Make no mistake; the Tesla Model S is an attractive electric vehicle that has the ability to accelerate to 60 mph in less than three seconds and carry up to seven people in relative comfort (the two kids in the rear-facing jump-seats might disagree). But at the end of the day, it’s still a sedan that doesn’t exactly excite like a supercar (think McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder or Ferrari LaFerrari).
NextEV, a Chinese manufacturer that fields a team in Formula E, is looking to take the world by storm with its EP9. Launching under the NIO sub-brand, the EP9 is said to accelerate to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and can hit 124 mph in 7.1 seconds. After 15.9 seconds, the EP9 will be traveling at a heady 186 mph.
The EV weighs 3,825 pounds (about 200 pounds heavier than the 918 Spyder), of which 1,400 pounds is devoted solely to the lithium-ion battery pack. Despite the fact that the EP9’s motors combine to produce an astonishing 1390 horsepower, it still has a respectable driving range of 265 miles.
So what do all of these performance numbers mean in the real world? Well, NextEV says that the EP9 is capable of lapping the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife race track in 7 minutes, 5 seconds.
image: http://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/39387/content/big_SC_002_NIO-EP9-front.jpg
Interestingly enough, NextEV is claiming that the EP9 is the world’s fastest EV, but we have the feeling that Rimac Automobili would take issue with that statement. Rimac’s Concept_S can dash to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds and can hit 186 mph in 13.5 seconds. Likewise, the Concept_S is capable of topping out at 226.8 mph, whereas NextEV hasn’t provided a top speed for the EP9.
