[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/is-nio-the-new-tesla\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/is-nio-the-new-tesla\/","headline":"Is NIO The New Tesla?","name":"Is NIO The New Tesla?","description":"NIO is quickly becoming a serious competitor to Tesla. Is it destined to take the throne? If you haven\u2019t already heard, Nio has been making the rounds lately. Thanks to the soaring stock prices, Nio has become the talk of the town for being a great way for investors to make a quick buck. Other than soaring stocks, Nio is also making moves as a competitor to Tesla, focusing on high-end performance EVs at prices that are a fraction of […]","datePublished":"2020-10-23","dateModified":"2020-10-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Is-NIO-The-New-Tesla-feature.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Is-NIO-The-New-Tesla-feature.jpg","height":520,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/is-nio-the-new-tesla\/","about":["Cars","ELECTRIC CARS","LATEST CAR NEWS"],"wordCount":655,"keywords":["electric car","NIO","NIO electric cars"],"articleBody":"NIO is quickly becoming a serious competitor to Tesla. Is it destined to take the throne?If you haven\u2019t already heard, Nio has been making the rounds lately. Thanks to the soaring stock prices, Nio has become the talk of the town for being a great way for investors to make a quick buck.Other than soaring stocks, Nio is also making moves as a competitor to Tesla, focusing on high-end performance EVs at prices that are a fraction of Tesla\u2019s models.Only founded in 2014, Nio is as fresh as they come yet it has achieved more in these six years than some car companies do in ten. As one of its first acts, Nio hit the ground running with their EP9 supercar that made headlines for having a whopping 1,341bhp, breaking the Nurburgring record for its class and being the world\u2019s fastest electric road car.Their first production car is the ES8. It\u2019s a large luxury SUV exclusively sold in China, sold for the equivalent of around \u00a351,000. The second model, the ES6, is a slightly smaller SUV with five seats rather than seven and is priced at around \u00a341,000 once converted to GBP. And lastly, the third model available to order now and set to release soon called the EC6, is yet another SUV, this time the smallest of the three being a crossover with five seats and a more coupe-like roofline.Now, although these cars are only for the Chinese market at the moment, that hasn\u2019t stopped us westerners postulate the possibility of Nio one day dethroning Tesla as the leader of the luxury performance EV market.For example, Nio\u2019s EC6 has some pretty impressive performance specs, with even the lowest model having around 429 hp and being able to sprint from 0-62mph in just 5.6 seconds. Not bad for a pretty large crossover.Nio cars have the luxury and performance that you would expect in a Tesla and although the battery range isn\u2019t quite as far in their cars as they are in Tesla, Nio has one unique selling point that could be considered a trick up their sleeve.This trick is the interchangeable batteries, allowing each Nio car to have its battery changed just like when your TV remote runs out of battery. Say, if you were on a long drive and didn\u2019t have time to stop several times, waiting 30 mins to an hour for your car to recharge, you can instead use Nio\u2019s battery swap service. This costs around \u00a321 (180 Yuan) and the swap is completed in around 3-5 minutes.This service is available in little futuristic manned cuboid stations that can be found at fuel stations dotted around China and process consists of an attendant parking your car in the \u2018box\u2019 and then a few minutes later, it comes out with a fully-charged battery.Now, although the cars are only sold in China and it may seem like Nio is in an enclosed environment, the ES8 was designed in Germany and the company is made up of a \u2018multinational team and company structure\u2019 according to Auto Express.In fact, multiple sources claim that Nio is looking to expand to the west as early as next year and the battery-swapping service could be coming with it. William Li, the founder, even said in an interview \u201cHopefully, in the second half of next year, we can start some small batch exploration in countries where EVs are popular\u201d.With China making up half of the global sales for electric vehicles and Nio receiving a great deal of funding from Chinese conglomerate Tencent, they could soon become a force to be reckoned with thanks to slightly lower prices and of course their unique selling point, the battery swap service.Let us know what you think could come of Nio, in the comments!If you enjoyed this, you may also like: The Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR Triggers Our Trypophobia"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is NIO The New Tesla?","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/is-nio-the-new-tesla\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]