Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Electric vehicle maker Nio announced Thursday it is adding its smaller and cheapest sedan, the Nio ET5, to the line-up of models available for German taxi fleets, alongside the flagship ET7.
Taxi drivers in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, and Hamburg will now be able to lease the sedan unveiled at the company’s annual event in December 2021.
“In addition to the award-winning premium sedan ET7, which was introduced as the first converted taxi prototype in Hamburg in December 2023, the more compact mid-size sedan ET5 is also being integrated into taxi fleets,” the EV maker stated on Thursday.
Both models come with Nio’s battery-as-a-service (BaaS) program, a leasing option that allows drivers to swap the battery of the car in about 3 minutes. Earlier this Thursday, the company announced the opening of its 19th station in Germany.
Last month, the company registered 22 vehicles in Germany, down from the 35 units recorded in August down 72.5% from a year ago, when it registered 80 units.
The ET5 and ET7, both with a range of nearly 600 km (WLTP) — when equipped with the 100kw battery — will be presented next week at the European Taxi Fair. The event will be held in the city of Cologne on November 8 and 9.
As part of its entry into the taxi sector, Nio announced in July a partnership with the ride-hailing platform Freenow, offering specific pricing conditions for operators integrating Nio vehicles into their fleets.
For early adopters, Nio is providing a €2,000 ($2,150) rebate for the first ten buyers converting to their models.
“Do you have a taxi company and want to integrate Nio into your fleet? Secure a conversion bonus worth €2,000 as one of the first 10 buyers,” Nio states on its website.
For operators facing vehicle downtime due to warranty issues, Nio offers a replacement vehicle or compensation after the fourth day of disruption.
The company expanded to the German market in October 2022, after starting selling in Norway a year before — its first market outside China.
Year to date, the company led by William Li has registered 323 vehicles in the German market.
In China, Nio delivered 20,349 electric vehicles in September, up 35 percent year over year and marking the fifth consecutive month delivering more than 20,000 units. October delivery numbers will be released on Friday.
Additionally, September marked the first month that included deliveries of Nio‘s first sub-brand Onvo. The more affordable brand delivered 832 units of its debut model, the L60.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
