It’s already on the market in China, and now Nio’s flagship is also coming to Germany. Unlike other Chinese e-car manufacturers, Nio is entering the luxury segment straight away. Other things are also different: for example, you can change the battery at a station instead of charging it.
The Chinese car manufacturer Nio wants to be different. This goes so far that even the vehicles themselves sometimes threaten to fade into the background. We drove the brand’s first available model: the Nio 7, a luxury sedan in the format of the Mercedes EQS. its price? Well, Nio does a few things differently than the competition.
We still approach products from China with some caution. Perhaps because the first attempts by the Far East brands 15 years ago went so drastically wrong. But there is no reason for arrogance, today’s models from China must be taken seriously. And the Nio ET 7 even more so.
Pretty much everything that modern automotive technology has to offer has been put into the lavish, 5.10 meter four-door car. It starts with the drive, which is handled by two electric motors with a total output of 480 kW/654 hp, which transfer 850 Newton meters of torque to the axles. This continues with an attractive design, a high-quality, meticulously finished interior and complete equipment including all conceivable assistants that deserve their name. There’s nothing to choose from besides colors, wheels and ticking a towbar option.
No, that’s not right. A decision that is definitely important for an electric car still has to be made. Namely whether it should be a battery with a capacity of 75 or 100 kW/h. What makes a difference of 135 kilometers in the maximum ranges, the Nio manages 445 kilometers with the small battery and up to 580 with the large battery. In the coming year, a 150 kW/h battery will be added to the range; the semi-solid battery should enable ranges of up to 1000 kilometers.
Which brings us to charging, perhaps the most important topic in today’s e-car world. And here Nio goes his own way. While the Nio 7 tends to be disappointing when it comes to conventional charging with a maximum charging capacity of 11 kW (AC) or 130 kW (DC), the vehicle offers the unique opportunity to change the battery completely at a so-called swap station. Exchange (almost) empty for full: This works within 5 minutes, as we experienced for ourselves at a station in Berlin-Spandau. So far, however, there is only this and one other station on the A8 in Bavaria in Germany. A third near Düsseldorf is to follow.
In total, Nio plans to build 20 stations in Europe this year, and by 2025 there should be over 1000, but worldwide, with the exception of China. After all, according to Nio Germany Managing Director Ralph Krantz, most of them will come to Europe and most of these will come to Germany. The problem is not the technology, but finding a suitable location, primarily on the freeways and on the outskirts of large cities. If the network is in place, the ET 7 and all subsequent models should allow long journeys without fear of range. A change then costs 10 euros plus electricity costs, which result from the difference in the state of charge between the battery that was handed in and the one that was taken in.
You can look forward to the long journey, at least with the large sedan, but currently only in Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany, where the newcomer is only represented so far.
The ET 7 is comfortably tuned, if necessary extremely fast in less than 4 seconds to 100 km/h and achieves a top speed of up to 200 km/h. In addition, it is relatively economical: On our longer test drive, including fast stretches of motorway, the average consumption remained below 18 kW/h per 100 kilometers.
The Nio 7 is also visually convincing. The designers have done a great job and despite its length, the vehicle does not appear to be out of joint. At the front, the sedan looks out of fashionably narrow headlights, at the back the Chinese reminds us a little of Audi. When viewed from the side, the Nio appears dynamic and harmonious with its sloping roof line. However, the sensors and cameras mounted on the roof above the windshield and which we subsequently attached are irritating.
So the vehicle is not perfect. In addition to the charging capacity, which is below average for a car in this class, we also noticed the small trunk with a capacity of only 370 liters. Adjusting the exterior mirrors and steering wheel via the touchscreen is really annoying and unfortunately reminiscent of Tesla. You also have to get used to Nomi. On the one hand, the assistant in the test car, who only spoke English, was still quite slow-witted, and on the other hand, the visual implementation will irritate many Europeans. There is a kind of mini-robot with a small display enthroned on top of the dashboard, which pretends to be human with “eyes” and “mouth”.
Let’s get to the price – but not at all. Because there is no “one price” for the ET 7 because it simply cannot be bought. Traders can lease it, but Nio is particularly proud of the subscription system.
It’s somewhat complicated, but at its core there are two ways to rent the car. Either at a fixed price and over a fixed period of 12 to 60 months. Or flexibly over periods of one to 60 months with monthly cancellation. This is initially more expensive, but the longer you keep the ET 7 with this model, the lower the rates become. With a small battery, the vehicle starts at 1550 euros in the Flex subscription, and anyone who commits to a period pays at least 1200 euros.
We will see how the subscription model is received. In principle, Nio wants to apply it to all other vehicles as well. In the spring, the ET 5 will be a mid-range sedan and the EL 7 an SUV; always with the same swappable batteries. Overall, Nio is off to a good start with the ET 7. The technical effort and the special solutions in terms of technology and marketing suggest that the Chinese have come to stay. Whether the customers see it that way is an exciting question.
Technical specifications
Update October 24, 2022: Nio will offer its cars for sale in Germany from November. Originally, the ET7, EL7 and ET5 models were only to be offered as a subscription or for commercial customers as a leasing option. The high demand for a purchase option has now led to a rethink, as the company announces via its app. Nio does not name a price, the premium sedan ET7 appears on the environmental bonus subsidy list of the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) with a gross price of around 70,000 euros. There is also a monthly fee for battery rental.
