NIO begins deliveries of its flagship coupe SUV set to compete with the Polestar 3
Emerging Chinese EV maker NIO announced Friday it has officially begun deliveries of its EC7 electric coupe SUV, deemed one of the most aerodynamic SUVs on the market. NIO’s new flagship coupe is poised to compete in an expanding premium electric SUV market along with the Polestar 3.
NIO unveiled its latest electric model, the EC7, during NIO Day 2022 this past December. With a drag coefficient as low as 0.23 Cd, NIO claims its flagship SUV features market-leading aerodynamics and efficiency.
In comparison, the Tesla Model X is considered one of the most aerodynamic SUVs in the world at 0.25 Cd. The Polestar 3, slated to begin deliveries later this year, has a drag coefficient of 0.29 Cd.
The NIO EC7 is a mid-large size coupe SUV equipped with NIO’s second-gen NT 2.0 tech platform, Smart Matrix LED headlights with LiDAR, and an active spoiler that can reduce drag by 4% in Eco mode.
On the inside, the EC7 includes a panoramic sunroof with smart electrochromic glass, sports seats with zero-gravity mode, enabling you to relax with your feet up, and a second-gen digital cockpit.
Powered by a dual-motor AWD system and SiC power module, NIO’s SUV delivers up to 480 kW (643 hp) and 626 lb-ft (850 Nm) torque enabling a 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 3.8 seconds.
The EC7 has three battery options, 75 kWh, 100 kWh, or 150 kWh, delivering ranges up to 304 miles (490 km), 395 miles (636 km), and 584 miles (940 km), respectively. Keep in mind, however, that these are CLTC numbers; EPA standard figures are generally about 25% lower.
According to NIO, prices for the EC7 will range from 488,000 RMB ($70,599) to 578,000 RMB ($83,620), with European prices coming at a later date.
How does NIO’s flagship SUV compare to the Polestar 3
The newly released NIO EC7 will compete in China’s quickly expanding electric luxury SUV segment. Another emerging EV maker, Polestar, is set to release its first electric SUV, the Polestar 3, later this year as one of the most highly anticipated EV launches of the year.
Polestar unveiled its “SUV for the electric age” in October as part of the EV maker’s new wave of models after finding success with the Polestar 2.
On the inside, the Polestar 3 also incorporates Scandinavian minimalism with a panoramic sunroof (with high-tech glass) and built-in Android Automotive OS.
The SUV is powered by two electric motors with computer-assisted power distribution to deliver up to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft of torque while enabling 0 to 60 mph capabilities in 4.6 seconds.
With a 111 kWh battery, the Polestar 3 can achieve up to 300 miles of range, while the added performance pack will lower it to 270 miles. These are preliminary figures, but they are based on EPA standards.
The Polestar 3 features the automaker’s elegant Swedish minimalist exterior design, enhanced aerodynamics, and innovative safety features like the font grille’s “Smartzone,” which essentially acts as a third eye with radars, cameras, and other sensors.
Polestar unveiled its electric SUV in China last month with a starting price of 698,000 RMB (roughly 101,000) for the long-range model and 798,000 RMB ($115,000) for the high-performance SUV. According to Polestar’s website, the Polestar 3 will launch in the third quarter of 2023.
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If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine a fruit cart, a cargo bike, and a Piaggio Ape all in one vehicle, now you’ve got your answer. I submit, for your approval, this week’s feature for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column – and it’s a beautiful doozie.
Feast your eyes on this salad slinging, coleslaw cruising, tuber taxiing produce chariot!
I think this electric vegetable trike might finally scratch the itch long felt by many of my readers. It seems every time I cover an electric trike, even the really cool ones, I always get commenters poo-poo-ing it for having two wheels in the rear instead of two wheels in the front. Well, here you go, folks!
Designed with two front wheels for maximum stability, this trike keeps your cucumbers in check through every corner. Because trust me, you don’t want to hit a pothole and suddenly be juggling peaches like you’re in Cirque du Soleil: Farmers Market Edition.
To avoid the extra cost of designing a linked steering system for a pair of front wheels, the engineers who brought this salad shuttle to life simply side-stepped that complexity altogether by steering the entire fixed front end. I’ve got articulating electric tractors that steer like this, and so if it works for a several-ton work machine, it should work for a couple hundred pounds of cargo bike.
Featuring a giant cargo bed up front with four cascading fruit baskets set up for roadside sales, this cargo bike is something of a blank slate. Sure, you could monetize grandma’s vegetable garden, or you could fill it with your own ideas and concoctions. Our exceedingly talented graphics wizard sees it as the perfect coffee and pastry e-bike for my new startup, The Handlebarista, and I’m not one to argue. Basically, the sky is the limit with a blank slate bike like this!
Sure, the quality doesn’t quite match something like a fancy Tern cargo bike. The rim brakes aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there are three of them. And if they should all give out, or just not quite slow you down enough to avoid that quickly approaching brick wall, then at least you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes as a tasty crumple zone.
The electrical system does seem a bit underpowered. With a 36V battery and a 250W motor, I don’t know if one-third of a horsepower is enough to haul a full load to the local farmer’s market. But I guess if the weight is a bit much for the little motor, you could always do some snacking along the way. On the other hand, all the pictures seem to show a non-electric version. So if this cart is presumably mobile on pedal power alone, then that extra motor assist, however small, is going to feel like a very welcome guest.
The $950 price is presumably for the electric version, since that’s what’s in the title of the listing, though I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. I’ve bought a LOT of stuff on Alibaba, including many electric vehicles, and the too-good-to-be-true price is always exactly that. In my experience, you can multiply the Alibaba price by 3-4x to get the actual landed price for things like these. Even so, $3,000-$4,000 wouldn’t be a terrible price, considering a lot of electric trikes stateside already cost that much and don’t even come with a quad-set of vegetable baskets on board!
I should also put my normal caveat in here about not actually buying one of these. Please, please don’t try to buy one of these awesome cargo e-trikes. This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek weekend column where I scour the ever-entertaining underbelly of China’s massive e-commerce site Alibaba in search of fun, quirky, and just plain awesomely weird electric vehicles. While I’ve successfully bought several fun things on the platform, I’ve also gotten scammed more than once, so this is not for the timid or the tight-budgeted among us.
That isn’t to say that some of my more stubborn readers haven’t followed in my footsteps before, ignoring my advice and setting out on their own wild journey. But please don’t be the one who risks it all and gets nothing in return. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is the warning.
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Environment
Podcast: Trump/GOP go after EV/solar, Tesla, Ford, GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Trump’s Big Beautiful bill becoming law and going after EVs and solar, Tesla, Ford, and GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
Today’s episode is brought to you by Bosch Mobility Aftermarket—A global leader and trusted provider of automotive aftermarket parts. To celebrate Amazon Prime Day July 8th through 11th, Bosch Mobility is offering exclusive savings on must-have auto parts and tools. Learn more here.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
- Electrek FSGP 2025: New teams, new cars, same solar spirit
- Congress votes to send 2 million US jobs to China, increase deficit, energy costs
- Tesla (TSLA) confirms 384,000 deliveries in Q2 2025, right on expectations
- Tesla prototype sparks speculation: a Model Y, maybe slightly smaller
- Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries
- Tesla unveils its LFP battery factory, claims it’s almost ready
- Here’s why Ford’s electric vehicle sales crashed by nearly a third in Q2
- The Chevy Equinox EV is GM’s breakout star, but that’s not the only surprise
- Xpeng launches G7, a new Tesla Model Y competitor for just $27,000
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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