Nio ET9 revealed as flagship EV with 600 kW charging, four-seat lounge

The Nio ET9 just made its debut, and it’s the latest electric vehicle from the Chinese company Nio that’s pushing the boundaries on EV specs.

As for the Nio lineup of vehicles, the ET9 slots in right at the top as the company’s new “executive flagship” vehicle. It skews more toward the look of a sportback in shape, but its height puts it somewhere in the awkward middle ground between sedans and crossovers. No matter the design, it’s big at 206 inches in length. That puts it in the same size category as a regular Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

More impressive than its size, though, are the EV charging specs Nio is claiming. Nio says the ET9 will boast a peak charge rate of 600 kilowatts, which will enable you to harvest 158 miles of range after just five minutes on a fast charger. And in case you were wondering where one might find a charger capable of those speeds, Nio said that it’s building chargers capable of 640 kW charging at the same time as it announced the ET9. A 900-volt electrical architecture supports this wildly quick charging.

Power is expectedly abundant, too. The ET9 offers a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain that has a combined output of 697 horsepower. Nio doesn’t claim any 0-60 mph times or brag about a top speed, but those figures aren’t what the ET9 appears to be about. Instead, Nio spends a great deal of time detailing the rear seats and the beautiful executive lounge that it is. The ET9 is just a four-seater because the center area of the rear seats is taken up by the “Executive Bridge” that houses a tablet, a table, wireless phone charger and more. The seats recline a great deal, and you have plenty of arm support to get comfy.

When it comes to driving the ET9, Nio says it has steer-by-wire technology – tech that recently made a big splash in the Tesla Cybertruck – rear-wheel steering and “full active suspension.” Nio doesn’t say to what degree the rear wheels will turn, nor does it explain the suspension system, but we can surmise that the goal is to create a super-comfortable ride.

The ET9 is available to pre-order in China now, and Nio says deliveries will begin there in the first quarter of 2025.