Monday, December 18, 2017

New Nio ES8 electric SUV is cut-price Tesla Model X

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Lawrence Allan 2017-12-18 13:20

Chinese start-up Nio launches new seven-seat electric SUV with 220-mile range and $67,000 starting price

NIO ES8 front

Chinese electric car startup Nio has demonstrated its new ES8 SUV to customers in Beijing, with home market sales already under way. Priced from 448,000 yuan (around £50,500) after government incentives, it's not far off half the price of a Tesla Model X in China.  

Despite Nio only being founded by Shanghai-based NextEV in 2014, the ES8 is fully finished and offers comparable specs to a Model X. It's a full seven-seater, with an all-aluminium body and chassis, air suspension on all models and all-wheel drive.

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Electric motors mounted on each axle give the ES8 a 0-62mph time of 4.4 seconds, which is similar to a Model X 90D. The 70kWh battery pack allows a 220-mile NEDC range, although no claims of charging times have been made yet. A model which offers a 311-mile range is also available. 

Buyers of the Nio ES8 can have the battery swapped out at power-swap stations in three minutes, or charge it via a service vehicle that travels to you. The ES8 also comes with an autonomous driving system similar to Tesla's, with a variety of cameras and sensors making it capable of self-driving on main roads and motorways.  

The first 10,000 examples of the ES8 will be built in a high-spec 'Founder Edition' at 548,000 yuan (£61,800) but the company claims all have already been sold. There's no official confirmation of a launch in the US or Europe, but bosses have previously expressed a desire to expand beyond the home market. 

Do you like the look of the Nio ES8? Let us know in the comments...



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