LONDON, England - Chinese start-up manufacturer NextEV has today unveiled its new NIO brand and the EP9 electric supercar, the world’s fastest electric car.
During a launch event at the famous Saatchi Gallery in London, England, NextEV presented the EP9 to the world for the very first time that recently smashed the lap record for an electric vehicle at the Nordschleife in Germany.
The EP9 features four high-performances inboard motors and four gearboxes, delivering a power equivalent to 1,360 BHP and a 0-200 kph time of just 7.1 seconds. Its top speed is 194 mph.
Testing of the car was carried out at the Nürburgring and Paul Ricard by Formula E drivers Oliver Turvey and Nelson Piquet Jr., both of whom have been integral to the development of the EP9.
The car showcases the developments being made in electric car technology, as advanced by the Formula E series that NextEV has been involved with from an early phase.
“The NIO EP9 was born to push limits and is the first stage of automotive production for NIO,” NextEV founder and chairman William Li said.
“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.”
As well as breaking the EV lap record at the Nurburgring, the EP9 did the same at Paul Ricard, beating the previous benchmark of 2:40.000 with a time of 1:52.780.
Production of the car is due to take place in China, with the retail price set to be well north of $1 million. For those on a more limited budget, NextEV is also planning to develop an electric city car in the near future, again enhancing the technology that has gone into both the EP9 and its Formula E racer.
Besides the car launch, the unveiling of the new NIO brand also saw the arrival of a tweaked livery for the NextEV NIO Formula E team.
Tweaked @NextEVFETeam livery to incorporate more NIO branding #blueskycoming @Current_E pic.twitter.com/zVarUFID2A
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) November 21, 2016