Tesla Challenger NIO Gains Approval to Sell its Electric ES8 SUV in Europe, its First Overseas Market
【Summary】Chinese electric vehicle startup NIO Inc., announced it received approval to sell its fully-electric ES8 SUV in Europe, paving the way for expansion for the first time outside of China.

Chinese electric vehicle startup NIO Inc. announced it received approval to sell its fully-electric ES8 SUV in Europe, paving the way for expansion for the first time outside of China.
On June 11, NIO announced that it received European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (EWVTA) for its ES8, its flagship SUV. The EWVTA certification marks first steps for NIO's entry into Norway and the European market at large. With its EWVTA certification, the NIO ES8 is officially approved for mass production and license plate registration in all EU countries, the company said.
NIO, which is often referred to as the "Tesla of China", began deliveries of the battery-powered ES8 in June 2018, but has never sold the SUV outside of the country.
NIO followed up the ES8 with the smaller ES6 SUV in 2019. The ES6 was first unveiled in Dec 2018 at the company's "NIO Day" event in China and went on sale six months later.
Norway has the highest EV adoption rate in the world, with approximately 75% of all new cars being fully-electric or hybrid vehicles, so its an important market for electric vehicle manufacturers looking to expand into Europe, including for Tesla.
NIO's domestic competitor XPeng was also granted approval to expand to Norway and is now selling its electric G3 SUV in the country as of Sept 2020. Norway was also Tesla's biggest European market in 2019.
The type approval certification was issued to the NIO ES8 and its systems, components, and separate technical units after corresponding engineering audits and module approvals were made under the new regulation (EU) 2018/858.
Regulation 2018/858 was effective as of Sept 1, 2020. It has become the new statutory regulation for vehicle approval for sale in the EU. The regulation improves the independence of quality and vehicle testing of cars already in the local market.
NIO announced its entry into Norway on May 6. The company will deliver the first ES8 to customers in Norway in September.
NIO is also expanding its other customer services to Norway. In addition to establishing a sales and service network, NIO will open its NIO House community centers, NIO Power battery swap stations, NIO Life retail stores and its NIO vehicle app for European users, the company said.
NIO is one of China's promising New Energy Vehicle (NEV) startups, along with rivals Xpeng and Li Auto. All three companies are publicly traded in the U.S. NIO raised $1 billion when it launched its U.S. IPO on Sept 12, 2018. Its shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NIO."
The company's stock was traded nearly 7% higher on Friday afternoon at $45.66.
NIO is based in Shanghai with its U.S. headquarters and software development center based in Silicon Valley. The company is backed by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings.
The company is also recognized for its EP9, a 1,342 horsepower high-performance electric supercar. In October 2016, the NIO EP9 set a record at Germany's famed Nürburgring Nordschliefe and was crowned as the fastest electric car in the world at the time.
-
Ford is Testing a New Robotic Charging Station to Assist Drivers of EVs With Disabilities
-
Ford Raises the Prices of the F-150 Lightning Electric Pickup Due to Rising Raw Material Costs
-
The BMW 7-Series to Feature HD Live Maps From HERE Technologies for Hands-Free Highway Driving in North America at Speeds up to 80 MPH
-
AutoX to Use the 'Eyeonic Vision Sensor' from California-based SiLC Technologies for its Robotaxi Fleet in China
-
LG Develops ‘Invisible’ Speaker Sound Technology That Could Revolutionize In-Vehicle Audio
-
Researchers at South Korea’s Chung-Ang University Develop a ‘Meta-Reinforcement’ Machine Learning Algorithm for Traffic Lights to Improve Vehicle Throughput
-
Zeekr’s New 009 Electric Passenger Van is the World’s First EV to Feature CATL’s Advanced ‘Qilin’ Battery With a Range of 510 Miles
-
Redwood Materials is Building an Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Facility in South Carolina
- Apple Delays its Long Rumored Electric ‘Apple Car’ Until 2026, According to Sources
- Hyundai and Michelin to Develop Next-Gen Tires for EVs
- General Motors is Building a Coast-to-Coast DC Fast EV Charging Network in the U.S. in a New Partnership with Travel Center Operator Pilot Company
- Panasonic Announces Multi-Year Agreement to Supply Electric Vehicle Batteries to Lucid Group
- Honda and LG Energy Solutions to Build a $4.4 Billion Joint Venture EV Battery Plant in the U.S.
- Volkswagen Starts Production of the Electric ID.4 SUV in Tennessee, Presents New Competition for Tesla, GM and Ford
- Baidu CEO Believes That SAE Level-4 Autonomous Driving Systems Will the First to Enter Commercial Use After L2, Skipping Over L3
- Valeo Signs Major Deal with BMW to Supply Advanced Driver Assist Hardware for the Automaker's Forthcoming 'Neue Klasse' EV Platform
- Stellantis Acquires Autonomous Driving Software Startup aiMotive
- J.D. Power Study Finds That EVs Are More Problematic Than ICE Cars