BETTER PARTSAutonomous, electric and extremely fast
San José (California), 1 March 2017
Dear racers, get dressed warmly, because soon, cars go faster without you. NIO's international startup company now reports the lap record of autonomously moving Renner's on the circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Second feature: the car was driving pure electric.
30 seconds slower than with driver
The NIO EP9 drove without a driver. This formulation for a human pilot for the emergency in the cockpit may have been. No driver is required for fully autonomous driving according to the usual definition (SAE level 5). The car does everything to start the system and set the target alone. The EP9 achieved a lap time of 2 minutes 40,33 seconds. During the record round reached a top speed of 257 km/h. A human driver managed the round 30 seconds faster: with the same car on the same day he needed 2 minutes, 11.30 seconds and made up 273 km/h.
1,000 kilowatt power
Already on October 12th, 2016, a record round was the EP9: the car took 7 minutes and 5.12 seconds for the Northern loop of the Nürburgring (20.8 km). Since then, he is regarded as the fastest electric vehicle in the world. The EP9 about his four transmission brings a power of one megawatt or 1,360 HP on the road with four wheel near electrical motors. So the car accelerates in 7.1 seconds from zero to 100 km/h, but from zero to 200 km/h. The speed limit is 312 km/h. The range is specified with 426 kilometers. A Wechselakkusystem ensures that you can quickly get to the discharging of the battery.
A brand of NextEV
NIO is one of the Chinese companies NextEV. "Intelligent, high-performance premium electric" should be created under this brand. NIO has approximately 2,000 employees and maintains research and development centers in San José, Shanghai, Munich, and London. Allegedly, the company wants to bring even 2017 a second vehicle besides EP9 small series car on the market.
High-tech meeting in Austin
The record runs took place in the run-up to the SXSW (South by Southwest Conference & Festival). The now well-established high-tech show will take place from 10 to 18 March 2017, in Austin, Texas. Here large and small high-tech companies will meet and confer about the technology of the future. Is there also probably improvise how long it will continue until the computer at the helm is faster than humans and creates when a computer the also in a real racing (i.e. with other riders). Because only then it will be right closely the human race. (sl)