Chinese electric vehicle company Nio released their new mid-range ET5 model, "Nio Day 2021," with a starting price of RMB 328,000 on Dec. 18. Delivery is expected in September 2022 to meet rival models such as Tesla’s Model 3 and XPeng’s P7 at the same price point.
Founder of Nio, William Li, indicated that the ET5 accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers in just 4.3 seconds. The standard 75kWh battery has a cruising range of approximately 550 kilometers, and the 100kWh battery can last for approximately 700 kilometers.
In addition, the ET5 is equipped with AR/VR technology to reduce the need for on-board displays. William Li stated that Nio and AR equipment company NREAL have jointly developed exclusive AR glasses that can project a display which is effectively 201-inch at 6 meters. Hong Kong media "Hong Kong Economic Times" indicated that when using AR glasses, drivers need only keep their eyes on the road instead of shifting their eyes to the dashboard.
However, the AR glasses are not included in the vehicle purchase price and must be purchased separately.
▲ Nio AR Glasses（Source：Nio）
Nio also co-developed VR glasses with Nolo, a startup company in China, which will be the world's first high-performance VR device dedicated to automobiles but relevant price and details were not disclosed.
William Li emphasized that AR and VR can only be used when stationary. Even when driving with NAD (Nio Autonomous Driving), the driver cannot use AR and VR but the co-driver can. Data shows that in the era of electric vehicles, people are spending more and more time in a static state. Nothing can provide an immersive experience better than VR.
He went on to say that vehicle VR can replace many items in the car interior such as the computing and control systems. "My dream has always been to eliminate car displays. Now I am one step closer to this goal."
William Li indicated that 2021 is the first year of Nio's globalization. After entering the Norwegian market, it will expand its products and overall system services to Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark in 2022. By 2025, there will be more than 25 countries and regions where you can buy Nio cars.
（Image credit：Nio ）