NIO – THE CHINESE EV-MAKER THAT IS TAKING ON TESLA

Chinese electric-car maker Nio has become seemingly known in the electric vehicle (EV) industry due to its range of new electric cars and unrivaled battery-making and swapping technology. Nio is a Chinese startup carmaker that has become a valuable brand in a short period. Founded in 2014, it was formerly ‘NextEV’ and named its first quad-motor supercar the EP9. The EP9 produces 1,341hp from its four motors, just some hp short of a 1,500hp Bugatti Chiron which means it can go from 0mph to 60mph in just 2.7 seconds.

How does Nio compare to Tesla?

What distinguishes this product from others is neither the price tag nor the speed, but its recharging capabilities, and it’s a feature that has become predominant in all of Nio’s new SUVs and saloons cars.

• Battery life

When batteries go flat in a typical Tesla electric car, you need to recharge by taking it out of the car, which consumes time as even the super-fast public chargers can take up to half an hour to boost an EV battery up to 80% complete. And fast-charging cannot be used regularly as it can damage the battery. But Nio’s technology is so versed that it has found a way to boost its cars from 0-100% in less than 10 minutes employing the method of swappable batteries. All it will take is to visit a special Nio garage and make a swap for a fully charged one. First-hand, Nio’s car owners, have the opportunity of making this swap for free but second-hand buyers pay for the service rendered in the model of Tesla Supercharger. This doesn’t take five minutes, and it isn’t expensive. However, you can also use a public Charging point if you do not want to swap the batteries.

One of the reasons their cars are pretty cheap is that they can sell them without batteries. You can buy or rent the batteries separately and still get the same quality. It costs about £108 a month. Nio’s cheapest car -ES6 SUV is cheaper with this plan as compared to Tesla Model Y. Nio’s ES6 costs £40,000 in China, almost £2,000 more than the Tesla Model Y. Still, without purchasing the battery, you get a discount of £7,700 which makes it more than £5,500 cheaper. This is one reason why a third of Nio car owners prefer to go for this plan. It offers flexibility.

• Recharge

Another thing that sets Nio’s cars apart is their easy access to a fleet of rescue vans with built-in chargers. They will come to your rescue anywhere whenever you are stranded. Again, with the latest WLTP range tests, Tesla’s Model Y goes for 314 miles on a charge. It is considerably lower than Nio’s ES6, which can top 380 miles per charge as confirmed by the old NEDC range tests, but assuredly, it should still top 260 miles on a charge in real-world driving.

• Range

As stated earlier, the ES6 has one of the fastest ‘Performance’ versions with 550hp, which means it can go from 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds. There is a version that is considered even faster- the EC6, which does 0-60mph in about 4.5 seconds, a second slower than the fastest Tesla Model Y Performance. As compared to Tesla’s Model X, Nio developed its version of the seven-seat Model X (ES8), which goes for about £50,000 in China and has roughly 300 miles of range. Nio is majorly about making fast cars with the most extended range complemented with the best tech.

They don’t just make SUVs; recently, it launched a brand-new saloon named the ET7 or the Model S. Its features are up there with the best cars in the electric vehicle market. The fastest version of this car shifts from 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds. Although slower than the latest Model S Plaid, which can go from 0-60mph in 1.99 seconds, it can still rival the new BMW M4. The latest WLTP tests place Tesla Model S Long Range at 412 miles on a charge,and the Plaid + at 520 miles is almost 600 miles of range when converted to the NEDC figure. Nio places the ET7 at a higher range of 620 miles between charges, more than what most petrol and diesel cars can do. Nio batteries take the same amount of time to swap no matter how big they are, making their vehicles highly reliable. How many vehicles does NIO make in a year? On average, Nio releases a new car once every 18 months. To their growth in China, the number of battery swaps they have done over the years is over 650,000 at their battery stations, and they have sold over 50,000 cars. They have made five cars within the period of their establishment compared to Tesla’s six who have been around for more than 13 years. So who is who in EVs in China? The world’s largest auto market is China. Home grown electric vehicle makers include Nio, Li Auto, and Xpeng. They are all on an upward sales trajectory evidenced by government data which showed a 4.4% surge in the deliveries of pure electric vehicles from January through November. Although these numbers are high, they are still way short of Tesla. Tesla can produce over 250,000 vehicles yearly and is mobilizing towards that goal.

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