NIO EP9 History

NIO unveiled the EP9 at the official brand launch event in London in November 2016, using the four-motor, 1-megawatt (1,341-hp) machine as a global statement about Chinese electric performance. Each wheel was driven by its own motor, the 777-volt system drew on two liquid-cooled lithium battery packs, and the car could swap its batteries in around eight minutes — a foreshadowing of NIO's production swap strategy.

In October 2016, the EP9 lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7m 05.12s in wet conditions, claiming the EV lap record. In May 2017, in dry weather, it returned and obliterated that mark with a 6m 45.900s lap — faster than any production car had previously managed on the circuit at the time. Top speed was a verified 313 km/h (194 mph).

The EP9 was produced in extremely limited numbers and sold only to NIO's investor-backers and select clients at approximately $1.48 million USD each. Production effectively ended around 2019. It stands as NIO's founding halo car rather than a commercial model.