Nio Day 2023 was recently held on December 23, 2023, and during the event, the company unveiled its new executive flagship model, the ET9. Currently open for pre-orders in China ahead of deliveries in 2025, the ET9 is a fully electric sedan that is large in size and packed with technologies.
According to Nio, the ET9 measures 5,325 mm long, 2,016 mm wide, 1,620 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 3,250 mm. The minimalistic and aero-focused design is reminiscent of the brand’s other sedans like the smaller ET7 and ET5, although there’s more vertical height here that gives off some “SUV vibes.”
Beneath the metal, the ET9’s powertrain consists of two electric motors, with the one at the rear being a permanent magnet unit with a silicon carbide (SiC) inverter that is rated at 462 PS (456 hp or 340 kW).
Meanwhile, the front gets an induction motor with 245 PS (241 hp or 180 kW) to complete the all-wheel drive layout that generates a total system output of 707 PS (697 hp or 520 kW). These figures are impressive, but what’s more interesting is that the ET9 is claimed to be China’s first electric vehicle (EV) to use a 900-volt electrical architecture.
As the company proclaimed, the ET9 boasts the highest voltage of 925 V, a charging peak power of 600 kW and a charging peak current of 765 A. “The 900 V ultra-fast charging and swapping platform allows fast recharging after a three-minute battery swap or extending the range by 255 km with a five-minute charge,” it said in its release.
The 255 km recoverable in five minutes is in relation to the ET9’s battery pack with an energy capacity of 120 kWh – no range figures were provided but we’re told the pack is stuffed with cylindrical 46105 battery cells.
To go along with the 900-volt architecture, the ET9 also comes with SkyRide Intelligent Chassis System, which integrates three hardware systems: steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering and full active suspension. That last bit is interesting because it is supplied by ClearMotion, a company that Nio invested millions of dollars in.
If you’ve never heard of ClearMotion before, recall Bose’s ‘Project Sound’ active suspension system from decades ago. The electromagnetic suspension system was superior in many ways to conventional suspension systems of the day, but while it was a technical success, it was a commercial flop.
How capable is the NIO ET9 SkyRide Fully Active Suspension system? Have a look at the unique By-Wire Controlled Car Chassis which delivers an experience comparable to cruising in a business jet.#NIO #BlueSkyComing #ET9 pic.twitter.com/EJ2V5uXCy9
— NIO (@NIOGlobal) December 23, 2023
In 2017, ClearMotion acquired the project and announced plans to bring the system to market. The ET9’s suspension isn’t identical to the one Bose showcased, but it is said to be the first mass-produced consumer car to get such an active suspension system.
On the EV, each damper is independently controlled by a dedicated hydraulic pump combination with hydraulic components, enabling it to be raised or lowered by 50 mm. The company demonstrated the effectiveness of this system in a video, saying the “experience is comparable to cruising in a business jet.” This is helped along by the ET9’s torsional stiffness of 52,600 Nm/degree.
Only four occupants at a time will be able to enjoy this level of ride comfort because the ET9 is strictly a four-seater. The place you’ll want to be is the rear, as the lounge-like powered seats have a seat cushion width of 582 mm as well, 11 adjustment levels and up to 45 degrees of backrest adjustment.
Other luxury features include seven sunshades, deployable tray tables, two 14.5-inch AMOLED touchscreens, a split panoramic glass roof, a fridge, plenty of stowage space as well as a dedicated 8-inch tablet to adjust various functions.
A nearly two-metre-long console runs through the middle of the cabin towards the front, which keeps to Nio’s minimalistic approach. There’s only a large 15.6-inch central infotainment touchscreen (powered by SkyOS) on the dashboard, a rectangular-shaped steering wheel, a head-up display and the carmaker’s NOMI digital virtual assistant screen.
On the computing side of things, the ET9 gets Nio’s NX9031, which is claimed to be the first automotive-grade system-on-chip (SoC) to utilise the five-nm process in China. The chip provides the processing power necessary for the Adam 2.0 computing platform that supports functions in intelligent driving, digital cockpit, intelligent chassis, body, e-powertrain and cloud.
For now, Nio hasn’t revealed if it plans to sell the ET9 outside of China despite having a presence in overseas markets. Pricing for the EV starts at 800,000 yuan (RM516,712), and early birds will enjoy discounts of up to 10,000 yuan (RM6,459) and 100 hours of complimentary chauffeur service, among other perks.
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