Nio teases core features of ET9: 900 V high-voltage architecture, wire-controlled chassis
The ET9 will be built on a 900 V high-voltage architecture to support faster charging and will also have an intelligent wire-controlled chassis for continuous upgradability, Nio executives said.
Nio (NYSE: NIO) is starting to warm up for the ET9, which will be officially unveiled in three days at Nio Day 2023.
The flagship Nio model will be built on a 900 V high-voltage architecture that will support faster charging, and it will also have a smart chassis by wire for continuous upgradability, two Nio executives said.
Yesterday, Nio’s head of vehicle application software, Xiao Baihong, previewed the ET9’s smart wire-controlled chassis on Weibo.
“When Nio wants to launch its executive flagship sedan, the development goal of our chassis system is very clear — to use the most cutting-edge technology to bring the most extreme experience to the user,” Xiao said.
One of the core technologies of the ET9 is the wire-controlled intelligent chassis, and at a technical level it can be said that the chassis system is currently the only true fully wire-controlled intelligent chassis in the world that integrates three core hardware systems together, he said.
This improves vehicle driving comfort, handling and safety, Xiao said, adding that it even surpasses the chassis of Porsche’s third-generation Panamera.
Nio has been involved in the field of wire-controlled chassis since the first generation of the ES8, a model that uses wire-transmission control for the air suspension and braking system, except for the steering, which remains mechanical, according to Xiao.
Nio has equipped the intelligent chassis controller ICC on the ET7, released in January 2021, which integrates control functions such as redundant parking, air suspension, CDC damper and supports high-level intelligent driving scenarios with cross-domain fusion, he said.
In the soon-to-be-released ET9, the “brain” of the wire-controlled intelligent chassis has evolved into the VMC intelligent computing platform, which is like a symphony conductor that can realize the potential of each wire-controlled hardware, Xiao said.
VMC decouples software and hardware and, combined with SkyOS support for flexible deployment, can be extended with new features and new wire-control hardware, he said.
The platform can connect wire control hardware including AD intelligent driving systems, drive systems, braking systems, steering systems, and active suspensions, enabling a new level of vehicle motion control, according to Xiao.
VMC is also data-driven, and the fully wire-controlled intelligent chassis will have the ability to evolve, iterate and grow, he said.
In the next 3-5 years, Nio’s fully wire-controlled intelligent chassis and VMC platform will become a new technology benchmark for high-end smart EVs, he said.
Nio will hold Nio Day 2023 in Xi’an, Shaanxi, Northwest China on December 23, where the ET9 will be unveiled