Is Nio available in the UK?
Not just yet, but it’s coming. The Chinese brand has launched in a handful of European markets, and is likely to appear in Britain in late 2024 with the EL6 and a network of sales and service centres, along with its famous battery-swapping stations.
Who owns Nio cars?
It’s a private carmaker, not owned by a massive carmaker like that Chinese powerhouse Geely (which owns Volvo, Lotus and a whole raft of brands). Nio is not even 10 years old and was founded by William Li. Its HQ is in Shanghai, China, but it has bases all around the world – the cars are designed in Munich, Germany, and the R&D takes place in leafy Oxfordshire, UK.
How big is the Nio EL6?
At 4,854mm long, the Nio EL6 is a tiny bit shorter than the Mercedes EQE SUV, but it’s also a bit wider at 1,955mm. Why’s that? Well, Nio’s engineers have had to make the EL6 a touch wider to allow the batteries to be easily removed during a battery swap.
How long does Nio battery swap take?
Nio tells us a swap takes around four minutes, which is around the same time as it takes to fill a petrol car with a large fuel tank. And it’s all done by a robot – you don’t have to get your hands dirty.