NIO ES8 can be reserved now，355 Km in NEDC, 4.4sec to 60mph,7 seater suv, 4,480,000-5,480,000RMB

[Hanson]

2017.12.16,Beijing, Chinese new EV startup company NIO, announced it's first mass production EV model ES8 to be reserved now.

ES8 is a 7 seater full size SUV, with about 5 m long, 2 m wide.
has 355km range in NEDC mode.
4.4 sec for 0-60 mph, 2 motors for 4 wheel drive.
Aluminum body and chassis, smart active Air suspension.
NIO ES8 support AC and DC charging, and also support battery swapping, battery can be swapped automatically in 3 minutes.

ES8 has a smart assistant named nomi, means know me, can help to listen music, navigate ,close the top window if it rains...

ES8 applied EyeQ4 IC to handle the driverless processing. ES8 has a 3 camera in front view, and 4 side view cameras, 5 mw radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors, and 1 inside camera to monitor drivers status.

ES8 provide battery

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I am hanson , an EV writer from china, feel free to touch me at [email protected], or WeChat ld-10,

my articles are posted on WeChat platform, "EV-driver".
my twitter shihongsheng, but I check it seldomly.

 

[Domenick]

...

I am hanson , an EV writer from china, feel free to touch me at [email protected], or WeChat ld-10,

my articles are posted on WeChat platform, "EV-driver".
my twitter shihongsheng, but I check it seldomly.

Thanks for that, @Hanson! I just now finished watching the presentation and I have to say, I'm quite impressed. If Nio can deliver on most of what they promise, this company could grow very quickly and outsell everybody in its segment. I imagine they could also do quite while in the U.S., if the price point stays competitive.

I especially love the AI assistant integration. Nomi has great interactivity and if it can perform as well or better than other AI systems, it can create an emotional attachment that just doesn't exist in other cars.

Things I don't like or am skeptical of? Battery swapping and battery leasing. I'm not sure what value is added by charging separately for battery and vehicle. In the end, both components are pointless without the other, so why break up the cost? Regarding the battery swapping, I hope they've done their math, because we now have two examples where it's been tried and failed -- Better Place and Tesla.

I don't have a deep enough understanding of the Chinese market to predict how, exactly, Nio will affect other players in that market. I don't think it will kill Tesla, though. In fact, it may be a boon for them if it attracts a lot more attention to the viability of electric vehicles in general. Tesla still can offer overall better performance, with much more range from the Model X and performance from the P100D. Because of its much higher price, it's not as good a value, overall, (at least until it can begin its China factory and avoid huge tariffs) but that higher price also signals prestige. If Tesla minds its hubris, it should even learn from Nio and adjust accordingly. It should be interesting to watch the play between the two companies unfold.

Any way, I would urge anyone interested in electric vehicles to watch the presentation themselves. It's was very professionally staged and confidence building -- sort of the opposite of Faraday Future's disaster. There's a ton here to unpack, so I hope others post their impressions too.

 

[Hanson]

Thank you.
For battery swapping, I think they do know the history of Better place and tesla. I think they provide swapping for 3 objectives.
1, To eliminate the worry of long time and inconvenience for charging EV in China, because many Chinese don't have their own car parking lot, they can not install EV charger easily, a large part of EV owners rely on public charging infrastructure. and long charging time is another issue for public charging.
2, To cut down the first cost for buying the ES8, it is 10,000 RMB less.
3, EV owners can get better battery several years later, NIO committed that the battery can be updated free later, the capacity and performance will keep competence.

I agree with you in Tesla part, I think Tesla will still remain its leading position in the coming future, but ,NIO will be an aggressive competitor.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Domenick]

1) I believe they mention only 30% of Chinese cities have access to charging at home, so I definitely understand how it can accelerate adoption. I just worry the cost of building enough packs and the stations (plus the property for the stations) may be too high. That said, the Gogoro scooter company seems to be having success with the model in Taiwan, though their batteries are inherently a lot cheaper.

2) I understand not including the cost of the battery makes the upfront vehicle cost cheaper. But people will still need to pay the monthly charge for the battery and Nio will need to make enough money from those monthly charges to eventually pay for the battery cost to them, so instead of having one payment to a bank, they will now have two payments, one to the bank and one to Nio, which should be about the same amount if Nio included the battery cost in. To me, it's juggling numbers without adding any actual savings. So, they can say it's less than 10,000 RMB, but it's not really true, since it's required to make battery payments as well.

3) I like the fact that they've promised to give customers a path to upgrade their batteries. This is good for customers and the environment. Still, even if the price of the battery and car were bundled together as it is for most cars, a better battery could still be installed.

I would not be surprised to see Nio much bigger in China than Tesla is. There are just more people who can afford to pay for the Nio. Aside from that, looking at the crowd, I could see a strong emotional connection being made, just as Tesla, Apple, and a few other companies have managed to do by offering an experience that delights in unexpected ways.

Appreciate your perspective. You know the market there better than any of us, I imagine, so your participation here is very helpful.

 

[Hanson]

Thank you，
1,For the cost of battery swapping, agree with you ,it's a huge amount. But for the properties, NIO has try to reduce the cost, they can build a swapping site for 3 standard car parking space, about 7.5X5 meters.
2, The total cost for the battery are almost same, Leasing solution just cut down the first amount .
3, Free upgrade for battery is another highlight from NIO.

Yes, China is a huge market, OEMs can do very well just in domestic market.

And NIO is trying to make a total different and disruptive experience for customers. you can check the NIO house they build in Beijing, Shanghai and such big cities. they are a relaxable place for customers. even Tesla shop is not the same thing.

Thank you for your hospitable comment. I am very glad to be here to give some information from china market.