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UPDATE: NIO EP9 Returns to Nurburgring, Tops Lamborghini Record via 6:45.9 Lap

Die-hard Nurburgring aficionados among you certainly remember the EV record set by the NIO EP9 last year, when the startup-born machine managed to get round the Nordschleife in 7:05. Well, the thing has returned to the ring, bringing its chronograph performance to (ready for it?) 6:45.9 seconds.
NIO EP9 on Nurburgring 25 photos
Photo: NIO
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The EV maker has yet to provide video proof of the lap (the images to your right come from the previous adventure), but, if the stopwatch number proves to be accurate, this means the EP9 one-upped the Lamborghini Huracan Performante's 6:52.01 production car record time by quite a margin.

Before we move any further, we need to mention that NIO never said its 1,360 hp contraption managed to set a new production car record.

"The EP9’s new lap record is 19.22 seconds faster than its previous lap time. This is a fabulous achievement for NIO and I am very proud of the team that has worked tirelessly to achieve this accolade," NIO's Gerry Highes stated.

So, does the thing qualify as a production car? The answer is... complicated. You see, the company has already built six units of the street-legal machine and plans to find other ten customers.

How was it possible for the EV to set such an amazing time, which, by the way, means it beat its own time by nearly 20 seconds?

Well, that megawatt of power mentioned above, which is accompanied by 1,480 Nm (1.091 lb-ft) of instant torque, comes from four electric motors, with the four trannies of the car allowing it to use all-wheel-drive torque vectoring. Then there's the downforce, which, at least in the configuration used for the Green Hell, can reach up to 24,000 Newtons (read: more than the downforce delivered by an F1 car).

The carmaker claims that the pair of lithium ion batteries of the EP9 needs just 45 minutes for a full charge, while offering a range of 265 miles (427 km).

An yes, we're just as impatient as you when it comes to getting our hands on that fresh Nurburgring video.

Update:The wait is over, as the Chinese carmaker has released the footage showing the full lap of the $1.48M electric devil. And if you feel the lack of proper decibel action is odd, try to imagine how the driver felt.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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