NIO EP9 Track Edition

NIO EP9 Track Edition

The NIO EP9 announced China's arrival in the hypercar world with the subtlety of a thunderclap. With 1,341 hp from four electric motors, a top speed of 313 km/h, and a Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record for electric vehicles, the EP9 proved that Chinese automotive engineering could compete at the absolute pinnacle of performance.

Developed by NIO (formerly NextEV), the EP9 features four high-performance electric motors — one per wheel — each producing 335 hp. The quad-motor layout provides all-wheel drive with instantaneous, infinitely variable torque distribution. Two battery packs with a combined capacity of 70 kWh are swappable — a trademark NIO feature — allowing the car to return to the track quickly.

The EP9's Nurburgring record of 7:05.12, set in May 2017, was a landmark moment. It was the fastest EV lap of the legendary circuit, and faster than many legendary petrol-powered supercars. The Circuit of the Americas record of 2:40.33 was also impressive, beating the previous record by nearly 20 seconds.

The chassis is a carbon fiber monocoque with active aerodynamics that generate up to 24,000 newtons (approximately 2,400 kg) of downforce at 240 km/h — enough that the car could theoretically drive upside down on a ceiling. Pushrod-actuated double wishbone suspension front and rear provides F1-inspired kinematics, and carbon ceramic brakes provide stopping power to match the acceleration.

Only 16 EP9s were produced, with the first six delivered to NIO's founding investors at a price of approximately $1.48 million each. Subsequent examples were sold to selected buyers. Each car required extensive hand-assembly at NIO's facility in Nanjing.

The EP9 was primarily a technology demonstrator and brand-building exercise for NIO, which has since focused on electric SUVs and sedans for the mass market. But as a statement of capability, the EP9 achieved its goal emphatically — it proved that Chinese engineering could create a world-beating hypercar, and it put NIO on the global automotive map.

The EP9 stands alongside the Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista as one of the defining electric hypercars of the 2010s and 2020s.