Nio ET5 unveiled – 150 kWh battery for 1,000 km range, 480 PS/700 Nm; with Nio Autonomous Driving suite

Nio has unveiled the ET5, its mid-sized sedan EV at the Nio Day 2021 event nearly a year after it the Nio ET7 made its debut. Like its larger stablemate, the ET5 has been touted with a range of 1,000 km, and the mid-sized vehicle measures 4,790 mm long with a 2,888 mm wheelbase, 1,960 mm wide and 1,499 mm tall.

For comparison, the ET7 that was launched in January this year measures 5,098 mm long with a 3,060 mm wheelbase, 1,987 mm wide and 1,505 mm tall. The ET5 features a dual-motor powertrain consisting of a 150 kW induction front motor and a 210 kW permanent magnet rear motor, offering a combined output of 480 PS and 700 Nm of torque. This yields a 0-100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds, according to Nio.

The headline figure range of over 1,000 km comes courtesy of a 150 kWh ultra-long range battery, while a further two battery specifications of 100 kWh and 75 kWh offer driving range of 700 km and 550 km, respectively. Claimed figures are estimates according to the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC).

The Nio ET5 body is claimed to have a torsional stiffness of 34,000 Nm per degree, and is constructed from ultra-high strength steel and aluminium mix. The vehicle also has centre of gravity measured at 482.6 mm with a wheel track width of 1,685 mm, giving it a rollover-resistance coefficient of 1.7.

This, Nio claims surpasses the requirement for a five-star rating from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The ET5 has also been engineered to meet five-star Euro NCAP and China NCAP standards, according to Nio.

Stopping power for the ET5 is provided by four-piston fixed brake calipers that are cast aluminium, offering a stopping distance of 33.9 m from 100 km/h, says Nio. Roadholding is aided by a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution. Its front suspension employs a compact layout while “curbing unbalanced torque outputs” during acceleration and deceleration, the carmaker added.

The cabin of the ET5 features a 10.2-inch instrument display, while being augmented by PanoCinema, a panoramic digital cockpit that employs augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. This is accessed via augmented reality eyewear that can project an effective screen size of 201 inches at a distance of six metres, and is joined by VR glasses with a 4K display effect.

Infotainment is accessed through a 12.8-inch AMOLED portrait-oriented central display, while audio is supplied thorough a 7.1.4 configuration through 23 speakers with a total output of 1,000 watts. The speaker covers in the vehicle offer a visual breathing effect, set in time with the rhythm of music that is being played, says Nio.

Upholstery and trim in the ET5 are made of a Clean+ polymeric material that Nio says reduces carbon emissions by more than 30% through the use of natural minerals and plant fibres compared to conventional materials, while the fabric is made from recycled PET bottles and thus reducing the amount of plastic that gets discarded into the ocean, says Nio. Here, a 3D-knit fabric brings a more three-dimensional texture to the upholstery.

The Nio ET5 comes with Nio Autonomous Driving (NAD) including Aquila Super Sensing and Adam Super Computing suites, aimed at giving the car a set of autonomous driving features that will be gradually rolled out once development validation is complete.

Part of this is an ultra-long range high resolution lidar, offering a 120-degree field of vision and a maximum range of 500 m. This is joined by 11 eight-megapixel cameras for autonomous driving, five millimetre-wave radar units and 12 ultrasonic sensors.

Customer deliveries of the Nio ET5 are expected to begin in September 2022, according to Nio. In China, prices start from RMB328,000 (RM217,315) before subsidies and from RMB258,000 (RM170,937) with the BaaS (battery-as-a-service) option selected.

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