Chinese electric automaker Nio has just teased new details about the upcoming executive flagship ET9 sedan ahead of its official debut in two days at Nio Day 2023. Excitingly, Nio executives revealed that the model would feature a 900V architecture and upgradable wire-controlled intelligent chassis.
Upcoming NIO Day 2023
Nio is set to launch the highly awaited Nio Day 2023 this weekend, as it will facilitate the first-ever debut of the new high-end electric vehicle model, ET9.
According to Electrek, Nio was already hinting at a new model debut as soon as it decided on the date for its annual tech day event. In effect, enthusiasts anticipated that the new model the automaker is alluding to is the ET9 sedan.
True enough, Nio founder and chairman William Li confirmed the speculations. He disclosed that ET9 will be the brand’s executive flagship sedan, which will go against German brands Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Maybach in the luxury market.
Apart from Li’s confirmation, two NIO execs revealed key information about the model’s industry-leading 900V platform.
What’s special about the 900V platform?
CnEVPost reported that NIO’s electric drive and high-voltage system assistant vice president Bi Lu’s Weibo post which revealed the ET9’s new 900-volt architecture to further improve charge speeds.
It significantly lowered the ET9’s high-voltage wiring harness weight. Nio also further lessened the motor’s weight and size to hit higher power density.
ET9 can also perform real-time online diagnosis of the 900V e-drive system’s health status. It can also optimize control parameters aligning with the owner’s driving habits to improve the efficiency, safety, and reliability of output.
“On the upcoming flagship model ET9, we adopt a’ 900V’ high-voltage architecture that breaks the industry upper limit, which means that on the premise of further reducing the weight of the high-voltage wiring harness in the car, we can achieve the ultimate experience of faster charging performance for the entire vehicle. Combined with NIO’s unique ultra-fast power replacement system, it creates the best solution for comprehensive energy replenishment experience. At the same time, on the new intelligent electric drive platform, in order to meet the higher requirements for flagship models in terms of space and comfort, we have further reduced the weight and volume of the motor, and adopted a number of ‘black technologies’ in product design to achieve higher power density.”
Bi Lu, NIO’s electric drive and high-voltage system assistant vice president
For context, most EVs in the market today only employ 230V-450V architectures called “400V technology.” That said, the adoption of the cutting-edge 900V architecture is indeed a breakthrough, enabling the model to be competitive against the currently popular models in the luxury segment.
The wire-controlled intelligent chassis
Nio also revealed that the ET9 will also use a wire-controlled chassis to ensure easier, faster, and continuous upgradability over time.
Interestingly, Nio’s vehicle application software head, Xiao Baihong, claims that the chassis system is the only genuine fully wire-controlled intelligent chassis worldwide that incorporates three core hardware systems together.
“When Nio wants to launch its executive flagship sedan, the development goal of our chassis system is very clear — to use the most cutting-edge technology to bring the most extreme experience to the user.”
Xiao Baihong, Nio’s vehicle application software head
This innovative technology enhances ET9’s driving comfort, handling, and safety. Xiao even asserted that ET9’s chassis exceeds that of Porsche’s third-gen Panamera.
Nio set the Nio Day 2023 in Xi’an, Shaanxi, Northwest China, on Saturday, December 23. We can expect to learn more about the Nio ET9’s performance and technical capabilities during the event.
