The electric car manufacturer Nio, which has been present in Norway since May 2021, is officially launching its arrival in Europe, with three different models. It happened last Friday in Berlin, Germany, one of the four main target countries, along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
At the Berlin event, Nio unveiled the brand’s three flagship electric models. There are two sedans, the ET7 and ET5, as well as an electric SUV, the EL7. It should be noted that the SUV, originally named ES7, was renamed EL7 (for the European market) to avoid a protracted and costly conflict with the manufacturer Audi, which accuses Nio of relying too much on its S7- sedan looks like. In June 2022, Audi had already filed a lawsuit against the same Nio for trademark infringement. The German believed that the names of the Nio models, in this case ES6 and ES8, could lead to confusion with his own models, the S6 and S8.
Contrary to what we announced in May 2021, the new ET7 electric sedan, with a 150 kWh battery and a range of 850 km, will be well marketed in Europe. This electric sedan, 5.09 m long, 1.987 m wide and 1.505 m high, offers a wheelbase of 3.06 m. Aesthetically, this ET7 is a mix of Tesla Model S and Audi.
The sedan contains two electric motors, one with permanent magnets with 180 kW (240 hp) at the front and the second (induction) with 380 kW (510 hp) at the rear. The total power is 480 kW (643 hp) for a torque of 850 Nm. The 0 to 100 km/h is reached in 3.9 seconds.
The set is powered by a 150 kWh battery and offers a range of 1000 km (NEDC) or 850 km (WLTP cycles). Note that this 150 kWh battery will only be available from the fourth quarter of 2022.
In the meantime, the ET7 is also offered with “smaller” batteries: 70 kWh (500 km NEDC) and 100 kWh (700 km NEDC). Remember that the NEDC standard is purely theoretical and does not reflect actual driving behavior like the European WLTP standard or EPA for the United States.
As for the ET5, the second sedan, it takes over the design of the ET7 with a touch of sportiness in the design. Under the chassis, the ET5 houses two electric motors of 150 kW (204 hp at the front) and 210 kW (285 hp at the rear) for a total output of 360 kW (490 hp and 700 Nm of torque). The exercise from 0 to 100 km/h takes 4.3 seconds. On the battery side, the ET5 offers three different capacities: 75 kWh (500 km), 100 kWh (+700 km) and 150 kWh (+1000 km).
Finally, the EL7 is a five-seater SUV based on the new NT 2.0 platform, unlike the brand’s first electric models. It is 4.90 m long, offers a width of 1.99 m and a height of 1.72 m. The SUV contains two electric motors: 180 kW (245 hp) at the front and 300 kW (408 hp) at the rear.
Presumably the EL7 will come with two different battery capacities: 75 and 100 kWh. Despite everything, the Chinese brand also evokes that of 150 kWh. The SUV offers the possibility to charge other electrical devices (V2L) and tow up to two tons.
Subscription system and replaceable battery
One of the peculiarities of the Chinese manufacturer is the subscription that allows customers “choose the vehicle that best suits their needs” according to terms ranging from 1 to 60 months. This program includes “full insurance, maintenance, winter tyres, spare car and replacement battery, plus the option to upgrade batteries”.
Although attractive on paper, this monthly subscription is relatively expensive. So for the Nio ET5 model it costs 999€/month in Germany, 1089€/month in the Netherlands, 10,899 SEK (992€) in Sweden and 8499 DKK (1143€) in Denmark.
Finally, Nio has set up battery exchange stations that electric cars can use “filling up” in just a few minutes. After a successful experience in China with 500 such stations, Norway was the first country to have a Power Swap Station (PSS). By the end of 2022, Nio wants to build 20 battery exchange stations in Europe. By 2023, that number is expected to rise to 120. By 2025, Nio aims to build 1,000 Power Swap stations outside China, most of them in Europe.
This battery exchange system completes the network of 380,000 charging points in Europe that are accessible with Nio NFC cards. For the occasion, the Chinese manufacturer has entered into a partnership with Shell. The partnership includes the installation of 100 battery swap stations in China by 2025 and the operation of test stations in Europe by 2022. In addition, Shell Recharge Solutions’ charging network in Europe will be made available to Nio electric car users. Finally, the two partners will explore many themes around vehicles, such as fleet management and home charging.
Change in three minutes
Developed in collaboration with Sinopec [ou China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, NDLR], the Nio Power Swap Station 2.0 can swap up to 312 batteries per day. The system is fully automatic. Drivers simply press a button on their car’s touchscreen to automatically position themselves in the station, equipped with 239 sensors, such as a Park Assist system. The mechanism then extracts the battery from the car under the floor to replace it with a charged battery. The operation only takes about three minutes. The station has a storage capacity of 13 batteries, which are charged until the next use.
As for a possible arrival in France, Nio has not yet made a decision. The successes of MG Motors, Aiways and Seres could encourage him to take a closer look at our market. But despite strong growth, the all-electric market share for us will remain around 12% for the time being.
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