While American customers may not be paying attention to NIO or its newest products, they should. The ES7 was presented this June 15 with “U.S.” written all over it. It is NIO’s first EV officially certified to tow a trailer or a caravan. It also has vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, meaning it can deliver electricity as much as it can grab it from chargers. Both qualities place it as an ideal vehicle for American roads.
The ES7 is an SUV with five seats and generous specifications. It is 4.91 meters (193.3 inches) long, 1.99 m (78.4 in) wide, 1.72 m (67.7 in) tall, and has a wheelbase of 2.96 m (116.5 in). This is the third of the NT2.0 platform products: the first ones were the ET7 and the ET5. Like the other two, it comes with LiDAR for future autonomous capabilities.
NIO is pretty proud of its acceleration time: it goes from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in only 3.9 seconds, which makes it NIO’s quickest SUV to date. The SUV has two motors, one for each axle, for a total of 480 kW (644 hp) and 850 Nm (626.9 pound-feet). The drag coefficient is not impressive, though: 0.263. With a large frontal area, that may make it hungry for electrons.
NIO said the ES7 can achieve a range of 485 kilometers (301 miles) with its 75-kWh battery pack, 620 km (385 mi) with the 100-kWh unit, and over 850 km (528 mi) with the 150-kWh battery pack, which is yet to be presented. It is important to stress that this is what the EV delivers under the CLTC range, which is more optimistic than WLTP or EPA. The largest swappable battery will have semi-solid-state batteries, and it was promised for some point in 2022, probably more to the end of it.
Since towing is not as popular in China as it is in the U.S., the electric tow bar is optional and has a maximum towing capacity of 2,000 kilograms (4,409 pounds). The V2L capability should be available as standard, even if it will be particularly helpful for camping. The ES7 even offers a Camping Mode.
NIO will charge RMB468,000 for the ES7 with 75 kWh, equivalent to $69,697 at the current exchange rate. The EV with the 100-kWh battery pack costs RMB526,000 ($78,335), with NIO also selling a Premier Edition, which should have 100 kWh. It is slightly more expensive: RMB 528,000 ($78,633).
Considering the company also sells the car without the battery pack, the ES7’s most affordable option comes with Battery as a Service (BaaS). With the monthly lease, the ES7 would cost RMB398,000 ($59,273). Deliveries are expected to begin on August 28, 2022.
If NIO really has plans to sell the ES7 in the U.S., we just hope that it develops a battery swapping system that allows the vehicles to enter the station with their trailers. Currently, you have to enter it backward and leave from the same entrance. Drive-through stations would be better suited for this task.
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