NIO’s EL7 SUV debuts in EU on Dutch roads

Chinese electric carmaker NIO has delivered the first three EL7 models, the SUV variant of its ET7 flagship sedan, in Europe to Dutch customers. All three chose the brand’s subscription formula as an alternative to leasing or buying. That includes battery swapping services (BaaS), a first in Europe.

A flexible monthly subscription (VAT excl.) for an SUV like this with a 100 kWh battery and a range of 513 km (WLTP) will cost you €1 568,59, decreasing gradually with the car aging to €1 475,2 after 12 months, for instance. Buying the EL7 will cost you €76 900 in combination with a BaaS subscription for renting the battery or €88 900 battery included.

Redefining car ownership

Like Volvo’s sister brand Lynk & Co, NIO is pioneering the subscription formula in Europe. But where Lynk & Co offers only one (PHEV) model comparable with the XC40 for €550  per month, terminable at any time without penalty, NIO provides a range of alternatives. It goes as low as 1 096,69 for an EL7 with a standard 75 kWh battery.

The benefit of a flexible subscription with NIO is you can change cars as often as you like. When choosing a ‘fixed’ subscription for 36 or 48 months, you choose your vehicle once, and the price lowers to €1 248,76 and €1 215,70, for instance. Like Lynk & Co, subscription prices include all insurance and service and 1 250 km a month. Excess kilometers are invoiced at 0,30 euros.

What’s unique for NIO is the Battery-as-a-Service, allowing you to switch a battery that ran out of steam for a fully charged new one in as little as three minutes. BaaS (usually €169 per month) is included in the subscription formula.

Ten Power Swap Stations in Europe

NIO has over 1 200 Power Swap Stations operational in China and ten in Europe since a few weeks, in Norway, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Shortly, NIO will offer the possibility of upgrading the battery from 75 kWh to 100 or even 150 kWh.

That creates an opportunity to choose a standard range (391 km) for daily use and swap for a more powerful one to go on holidays, for instance, with up to 850 km range. The first EL7 available in the Netherlands is coming with a 100 kWh battery; standard variants with 75 kWh are deliverable in seven to nine months, the website shows.

Towing up to 2 000 kg

The EL7 is the SUV version of the flagship sedan ET7, offering the same features in a higher yet still fairly sleek body. With a 75 kWh battery, the WLTP range is somewhat limited to 394 km and 513 km with the long-range pack.

The 4,9-m-long SUV is slightly shorter than the sedan, featuring the same electric all-wheel drivetrain of 480 kW (180 kW front, 300 kW rear) and 850 Nm of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/hour in just 3,9 seconds and counts on a Brembo brake system to stop at a short distance.

It has a standard air suspension that instantly adapts to road conditions and is even as an EV well-suited to tow a trailer, boat, or caravan up to 2 000 kg. It has an electric retractable towing hook and specific Trailer Mode software settings.

Highest trim included

And the good news is that it all comes standard, as only the highest equipped model is offered. No hurdle to choosing options; it’s all included. Like heated seats in front and rear, ventilating and massage (front), a panoramic electric roof, and a head-on display, to name some of them.

Like the ET7, all modern electronic systems are mounted, with, among others, the newest intelligent Banyan system with NIO Aquila Super Sensing. It uses 33 sensors, an ultra-long-range LiDAR, seven 8MP high-resolution cameras, four 3MP light-sensitive cameras, five millimeter-waver radars, and 12 ultrasonic sensors.

And the EL7 comes with NIO Autonomous Driving (NAD). This was developed in-house, including perception algorithms, localization, control strategy, and platform software.