The world’s fastest electric car is a new entry from China
Chinese electric supercar NIO EP9 ‘born to push limits,’ automaker says
Say hello to the NIO EP9, what is being touted as the world’s fastest electric car.
NIO is a new global brand from Chinese automaker NextEV, with the EP9 electric supercar helping launch the new nameplate. According to NIO, the “visionary electric car brand will help users rediscover the ‘joyful lifestyle’ of car ownership by creating inspiring vehicles that deliver superior performance, a new benchmark for esthetic design and unique user experiences.”
So far, it’s hard to argue that the NIO EP9 doesn’t hit high marks in all those categories, having set a Nurburgring lap record for electric vehicles, turning in a time of 7:05.12.
If you want to put that into perspective, that’s faster than a Nissan GT-R NISMO that has documented 7:08.679 lap time. In addition, the EP9 smashed the EV record at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, recording a time of 1:57.78, besting the previous record by 2:40.
The two-seater, fully electric supercar has four-wheel drive and delivers the equivalent of 1,341 horsepower while tipping the scales at 1,735 kilograms. All of this combines for a 0-100 km/hr. time of 2.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 313 km/h.
The supercar boasts four inboard motors and four individual gear box- es along with torque vectoring. It even has a 427-km range and has been built to FIA LMP1 safety standards.
“Today we launched our electric supercar that broke the record at the Nordschliefe. The NIO EP9 was born to push limits and is the first stage of automotive production for NIO,” said NextEV founder and chairman, William Li.
“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. And with that, our vision of a blue sky will come true.”