Automotive

Electric NIO EP9 supercar claims blistering Nurburgring lap record

Electric NIO EP9 supercar claims blistering Nurburgring lap record
The NIO EP9 lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:45.900. Unofficially.
The NIO EP9 lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:45.900. Unofficially.
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The NIO EP9 lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:45.900. Unofficially.
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The NIO EP9 lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:45.900. Unofficially.
This is the second time the EP9 has taken on the Nurburgring
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This is the second time the EP9 has taken on the Nurburgring 
NIO timed and ran its own lap record
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NIO timed and ran its own lap record
The NIO EP9 takes on the Nurburgring
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The NIO EP9 takes on the Nurburgring 
The NIO EP9 at its launch
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The NIO EP9 at its launch 
The EP9 is purely electric
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The EP9 is purely electric 
The EP9 will accelerate through 300 km/h in just over 7 seconds
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The EP9 will accelerate through 300 km/h in just over 7 seconds 
View gallery - 7 images

You're probably tired of hearing about the Nurburgring Nordschleife at the moment. Hot hatches have been battling relentlessly for the front-drive lap record, and Mercedes now owns the rear-wheel drive record. One intrepid soul even did a lap on two wheels. But these records all pale in comparison to the time laid down by Chinese newcomer NIO. The company has claimed a blistering new lap record at the Nordschleife with its EP9 supercar.

All the records mentioned in the intro are class-specific. The Honda Civic Type-R is the fastest front-wheel drive car to lap the North Loop, and the AMG GT R is the quickest rear-driver. But the NIO EP9 clocked a 6:45.900 lap, topping the Radical SR8LM by 2.1 seconds and Lamborghini's Huracan Performante by 6 seconds to become the outright fastest production car around the Nurburgring.

This isn't the first time NIO has taken its electric supercar to Germany in search of laptime glory. Last year, the Chinese company set a 7:05.120 lap of the same circuit. Conditions were not ideal, but the time was fast enough to hand the EP9 a record for electric vehicles. The most recent attempt was conducted in ideal conditions, but we aren't sure that's all that changed.

This record attempt was run and timed by NIO itself, and the car was prepared by the company. A set of extra sticky tires, or a slightly tweaked aerodynamics package can make a huge difference over a lap, and without any external body (like a car magazine or TV crew) watching, there isn't any independent verification that it was in purely production spec.

NIO timed and ran its own lap record
NIO timed and ran its own lap record

Still, this is hardly the first Nurburgring record to attract controversy. Manufacturers have been accused of squeezing more power from their cars, for example, but on that front there isn't necessarily any more to get out of the NIO EP9. With 1342 hp (1001 kW) on tap, it'll accelerate to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 7.1 seconds. So lap records aside, this thing is an absolute weapon.

The EP9 will be built in extremely limited numbers, and order books are open at the moment. The company hasn't put a cap on production, but the second batch of cars will be made up of just 10. Prices start at US$1.48 million.

Source: NIO

View gallery - 7 images
5 comments
5 comments
Daishi
wow, that's a huge win. So much for electric cars only being fast off the line. NIO also backs the NextEV team that won 2015 Formula E. Maybe more companies should throw their hat into Formula E?
over_there
To clear up the hype around this the car is not a production car it is not street legal and it runs on SLICKS. The record for this category of car is 6:11 back in 1983 by a porsche 956 which is 30 seconds faster. The company them self only claim to be the fastest electric car and have a video of them fitting slicks at the track so its hard for any one to be confused about this
Rocky Stefano
@Daishi - By all means if you'd like to waste your money on Formula E listening to the wind then by all means please do. I prefer to hear a real motor rev at a track
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is both cool and green. It shows that electric vehicle can be fast.
JimFox
over_there
Outright record set in a full-blown 956 RACE car, not street legal. Was heavily modified AND ran slicks. NIO is in production, you can order one [minus the slicks]. From nothing to EP9 in just THREE years. Amazing.
EV's will dominate very soon. Battery tech is about to take a quantum leap-- which will come soonest- who knows?