Team principal(s) Gerry Hughes Founded 2014 | Current series FIA Formula E Location China | |
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Current drivers Nelson Piquet Jr.
Oliver Turvey Drivers'
Championships FIA Formula E:
2014–15: Nelson Piquet Jr. Profiles | ||
The NextEV NIO Formula E Team is a Chinese/British motor racing team currently competing in the FIA Formula E Championship, an electric racing series.
Contents
NextEV has participated in the FIA Formula E Championship ever since its inaugural season (2014), winning the first FIA Formula E Drivers’ Championship with Nelson Piquet Jr.
Results
† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed ~90% of the race distance.
NextEV NIO EP9
The NextEV NIO EP9 is a track-only, electric-powered, mid-engined two-seater supercar manufactured by NextEV and their Formula E counterpart. It made its debut in the Saatchi Gallery in London, England. The vehicle was fully built in 18 months.
The EP9 has four high-performance motors (one on each wheel, 335.25 horsepower on one motor) giving the car a total power output of 1,341 hp (1,000 kW; 1,360 PS). The power is sent to all four wheels by four individual transmissions (one on each wheel), therefore making the car all-wheel drive. The car uses an advanced torque vectoring system to change the power outputs that are applied to the wheels. The electric motor can last up to 265 mi (426 km) of battery until it needs to recharge. Recharging takes 45 minutes. Battery replacement takes 8 minutes. Since the car has a power output higher than 1,000 kW (1 mW), this makes it one of the few electric cars to have an output higher than a megawatt, an example of this being the Toroidion 1MW Concept.
The car's rear wing is a 3-position (parked position, low-drag, and high downforce position), and along with the front fascia and rear diffuser, are able to produce 24,000 newtons (5,395 lbs) of downforce at 150 mph (240 km/h). This means the car has enough newtons to create three lateral Gs. The wing's downforce capabilities are 200% better than in a Formula 1 car. To further keep aerodynamics balanced, the suspension is active at all times. The ride height of the suspension also changes consistently to give the driver full confidence and to help the car get over bumpy corners much easier. The ride height control can take in 200 calculations per second for faster results. The brakes are constructed by NextEV, and according to them, they are the best brakes put on any car ever.
The car's chassis construction is all carbon-fiber, and is also based on the FIA Le Mans Prototype regulations. The exterior is also made of carbon-fiber. The exterior design was also a priority since it helped keep the aerodynamics fluid and balanced.
The interior, like the exterior and chassis, is all completely made of carbon-fiber. The leather bucket seats are placed low and the steering wheel is closely placed to make the experience of driving a race-car as best as possible. In the interior, there are four screens: two on the dashboard (one on driver side, one on passenger side), one on the center console, and one on the steering wheel.
The vehicle's batteries, in total, weigh at 635 kilograms. All of the carbon-fiber in the car, in total, weigh at 364 kilograms. Everything else, in total, weighs at 736 kilograms, which means the final weight is set at 1,735 kilograms (3,825 lb).
The EP9 is able to do 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds, 0-124 mph in 7.1 seconds, 0-186 mph in 15.9 seconds, and can set a top speed of 194 mph (312 km/h). The 0-60 mph time the car does makes it the third quickest electric car in a 0-60 launch, behind Tesla's Model S P90D and P100D models.
The six units of the car were all sold for US$1.2 million, but only NextEV's investors were able to purchase it. NextEV plans to make the EP9 available to the market later in the year.
World records
NextEV set a new record in their track-only EP9 for the fastest lap for an electric-powered car in the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Circuit Paul Ricard, and Circuit of the Americas tracks.