Nio ET5 EV Debuts With 1,000km Range

The USP of the Nio ET5, which will rival the Tesla Model 3, is its range. The Nio ET5 is available with three different battery options — 75kWh (Standard Range), 100kWh (Long Range) and 150kWh (Ultralong Range).

The standard range, 75kWh version of the Nio ET5 offers a range of over 550 kilometres as per the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC) emission norms. The Long Range ET5 variants with the 100kWh battery pack extend the range to over 750 kilometres (CLTC). The Ultralong Range Nio ET5 is the Big Kahuna with its 150kWh battery pack that delivers a range of over 1,000 kilometres (CTLC) on a single charge.

The entire Nio ET5 range comes with a standard dual-motor setup. The Nio ET5's front motor produces 201bhp while the rear motor adds another 282bhp to the mix for a combined power output of 483bhp. The peak torque figure is rated at 700Nm.

Nio claims that the ET5 will sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.3 seconds. Nio hasn't released a top speed figure for the ET5. The company does claim that the electric sedan will bring itself to a stop from 100km/h in just 33.9 metres thanks to its in-house developed disc brakes with four-piston callipers.

Nio claims the ET5 sedan has been engineered to meet the five-star C-NCAP and Euro NCAP standards and its ultra-high-strength steel-aluminium hybrid body has a torsional stiffness of up to 34,000 N·m/deg. Nio also claims that the ET5 with its ultra-low gravity centre at 482.6 mm and an ultra-wide wheel track of 1,685 mm has a rollover-resistance rating of 1.7, which is above the five-star safety standard set by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Nio ET5's design borrows cues from its larger ET7 sibling and the EP9 electric supercar which hold the electric car record at the Nurburgring with a lap time of 6:45.90 (six minutes, 45.900 seconds). The ET5 shares its liftback design with the larger ET7 sedan. The company claims that the rear haunches of the new sedan are inspired by the EP9 supercar.

The Nio ET5 also sports quite a few interesting design features including the slick LED setup for the front lights, the frameless windows, flush door handles and the subtle boot lid spoiler.

Inside, the ET5 sports a rather minimalist design with a large vertically stacked central infotainment display controlling most of the functions of the electric car. The 10.2-inch HDR driver's display gives the person behind the wheel all the data needed to pilot the EV. The Nio ET5 also sports 256 colour options for its ambient lighting and high def Dolby Atmos certified surround sound audio system.

Thoughts On The Nio ET5

The Nio ET5 is the Chinese carmaker's rival for the Tesla Model 3. The ET5 looks quite nice and its insanely long-range options mean that it will give the American EV a run for its money. With Nio expanding its operations in Europe in the coming years, we expect the ET5 to make its way there as well. For India though the Nio ET5 still remains a distant dream.