers. Might be for facial
recognition, but it could also be ‘just’ a webcam for sharing images.
