On December 21, Nio launched its new ET9 flagship sedan at the Nio Day event in Guangzhou. The car claims nine flagship experiences and offers many firsts in technology and comfort. The versions are priced as follows: from 660,000 yuan (90,450 USD) to 818,000 yuan (112,100 USD):
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| ET9 BaaS | 660,000 yuan (90,450 USD) |
| ET9 | 788,000 yuan (108,000 USD) |
| 1st edition ET9 BaaS | 690,000 yuan (94,550 USD) |
| 1st edition ET9 | 818,000 yuan (112,000 USD) |
The first edition is limited to 999 cars and features several upgrades over the standard car, mainly in interior materials and exclusive badging. Nio will also offer the ET9 with a battery as a service, meaning the user can rent the battery on a monthly basis.
Deliveries of the Nio ET9 will start early. In terms of both length and width, it is the largest Nio to date, measuring 5324 and 2016 mm respectively. Although Nio calls the car a sedan, it is more similar to an SUV coupe in both silhouette and height (1620 mm) and has a similar style to the ES6 and ES7.
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The ET9 has a wheelbase of 3250 mm. This puts it near the upper limit of the third generation wheelbase swap stations. The third generation stations can accommodate cars with a wheelbase up to 3300 mm. Perhaps more importantly, the ET9 will not be compatible with first and second generation Nio swap stations due to the length of the wheelbase.
Although Nio’s new NT 3.0 platform is already used for the Onvo L60, the ET9 will be the first model from the Nio brand to use the new platform. It features the first global 900 V high-voltage architecture in China.
The ET9 uses a 120 kWh battery pack with an energy density of 292 Wh/kg. Nio claims that it is possible to achieve a range of 255 km in 5 minutes with fast charging. A fourth-generation battery swapping station should be able to change the battery in 144 seconds.
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The global 900V architecture means it can be used with charging stations from 500V to 1000V with a peak charging power of up to 600 kW and a peak current rate of 772 A. This gives it a 5C charging capacity.
As can be seen in many videos, the ET9 has a Skyride intelligent chassis system. Notably, this is a fully active suspension system that can make 1,000 torque adjustments per second and can independently control the four wheels to meet the needs of different driving scenarios. Not only does this allow the ET9 to perform party tricks like foosball and ball juggling, but it also delivers an incredibly smooth ride.
Another part of the system is rear-wheel steering, which is probably just as good given the length of the car, along with drive-by-wire. This means there is no mechanical connection between the handlebars and the wheels. Such technology has existed in aviation for many years, but is relatively new for automobiles. To date, only a few, mainly EVs, are equipped with the technology, also called ‘steer-by-wire’. A notable user is the Tesla Cybertruck.
Thanks to the rear-wheel steering, the car has a turning circle diameter of 10.9 meters. Nio’s flagship rides on 23-inch Pirelli PZERO EV-specific tires. The inner hubcap floats, so the Nio emblem always points upwards. Midnight Ceramic Blue is a new color exclusive to the ET9 and appears to be the car’s signature shade.
Inside, the new ET9 is the biggest departure yet from the standard Nio layout, which remains largely unchanged in overall look since the first generation ES8. While there’s still a rotating Nomi on top of the dash, the 15.6-inch infotainment screen is oriented horizontally. Additionally, there’s now a long, thinly stripped 48-inch 5K instrument cluster that runs the width of the car.
Nio claims the car has the industry’s first full AR head-up display. This has ultra-smooth coverage and overlays with information such as where to stop for battery swapping stations.
Linked to that drive-by-wire system is a new rectangular two-spoke steering wheel. The drive selector has also been moved from the traditional center console position on previous Nio models to a steering column-mounted lever.
Nio claims that the ET9 offers a business class-like experience. Much of that is aimed at the rear seat occupants. A four-seater, the center console extends to the rear. Two screens are mounted on the back of the front seats for entertainment for the rear passengers. The width of the seat cushion is up to 582 mm and the angle of the backrest can be adjusted up to 45 degrees.
Two key features of the ET9 are the Sky Island panoramic roof with unobstructed views and the Executive Bridge, the name Nio has given to the continuous center console. There are sun blinds on the windows and the center console also has a tray that can be adjusted from any angle. Below that is a refrigerator with a capacity of 10 liters that can support a temperature range of -2 degrees to 55 degrees Celsius.
The ET9 is powered by Nio’s new, self-developed 900V Thunder electric drive system. This includes the world’s first 925V W-Pin permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, which has a peak power of 340 kW. Mounted on the rear axle, it weighs just 79 kg, resulting in a power density of 4.3 kW/kg. The front axle is equipped with an asynchronous induction motor with a peak power of 180 kW and a power density of 2.6 kW/kg.
Sensors include three lidar units and the first use of a 4D millimeter wavelength imaging radar. There are a total of 31 sensors. Two of the Lidar units are side-facing wide field of view units with a range of 150 meters. The total Lidar coverage for the car is 350 degrees, while the camera coverage is a full 360 degrees. The goal is to create autonomous driving that is 20 times safer than a human driver.
Also debuting on the ET9 is Nio’s new SkyOS, which is claimed to be China’s first smart operating system for electric vehicles. According to Nio, superior performance is achieved through high bandwidth, low latency and high computing power.
Source: Nio