If you don’t think electric cars are the future, this story may just change your mind. The NIO EP9, regarded as the world’s fastest electric car, has set TWO records at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
The first record set by the car was for being the fastest self-driving car at COTA. The lap was completed in 2 minutes and 40.33 seconds with a top speed of 160 mph. As a great comparison, the second record was for the fastest lap time for a production car with a driver at COTA. This lap time was 2 minutes and 11.30 seconds with a top speed of 170 mph.
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NIO was able to achieve these lap times thanks to the 1,342 horsepower that its four inboard motors provide. This power allows for a 0-124 mph time of 7.1 seconds and a top speed of 194 mph. What’s equally impressive is that the battery system that powers the motors can be charged in just 45 minutes and has a range of 265 miles.
“At NIO, we are all about raising the bar for the entire automotive industry. Breaking records with the NIO EP9 demonstrates our automotive and technology expertise to be a leader in the global market,” said Padmasree Warrior, CEO of NIO U.S. “Our Silicon Valley team brings together the best talent from automotive and software domains, which helped us achieve this remarkable result in an incredibly short time. Our goal is to be the best next generation car company, by delivering autonomous vehicles with amazing experiences for people all over the world. We look forward to sharing our vision for the car of the future in Austin, Texas at SXSW in March.”