Dhe still young Chinese brand Nio is venturing into the German electric car market with a special concept. Not only that the models ET7, EL7 and ET5 are competitive at first glance, but a battery replacement concept is intended to give e-mobility a new boost.
All Nio have batteries that can not only be charged – with a maximum of 140 kW – provided there is an appropriate changing station, the entire battery pack can be replaced within five minutes. There are three exchange stations in Germany so far, another 17 are planned, another 100 in Europe. In China there are 1,300, more than 250,000 changes have already taken place, it is said.
Fully equipped including trailer hitch
The investments don’t seem to matter, Nio sees itself as a premium brand and switching as a unique selling point. The stations are planned on long-distance routes, so that the exchange will bring a significant time advantage compared to the store. Up to 20 full batteries should always be available.
Nio comes to Germany
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Three new Chinese cars
But even without the interplay, the 4.91 meter long EL7 is quite a remarkable SUV. It comes fully equipped with all standard assistance systems, glass roof, trailer hitch, air suspension and all-wheel drive. All the customer has to do is decide whether they want the 75 or 100 kWh battery, choose a color for the outside and inside, and determine the size of the rims. The German Nio headquarters, for which 140 people work in Graefelfing near Munich, can deliver in a maximum of four months.
The EL7 costs a whopping 73,900 euros, plus the monthly battery rental of 169 euros for the small and 289 euros for the large battery. If you want to buy, you have to add 12,000 or 21,000 euros. The range according to WLTP is 391 or 509 kilometers. On a first test drive, the 650 hp SUV confirmed Nio’s ambitions. It drives confidently, springs kommod and has a tremendous start. The top speed is limited to 200 km/h.
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