When Nio said it would sell vehicles with swappable battery packs, many did not believe the Chinese company would really get there. Better Place didn’t make it, even if it was a very different proposition. With Nio’s success in China, it was time for an international expansion, and the ES8 received the green light to be sold in Norway. To be more specific, it now has the EWVTA – European Whole Vehicle Type Approval.
That fancy name implies the Nio ES8 complies with the 2018/858 EU regulation. Despite the code, this regulation only became effective on September 1, 2020. From what Nio said, the rules apply not only to the ES8 but also to the “systems, components, and separate technical units.” If you think you know what that means, think again.
Nio did not have to approve only the systems in the car, but also the Power Swap Stations with which it works. They promise to replace the depleted battery pack with a fully charged one in about five minutes and have been delivering on that promise for quite some time in the Chinese market. Nio states on its Norwegian website it will be even faster: three minutes to complete the whole process. All things included, that can be faster than filling up a fuel tank, depending on its size. The company did not mention it, but Nomi – Nio's virtual assistant that reminds us of a tamagochi – was likely also evaluated and approved.
Another task for European authorities was approving the Nio App, which has multiple functions in China: schedule test drives, customize and buy a vehicle, request maintenance, ask the NioPower service vehicle for a quick charge wherever you are, read Nio news, chat with other Nio owners, and buy Nio Life gear. The company has not disclosed yet which of these functions it plans to offer in Norway.
Finally, the press release revealed that Nio will produce a specific ES8 for the European market. We will ask the company about the changes it had to present compared to the Chinese vehicle, but we guess that they have to do mainly with the ride and handling.
For Norwegian customers, the time to find out what Nio has to offer starts in September 2021. The Chinese automaker is yet to disclose the prices for this vehicle in Norway. The following vehicle Nio plans to sell there is the ET7, an elegant sedan that can offer a range of up to 700 km.
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