On Monday, Chinese electric car startup NextEV took the covers off a stunning piece of engineering called the EP9, short for “Electric Performance 9.”
The car is an electric supercar that already outpaces some of the world’s best internal combustion engine cars on the race track, signaling a bright future for performance fans in a world of electric cars.
Supercar spotter Shmee150 was given an exclusive look at the EP9 while it was undergoing testing at France’s Circuit Paul Ricard, and came away with a few details.
Nio EP9
The EP9 is producing 1,342 horsepower at the wheels, generated from four electric motors mated with individual transmissions. The driver and a single passenger sit in a carbon fiber tub with a flat bottom that allows air to easily flow from the front to the rear, a bit like on the AM-RB 001 hypercar being developed by Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing.
The EP9 is to be the performance flagship of new car brand Nio, which will eventually offer more conventional cars with electric powertrains. It’s not clear when additional models from Nio will be launched though the EP9 is expected to start delivery in 2017, priced from about $1 million.
Nio will initially target the Chinese market and produce its cars there. However, the company is evaluating other markets including the United States. In fact, the company already has a local team based in Silicon Valley and led by former Motorola executive Padmasree Warrior.
