NIO's next flagship

Naturally, there must be a refrigerator in the car, in the console between the two chairs in the second row of seats. With electric opening. So the two passengers sitting in the second row of seats deserve cooling, massage, footrests and individual climate zone settings just as much as the two passengers in front. Only two people in the third row of seats must share the climate zone.

Three rows – six seats

An Ho, NIO's Norwegian boss, was not a bit proud when he introduced the EL8, the 5.01-metre-long SUV that replaces the ES8, NIO's first model in Norway and Europe. Two different types of equipment are taken here, all with a 2+2+2 seating solution. In the more luxurious Executive model, the two second-row seats are more reminiscent of first class on a long-haul flight than passenger seats in a family car. The cup holder even moves forward electrically and reveals two phone charging pads in addition to the one on the front.

The slightly simpler equipment variant lacks the aforementioned center console, but has the same seat configuration. The rest is the same. To make the EL8 as comfortable as possible, the seven-seat solution that disappears with the ES8 has been dropped.

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Most people rent the battery

Battery replacement technology sets NIO apart from its competitors. The battery, with a net capacity of 73.5 or 90 kWh, is purchased with the car or rented. The standard battery pack provides a range of up to 390 km, the largest being 510 km. The charging speed reaches a maximum of 240 kW. NIO is working with a 150 kWh battery pack where a range of up to 1,000 km has been suggested, but as of now there is nothing concrete about when this battery will be launched.

The battery rental agreement includes exchanging a discharged battery for a charged one up to twice a month at no additional cost at the 10 operating exchange stations. 95 percent of the roughly 2,300 people who have bought NIO in Norway so far have opted into the subscription system. Over 30,000 battery changes have been performed to date.

650 hp and air suspension

Changing the battery takes less than five minutes, roughly the same time as it takes to refuel a fossil-fueled car. Ten new interchange stations are planned to be built along Norway's main road network. In Europe, NIO has so far established 43 exchange terminals, including Norwegian terminals.

– We have put all the know-how and technology into this car, points out NIO's Pep Pujol-Moore. In terms of pure performance, this means all-wheel drive with 245 hp at the front axle and 405 hp at the rear axle, so 650 hp in total, 850 Nm of traction and acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. Air suspension is standard. The trailer weight is 2000 kg.

Showy and loaded with gear

The third-row seatbacks can be folded electrically, while the second-row chairs slide forward only. This brings the volume of the luggage compartment with all rows of seats in use to 265 litres, which increases to 810 litres with the middle seats pushed forward. The middle seats cannot be packed flat.

The NIO EL8 is, after all, a global luxury electric car developed for those who love to drive, which NIO considers one of the premium models in its class. So, the Volvo EX90 is mentioned as the closest competitor, but the Kia EV9 should also be considered in this picture. The seven- or six-seat BYD Tang and Hongqi E-HS9 aren't dead either. A less expensive alternative to the aforementioned will be the upcoming Peugeot E-5008, equipped with an all-wheel drive and seven-seater solution.

Simple interior design

NIO doesn't go as far as some other Chinese brands and Tesla in downsizing the interior. However, the vast majority of functions are controlled via a horizontally mounted, 12.8-inch pressure-sensitive display, or through voice control. Rear seat passengers control the climate and refrigerator through their own 6.6-inch panel. The front display screen measures 16.3 inches.

NIO also points to the fact that the seats, in order to make them as comfortable as possible with a total of 22 setting variables, were developed and produced in-house.

The car's standard package contains not only adaptive matrix lighting, soft-closing doors, an electrically adjustable steering wheel and a heat pump, but also lidar, radar, cameras and 33 sensors, making the EL8 in some parts of the world as good as autonomous driving, but as in legislation European makes driver assistance technology helps reduce the number and size of accidents when they first occur. For those who need it, the car parks themselves.

The price of the NIO EL8 with rented battery starts at NOK 719,000. The first customers will receive their cars in September.