Founded 4 years ago NIO is a Tesla killer. Well, the company wasn’t founded to be a Tesla killer but can NIO’s range of electric cars really take on the benchmark for electric cars? The media refers to NIO’s billionaire founder as China’s “Elon Musk”. NIO raised $2.1bn in funding and went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018. So the western stock exchanges (which are kind of liked a rigged system) are watching and taking NIO very seriously. So NIO has the money to build electric cars. Indeed it sold it’s first batch this year. Around 481 ES8s to be precise. There is a backlog of orders of around 15,000 patient customers. And they will have to be patient. no matter how much funding a new automotive start has. And no matter how good the sales pitch, at the end of the day the company will be defined by meeting consumer demand. NIO claims it has a near-immediate production target of 100,000 units. The company also claims a maximum production target of 500,000 units. In truth ramping up production in the short term to 100,000 units is tough even for established manufacturers. We’ll be surprised if NIO meets 100,000 in its first year. Five years time, yes. So potential NIO customers, expect delays. But NIO has confidence and has just announced the ES6, an affordable mid-sized all-electric SUV. The All Electric NIO ES6 SUV is powered by a dual permanent magnet motor and induction motor. This setup relays 400 kW of power to all 4-wheels. That’ 536bhp in old money. The power is split between the two motors. The magnet motor offers 215bhp and the induction (electric) motor offers 322bhp. The magnet motor is designed for low-speed use whereas the higher power induction motor provides an additional kick up the arse. NIO reckons the electric setup offers greater efficiencies and estimates a 317-mile range from the 84-kWh battery. Don’t expect a stunning top speed. It’s 124mph. Though the 4.7 seconds dash from 0-60mph is acceptable. The ES6 platform is partly constructed in carbon fiber and the bodywork is made entirely of aerospace grade aluminum. The NIO ES6 is anything but affordable, prices start at $51k, but that is $26k cheaper than the entry-level Tesla Model X. As far as we know the NIO ES6 will initially be available in China first in June 2019.  

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