Introducing: the all-electric NIO ES8

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Introducing: the all-electric NIO ES8

Introducing: the all-electric NIO ES8

Beneath an untypically blue sky in Beijing, NIO Founder and Chairman William Li launched the company's first all-electric road car - the ES8 - in front of 10,000 fans and soon-to-be owners as part of NIO Day in China's capital city on December 16.

Following on from the radical 2016 EP9 hypercar - which smashed the lap record at Germany's Nurburgring last year with a time of 6:45.9s - the ES8 is the company's latest model in the form of an all-electric and autonomous ready SUV.

Capable of going from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in just 4.4-seconds and travelling 355km on a single charge, the ES8 will go head-to-head with the likes of Tesla's Model X when it launches in mainland China in 2018. It’s impressive performance credentials stem from NIO's involvement in the FIA Formula E Championship, where its race team – led by Team Principal Gerry Hughes – test and develop the latest electric technology on the city streets. “For us, in terms of the brake management system, the e-motor design and the aerodynamics, we accumulate a lot of know-how from the Formula E team, which helps us for the mass-production cars," says Li. "This is all about building overall capability [for NIO]."

Making use of NIO's new network of 'houses' - think along the lines of a standard dealership and service centre only with a library, creche, coffee shop and hot-desking centre – Li aims to sell, service and recharge the ES8s from these centres all around China and eventually, the world. With these facilities available for all NIO customers, the houses form part of Li’s grand plan of ushering in “auto industry 3.0,” where the car – and all that goes with it – work in harmony with the owners’ lifestyle.

Central to all this is NIO Power – the company’s new charging experience that allows the ES8’s battery to be swapped in three minutes. Championing battery swapping over conventional plug-in recharging (which is also available on the ES8 through home and street chargers) is a step away from the steadfast belief in plug-in charging held by most EV manufacturers. But for Li, it’s all about swapping the car’s battery for a pre-prepared, fully-charged cell at over 1,100 Power Swap Stations all over mainland China. Presenting his solution live on stage, Li stood by and watched as the ES8 parked itself in the station and performed a successful battery swap well within three minutes. It’s autonomous capability is the handiwork of NIO Pilot - the marque's advanced driver-assistance system - which relies on 23 sensors dotted around the car and Mobileye EyeQ4 technology, making it the first car to sport the new system.

But of course, no high-tech car launch is complete without some nifty in-car gadgetry. Rounding the evening off in true tech entrepreneur fashion, Li introduced the audience to NOMI – NIO’s voice-activated artificially intelligent dashboard companion. In a similar way to Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri, NOMI responds to voice requests but is also capable of acting independently. On taking an air quality check or a weather reading, for example, NOMI will activate the air filter or automatically close the panoramic glass sunroof should it forecast heavy pollution or rain. On top of that, NOMI is capable of turning up the radio, playing your favourite song and taking a selfie for you - heck, the little dashboard critter is even able to show emotions through its two digital eyes. Cute or slightly creepy? Perhaps it’s too early to tell.

With all that on board, the NIO ES8 is no small car. With seven, full-leather seats and a trick ‘lounge seat’ option that aims to replicate a “first-class cabin” for the front passenger, the ES8 is a full-sized premium SUV to rival the all-electric Tesla Model X and plug-in hybrid Range Rover. Destined for NIO Houses in nine of China’s major cities in 2018, ES8 will be priced from RMB 448,000 to RMB 548,000 for one of the 10,000 Founder’s Edition models.

With a new car coming and 12 Formula E races left to battle for the championship title, it’s looking like a busy year for the latest name in all-electric mobility.

See NIO’s Formula E team in action at the 2018 Marrakesh E-Prix.