NIO EP9 at the 'ring: Time for Coffee?

Heard the one about the electric car doing 7:05 at the Nordschleife? You have now!

The NIO EP9 is a project we've been following with interest at PH, the stats from the news story last year - 1,360hp and 4,671lb ft - almost as exciting as the involvement of ex-Ford man Martin Leach.

Sadly Leach is no longer with us, but the project continues unabated. You may remember NIO claimed a very, very fast lap time at the Nordschleife for the EP9 of 7min 5.120sec back in 2016; rapid by any standards, leave alone an electric vehicle.

Now we have the video to support that lap, recorded last October. And while it may lack some of the drama or noise of other 'ring records, there's absolutely no doubting the speed on show. It's quite hard to be definite without displays, but certainly the Armco and kerb is passing rather swiftly through the Foxhole...

The time set by the NIO is 15 seconds quicker than the previous EV lap record, begging the question of just where the race goes next. Could it be that the production vehicle record is soon held by an entirely electric car?

Watch the video here.