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Demon Time coming 2024
http://www.cnn.com/style/article/ne...index.html?sr=twCNN122717undefined0352PMStory
The 195mph NIO EP9 has lapped the track, NextEV claims, in just 7m 05.12sec, or around 17 seconds faster than the previous electric car record. Indeed, to put it in context, the EP9's time is only beaten in the all-time list by four road-legal cars, two of them thinly disguised racers, and the other two supercars from Porsche and Lamborghini.
And yet the EP9 can be recharged from flat in as little as 45 minutes, to offer a range of more than 265 miles. There is no guarantee that it will deliver this in production, but if it does, it has the potential to rewrite the rules of the hypercar market.
China is a hotbed of EV activity because crippling pollution in many cities has persuaded Beijing to open up that side of the business to 'non-automotive' companies. Some, like NextEV and telecoms giant-turned EV developer LeEco, appear to have enough backing to not only deliver a car, but to reach global customers.
China's growing electric vehicle market
They are not alone in sharing that ambition. Earlier this year, the state-owned Beijing Auto International Corporation launched an EV sub-brand called ArcFox with a creation called the ArcFox-7. It has a 603bhp electric motor, is made mostly out of carbon fiber and can reach 60mph in less than three seconds -- though its top speed is more modest than the EP9's, at 155mph.
Its range is more limited too, at 186 miles. Another brand, TechRules, has been testing an innovative hybrid supercar around the UK's F1 GP venue, Silverstone.
TechRules' AT96 TREV Credit: TechRules
The car carries the unusual moniker TREV, which actually stands for Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle, and it mixes plenty of cutting-edge tech -- including carbon fiber construction, a small lithium-ion battery pack and four-wheel drive -- to deliver a theoretical top speed of more than 217mph, while potentially running for more than 1,242 miles between fill-ups.
The 195mph NIO EP9 has lapped the track, NextEV claims, in just 7m 05.12sec, or around 17 seconds faster than the previous electric car record. Indeed, to put it in context, the EP9's time is only beaten in the all-time list by four road-legal cars, two of them thinly disguised racers, and the other two supercars from Porsche and Lamborghini.
And yet the EP9 can be recharged from flat in as little as 45 minutes, to offer a range of more than 265 miles. There is no guarantee that it will deliver this in production, but if it does, it has the potential to rewrite the rules of the hypercar market.
China is a hotbed of EV activity because crippling pollution in many cities has persuaded Beijing to open up that side of the business to 'non-automotive' companies. Some, like NextEV and telecoms giant-turned EV developer LeEco, appear to have enough backing to not only deliver a car, but to reach global customers.
China's growing electric vehicle market
They are not alone in sharing that ambition. Earlier this year, the state-owned Beijing Auto International Corporation launched an EV sub-brand called ArcFox with a creation called the ArcFox-7. It has a 603bhp electric motor, is made mostly out of carbon fiber and can reach 60mph in less than three seconds -- though its top speed is more modest than the EP9's, at 155mph.
Its range is more limited too, at 186 miles. Another brand, TechRules, has been testing an innovative hybrid supercar around the UK's F1 GP venue, Silverstone.
TechRules' AT96 TREV Credit: TechRules
The car carries the unusual moniker TREV, which actually stands for Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle, and it mixes plenty of cutting-edge tech -- including carbon fiber construction, a small lithium-ion battery pack and four-wheel drive -- to deliver a theoretical top speed of more than 217mph, while potentially running for more than 1,242 miles between fill-ups.