If you’ve never heard of the car brand Nio, that’s set to change very soon. The Chinese electric carmaker has seen success in other countries, including some European locations, and is set to bring its models to the UK in 2023.
But what is Nio?
Nio was founded in 2014. However, while the carmaker has been around for a few years, its primary focus has been on the Chinese market. The brand has a range of models, including crossovers, SUVs and saloons – all electric.
Currently, some of its models are available to order in Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. Now, the brand’s co-founder, Lihong Qin, has confirmed they’ll expand even further with models becoming available in the UK at the end of 2023.
Nio electric models
At the moment, Nio has a couple of popular models. The ES8, an electric SUV, and the ES6, a SUC coupe, plus the ET5 saloon. As the brand moves into the second generation, they’ll be more coming, including the ET7, ET5 and EL7.
The brand is going head-to-head with Tesla in the range stakes. For example, to rival the Model 3, its ET5 saloon provides a staggering 620 miles of range from the 150kWh battery. If that’s not enough to impress, like other electric models, the torque provides instant acceleration taking you from 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds.
Coming soon to Europe is the brand’s ET7. This is a larger model than the ET5 and sprints from 0-62mph in under four seconds. In addition, it’s available in two battery sizes, with the largest offering up to 620 miles of range.
All of Nio’s models run on the brand’s Banyan Intelligence system. You also get an Alexa-style AI-based robot onboard named Nomi. Inside, there’s a large 12.8-inch touchscreen with a navigation system and many features. However, there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto as yet.
The brand’s new models have tons of safety and onboard tech that make the driving experience exciting and comfortable. For example, each car is equipped with lidar technology (Light Detection and Ranging). This uses 33 sensors around the car for remote sensing to measure ranges, making the vehicle semi-autonomous.
Battery swapping stations
While Nio cars can be charged just like any other EV, the brand has introduced a battery-swapping service for Nio drivers. Currently, there are only three available in Germany and Norway. But you can pull into a swap station and get a fully charged battery in around five minutes. Robots complete the swap, so it’s simple and efficient.
China has around 1,000 swap stations and is beginning to bring this concept to Europe. What’s more, they hold up to 13 batteries, and the station takes up around six parking spaces, so it’s a suitable size for many locations alongside electric charging hubs.
Subscription service
Nio provides each model on a subscription service to encourage drivers to transition to electric. It’s called the NT2 platform and allows people to order a model for between one and 60 months. There is also battery-leasing options available.
This is currently available in Europe locations, though it’s unclear whether this will expand into the UK market.
So when is Nio coming to the UK?
The news is that Nio is set to hit UK showrooms by the end of 2023. However, there’s no confirmation yet about which model we’ll get first.
The reason for the wait – right-hand drive steering. At the moment, Nio has focused on the left-hand drive market, so it’s taken them a bit longer to switch everything over for us in the UK.
The company’s co-founder, Lihong Qin, said, “Under our current plan, we expect to enter the UK market by the end of next year, which will give us a year to prepare so we can present ourselves in a complete way.”
The UK does have a Nio hub here already. It opened in Oxford back when the brand started, and currently, it heads up an Advanced Performance team.
Other Chinese brands coming to the UK
Nio’s move into the UK may have had a little push from other Chinese brands set to hit our roads in the near future. Brand BYD, also known as Build Your Dreams, recently said they plan to launch three electric models in the UK by December 2022. They currently have one model, the BYD Tang SUV, that is available in Norway.
While BYD electric cars might be new to UK roads, it may surprise you that we’ve already seen this brand’s technology in action. For example, some of London’s all-electric buses are from BYD in partnership with ADL coach builders.
Alongside this, Chinese electric carmaker Xpeng has announced interest in a UK expansion. However, at the moment, it’s focusing on left-hand drive markets.
The competition to bring innovative and advanced electric tech is heating up in the Asian markets. So, it’s no surprise each wants to break into the European market alongside the likes of big-name rivals such as Volkswagen, BMW and Peugeot. It’s also going up against close neighbours, Japan, which already has success in the electric space with popular models from brands such as Toyota and Nissan.
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