The prospects for Chinese new-mobility OEM Nio have been looking up recently. After a few years of disappointing sales, the electric vehicle (EV) company’s volumes have been picking up. Most recent data from Nio show new record-high monthly deliveries of 5055 vehicles in October, an increase of just over 100% year-over-year and 31,430 vehicle deliveries in 2020, increasing by over 111% year-over-year.
While nowhere near mass-market volumes and focused on the Chinese market, in November the company passed General Motors’ market capitalization, becoming the seventh most valuable automaker globally, according to Bezinga. In July, a new leaderboard report from Guidehouse Insights, that evaluates the strategy and execution of 21 global EV upstarts, ranked Nio as the 2nd leading market player in a list that includes (in descending order) Rivian, Nikola, Xpeng, Weltmeister, Byton, AIways, Canoo, Arrival, and Lucid Motors.
Supercar capabilities
Nio was founded in 2014 as NextEV and debuted to the world in November 2016 with a global launch event in London. To demonstrate its ultimate capabilities, at that event the new company revealed the limited-edition EP9 electric supercar aimed at competing with top hybrid supercars of the time, such as the Ferrari’s La Ferrari and McLaren’s P1.
In 2016, the EP9 achieved a new lap record at the 20.8-km Nürburgring Nordschliefe in 7 min, 05.12 s. It shortly after smashed the EV record at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, recording a time of 1 min, 52.78 s, eclipsing the previous record of 2 min, 40 s.
With four high-performance inboard motors and four individual gearboxes, the EP9 delivered 1000 W to accelerate from 0-200 km/h (0-124 mph) in 7.1 s and on to a top speed of 313 km/h (194 mph). It was fitted with an interchangeable battery system, was designed to be recharged in 45 min, and had a range of 427 km (265 mi). Other technical highlights were a carbon cockpit and chassis, 3G cornering capabilities, and an aero package balancing efficiency with 24,000 N (5400 lb) of downforce at 240 km/h (149 mph).
“The Nio EP9 was born to push limits and is the first stage of automotive production for Nio,” said the company’s Founder and Chairman, William Li, at the time. “It is a statement of our vision and technical and manufacturing capabilities. It is a best-in-class product that showcases what is possible with electric vehicles. We believe that, when the car ownership experience exceeds expectations, electric vehicles will become the natural choice for everyone, leading to a more sustainable tomorrow.”
The EP9 also featured a visionary integrated e-control structure and sensor system layout that could accommodate the latest autonomous driving technology. In 2017, the company demonstrated it with the fastest-ever autonomous lap at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) race track in Austin, TX, at 2 min, 40.33 s, at a top speed of 160 mph (257 km/h). At the same time, the EP9 also beat the fastest COTA lap time for a production car having a driver with a lap time of 2 min, 11.30 s, and a top speed of 170 mph (273 km/h). The technology and software that delivered the AV feats were developed by engineers at Nio’s U.S. headquarters in Silicon Valley in just 4 months.
Refining battery-as-a-service
Closer to mass-market realities, Nio’s latest innovations list was added to by a November announcement of the launch of its 100-kW·h battery pack along with battery-as-a-service (BaaS) upgrade plans. The company claims the news shows its commitment to R&D and innovation in battery technology, with over 300 patents filed and gained. The new pack features what it calls CTP (cell to pack) technology for 37% higher energy density, enabling the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) range of its models to reach up to 615 km (382 mi).
The new battery pack is underpinned by four main technological improvements. It has better thermal runaway management thanks to the thermal propagation prevention design. Its “all-climate” thermal management improves performance and extends battery life. End-cloud bi-directional communication for the battery management system supports smart parameter adjustments to improve the battery’s performance under all conditions. A highly integrated design streamlines manufacturing by 40% and improves space utilization by 19.8%.
Nio models with the new pack were available for pre-ordering on November 7. Users of existing Nio vehicles with the 70-kW·h battery can pay for the new one upfront or for a monthly fee of RMB 880 (or RMB 7980 per year). Prior to the 100-kW·h battery, Nio had already launched BaaS for the 70-kW·h battery. The company already has 158 battery swap stations in China and has done over 1.18 million battery swaps.
New production models in 2020
In September, the Nio House display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2020 showcased the company’s premium-focused EV lineup of the EP9 supercar, ES6 SUV, and its two latest 2020 entries—the ES8 SUV and EC6 “coupe” SUV.
Delivery started in April of the new ES8 flagship, which boasts over 180 improvements over its predecessor in exterior, interior, power, driving range, and digital touchpoints—backed by a leading-edge smart electric architecture. A new motor combination of a 160-kW PM (permanent magnet) motor up front and a 240-kW induction motor in the rear is aimed at balancing long range and high performance, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 4.9 s. Its new 100-kW·h liquid-cooled battery pack provides an NEDC range of up to 580 km (360 mi).
The sportier EC6 launched in July with an aerodynamic drag coefficient as low as 0.26 for its high-strength aluminum-alloy body. Standard continuous damping control and an optional active air suspension can intelligently sense and adapt to varying road conditions to optimize ride comfort and handling. Its smart cockpit features a 9.8-in slim-edge instrument cluster, an 11.3-in HD multi-touch center display, and a Nomi Mate 2.0 digital assistant fitted with a full-round AMOLED display.
The EC6 features the same front and rear motors as the ES8, and in the EC6 they combine for maximum 400-kW power and 725-N·m (535-lb-ft) torque. The intelligent all-wheel-drive system accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 s. Performance and Signature Versions come with a standard 70-kW·h battery pack with an NEDC range of 440 km (273 mi) or the optional 100-kW·h battery pack with an NEDC range of up to 615 km (382 mi).
Firmware over-the-air updates
On the electronics side, the company in Beijing showed the latest version of its smart operating system backed by FOTA (firmware over the air) updates. Called Nio OS 2.7.0, it features nearly 20 new features and function optimizations including camera-based driver drowsiness detection, remote seat ventilation, and 5.1 immersive surround sound mode.
The company distinguishes its FOTA updates from more-limited SOTA (software over the air updates) that optimize only in-car infotainment features. In addition to software, FOTA updates can accomplish improvements at higher system levels covering vehicle dynamics, handling, driving quality, and driver assistance.
FOTA supports updates of as many as 35 electronic control units throughout the vehicle. It is backed by an advanced vehicle electrical and electronic architecture using Ethernet for signal transmission speeds up to 1000 Mb/s. A high-performance gateway has capabilities of learning and rapid upgrade.
The company is celebrating two years of constant iterations enabled by FOTA. By Nio’s count, there have been 39 major iterations over four models, 131 new features, 280 feature optimizations, and 411 product improvements in total.
Navigate on Pilot
In Beijing, the company also showed its Navigate on Pilot (NOP) system that automatically guides a car following a navigation route on ring roads and highways. It says this is the first commercial application of a high-definition map in China for the ADAS (advanced driving assistance system) functionality of mass-produced vehicles.
It improves upon Nio Pilot’s capabilities, and it was announced in April along with Selected Pack features. The latter includes adaptive cruise control, Self-Automatic Parking Assist (S-APA) with Fusion, lane-keeping assist, cross-traffic alert-rear, cross-traffic alert-brake, Dynamic HMI on IC and automatic lane simulation, and automatic high beam.
S-APA with Fusion function, combining surround-view cameras with ultrasonic radars to understand the immediate environment, can be engaged via Nio’s signature Nomi dash-mounted voice-control assistant. With the upgrade, a vehicle will be able to detect parking spots based on parking space lines, recognize multiple consecutive available parking spaces, and choose a target parking spot. It represents an evolution from the existing APA in terms of searching, detecting, and choosing parking spots, the interaction experience, and the parking capabilities.
With NOP, Nio says it is one of the only two automakers to achieve the active guidance feature for navigation on designated roads. It works on most highways and urban expressways in China, covering high-frequency use cases to make driving more relaxing.
Based on HD map and actual road conditions, from on-ramp to off-ramp, NOP automatically adjusts speed, engages the turn signal, and makes lane changes to merge onto the main road. After merging, it automatically guides the vehicle to the optimal lane at an appropriate cruising speed. As an NOP-equipped Nio approaches a slower vehicle ahead and the adjacent lane permits, it chooses the right time to engage the turn signal and execute a lane change to overtake. NOP automatically adjusts speed and engages turn signals to take an exit.
New user interface icons and dynamic display on the instrument cluster lets a driver easily see vehicle status and road conditions in real-time for a relaxing trip. When the Nomi digital assistant is enabled, it notifies of current vehicle status, upcoming maneuvers, and takeover requests.
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