2019 NIO ES8 - Ready to Battle Model X!!

Chinese Nio ES8 electric SUV takes aim at Tesla with optional battery swapping

Chinese startup Nio (formerly known as NextEV) has made a big splash in a short period of time. Founded in 2014, after spending a couple of years under the radar, it launched an all-electric supercar and announced plans for a mass-production electric SUV capable of taking on Tesla. That mass-market model is now here.
The Nio ES8 is on sale in the company’s home market. While many startups, including Faraday Future and Lucid Motors, talked about Tesla-fighting electric cars, Nio has actually put its car into production. The company previously said it would begin selling electric cars in the United States in 2020, although it may bring a different model here.

In a move reminiscent of Tesla, the first 10,000 ES8 deliveries will be “Founder’s Edition” models priced at 548,000 yuan ($82,989), while regular models are priced at 448,000 yuan ($67,783). That undercuts the 836,000 yuan ($126,603) base price of a Tesla Model X in China, notes Bloomberg (the Model X starts at $79,500 in the U.S., but shipping costs and import duties inflate its price in China). That could give Nio an advantage in what is now the world’s largest market for electric cars.

Like the Model X, the ES8 has one electric motor on each axle, giving it all-wheel drive. The two motors produce a combined 480 kilowatts (643 horsepower) and 619 pound-feet of torque, getting the SUV from 0 to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds, says Nio. A 70-kilowatt-hour battery pack provides a claimed range of 355 kilometers (220 miles) in average driving conditions. The ES8 features seating for seven and an aluminum body to keep weight down.