China's biggest EV SUV has a sense of humor
On a rainy day in China with visitors from abroad, one of the best forms of entertainment is free: test driving Chinese EVs. Today, I test drove China's largest EV SUV, the 5.4 meter long NIO ES9 "Executive" SUV. It has 697 hp and is absolutely massive. I didn't realize this was China's largest SUV EV until after the test drive...I was mostly interested in trying out NIO's famous battery swapping technology. It performed as expected, installing a new, fully charged battery in about 3 minutes.
The interior was incredibly comfortable...probably the most comfortable car I've ever sat in. Certainly better than any business or first class seat on any commercial airline. The handling was very nimble especially for something the size of a tank. Most impressive was the turning radius which was absolutely tiny thanks to 8+ degree rear wheel steering. You could do a complete u turn from one lane to the adjoining lane while remaining completely within the lines.
The self-driving software felt good but seemed a bit less aggressive (or less "confident") than Xpeng's XNGP, at least as I tried it last December.
My favorite "feature" wasn't really a feature at all and isn't unique to the Nio, but shared among many of the mainland market Chinese EVs: playfulness and a willingness to add fun and "unserious" features and gimmicks to the car. The Nio ES9 had a cute little robot head on the dashboard that personified the voice assistant in the car and made cute faces at you. It even turned to face you when you talk to the car from outside the car. It was totally unnecessary and serves no real useful purpose besides being fun and putting a smile on your face.
I supposed Tesla started this trend with their fart apps but Chinese EVs manufacturers have really taken this to the next level. The result is cars that don't feel corporate and soulless like they were designed by bean counters and committee. Instead, they feel like they were designed by passionate people with a sense of humor who don't take life or themselves too seriously. Because life's too short to not have a robot comedian in your car or glowing clouds in your recessed door handle (looking at you Huawei).