Last November, the long-running motoring format Fifth Gear returned to television for its 29th season, rebranded as Fifth Gear Recharged and now with a focus on electric and electrified cars. The hosts were surprised by the quality of the materials, the technology involved and the performance of the ES8 Model.
The new episode of Fifth Gear Recharged is dedicated to the Chinese EV maker Nio. The hosts went to Norway to test NIO ES8 Model and the innovative system of swapping vehicle’s battery beside the already known SuperCharging method.
When it comes to the price, Nio was also accomplished by its Price/Quality ratio. “Price wise this starts at £51,500… I think this is so much better than Tesla Y. This feels like quality to me, it feels like an high-end electric vehicle.”
“There are no nasty plastics knocking around.” “It’s vegan leather. Actually, it feels nice. And i like the fact we have some buttons, rather than just have everything on the screen like Tesla. This is more car alike, more intuitive.”
A few voice controls were tested such as opening a window with Nomi — Nio’s Voice Assistantand — and also the Camera Feature where you can take a quick photo of the inside and quickly check it on the screen.
After experienced the swapping experience in less than 5 minutes, they went to the NIO House, in Oslo city centre, and took some highlights on Nio. They highlighted the battery change tech and that “the car has everything what we need” looking “luxurious and almost German”.
By the end of 2022, Nio will have Stations in five different Norwegian cities, with a total of 20 for the Norwegian customers.