The pre-sale price is 800,000 yuan, and it will be delivered in the first quarter of 2025
On December 23, 2023, the ET9, which has been warmed up for a long time, arrived as scheduled. Published with it,It is the four core technologies of NIO: self-developed intelligent driving chip, global 900V high-voltage architecture, Tianxing intelligent chassis system, and flagship-level safety standards, which will be fully installed on NIO ET9.
After all, Li Bin has repeatedly emphasized that the administrative flagship has always been the technical flagship.
But along with it, there are also some doubts: the necessity of full-stack self-development, the appearance design of ET9 is not eye-catching, and the sales pressure next year is ......
After the press conference, Li Bin, CEO of NIO, and Qin Lihong, President of NIO, were interviewed and responded to the above series of questions.
Only full-stack self-development can quickly support new models and brands, and constantly update the iteration speed. In Li Bin's view, in the era of smart electric vehicles, no company has been able to hand over the "administrative flagship answer sheet", which has a great opportunity, and NIO hopes to seize it.
Obviously,NIO's expectations for the ET9 are not only a car, but also the ability to redefine the rules of the game
The intelligent driving chip was unveiled, and the performance was good from the data
The most eye-catching technology of the conference is none other than the intelligent driving chip.
In fact, before the press conference, Bai Jian, vice president of intelligent hardware of Weilai, conducted a wave of warm-up for the intelligent driving chip.
At that time, he said that in the next few years, the intelligent driving algorithm will definitely evolve in the direction of end-to-end and large models, so the core components such as CPU NPU MSP must not only meet the needs of the present, so that BEV, occupied network, and end-to-end perception and control, but also need to consider the future, and can perfectly match the end-to-end large model algorithm. The current 4 orin, of course, can be satisfied, and the next generation of intelligent driving chips should be done better. And NIO Day is about to release such a product.
For a while, the expectation value is full.
On the day of NIO 2023,Li Bin officially released the first self-developed intelligent driving chip, Shenji NX9031, with the goal of better matching its own algorithm needs, and realizing the performance of four current industry-leading intelligent driving chips with one chip, making the efficiency and cost better
According to Li Bin,Built using a 5nm automotive process, the Shenji NX9031 has more than 500 100 million transistors and has four main features
First, the CPU computing group with super task concurrent processing capabilities and sufficient memory access bandwidth can achieve fast and stable processing latency. Includes, 32 cores BIGLittle CPU architecture, 615K DMIPS (running more than 6 trillion instructions per second);The fastest LPDDR5X in the automotive grade with a speed of 8533MbpsIt supports simultaneous operation of multiple services such as perception, regulation and control, and cockpit computing.
The second is the full-link self-developed image signal processor ISP. The processing delay is reduced to < 5 ms, which is 75% shorter than the industry averageWith 26-bit processing bit width, it can identify both extremely bright and extremely dark areasWith 6.5 billion pixel processing capacity, the industry's highest processing performance ISP;For the first time, "AI tuning" is used, and all AI automatically adjusts parameters, greatly improving perception accuracy, and self-iteration.
The third is the self-developed inference acceleration unit NPU. It adopts the industry's multi-cluster-based many-core heterogeneous resource pool architecture, supports free combination of computing power, and seamless software callingThe dedicated hardware scheduling unit supports flexible scheduling of sub-graph, kernel, and block granularitiesCompared with the industry's flagship chips, the performance of BEV algorithms is improved by 43 times, the performance of transformer algorithms is improved by 65 times, the performance of LiDAR point cloud processing algorithms is improved by 4 timesThe computing power of the NPU is positioned in the flagship level.
Fourth, ultra-low power consumption, on-demand wake-up. Milliwatt-level power consumption control, key sub-system ** vertical power supply. According to the application scenario, the corresponding modules can be turned on and off on demand, and each subsystem can realize microsecond dynamic wake-up.
Fifth, the highest level of intrinsic security design. ASIL-D safety island and independent high-performance safety island, more than 1,000 chip-level functional safety designs;Microsecond-level monitoring ensures the stability of chips and intelligent systems under various extreme conditions (high-frequency vibration, strong magnetic field, high and low temperature, long-term use).
Sixth, dual-chip millisecond backup capability. In extreme cases, millisecond-level fast cutting ensures the safety of system operation.
Judging by the data, the performance of this chip is excellent. However, Li Bin did not disclose the specific development progress, and the specific chip performance will not be known until the mass production is landed.
However, Bai Jian has a small revelation that saidThe investment in Shenji NX9031 has been completed, and the rest is software-related development work.
There is not only a core, but also a soul and a body
Behind the chip is the overall intelligent system frame, including five modules, including on-board intelligent hardware, vehicle supercomputing platform, vehicle global operating system, intelligent algorithm and intelligent application, which will be fully and completely applied on ET9
Among them, the global operating system Tianshu SkyOS will build a 1+4+N technology cluster, covering vehicle control, intelligent driving, cockpit, mobile Internet and other fields.
As for why the operating system should be made, in Li Bin's view, just as the overall system system security needs the support of the underlying software of the system, the unified architecture can make the vehicle safer on the one handOn the other hand, it can be updated and upgraded better and faster.
The next-generation digital architecture is a standard agent with superior perception and computing power to support high-speed and secure data transmission and processing. On the one hand, it can support multiple brands and models at the same timeOn the other hand, it has reusable atomization capabilities, which can quickly support new models and brands through recombination, and support different types of vehicles in different ** ranges from 200,000 to 1 million
In addition,The next-generation digital platform also has the ability to systematically export to the outside world, which can support external partners for rapid development and deployment of models, and can also ensure the isolation of data and operation systems of various brands
**Computing Platform ADAM 20, it is composed of 2 intelligent driving chips (Shenji NX9031, one of which is used to redundant intelligent cockpit chips, just like the "brain" of intelligent electric vehicles. It can support the computing functions of intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, intelligent chassis, body, power, and cloud domain 6 major plates, integrate and share all computing power, and is the control center of all sensors and actuators of the whole vehicle.
According to Li Bin, NIO's next-generation platform will still insist on carrying both the smart cabin and the smart driving chip, but under one ** brain, the two sides can call each other's computing power.
Why do we want to make such an intelligent platform and operating system, which is related to the company's overall strategy," NIO further added"We need to use different platforms and different models to meet the needs of different users. The outside world questions why we have so many brands, in fact, this is the ability given by our technology, and the platform-based design is not as difficult as everyone thinks."
900V high-voltage architecture, full wire-controlled chassis design
Not only intelligent, but also in the power system, NIO also has a new layoutThat is, the "global 900V high-voltage architecture", which includes a 900V supercharging and quick-change platform, a self-developed 46105 large cylindrical battery cell and battery pack for 900V, and a new generation of 900V high-performance electric drive platform.
One of the advantages of the 900V supercharging and quick-change platform is fast charging, the new 900V platform can achieve a peak charging power of 600kW and replenish energy for 255km in 5 minutesThe second is wide-area charging, which uses the industry's highest boost charging power on ordinary fast charging piles, with a charging power of up to 200kwIt can do 200km in 12 minutes;The third is the fast change, 3 minutes of fast battery change, equivalent to 20C, orderly charging at a reasonable speed in the station + 3 minutes of fast battery change, the comprehensive charging efficiency of more than 93%, compared with the 500kw supercharging station to reduce 10% of energy loss.
To realize the global 900V high-voltage architecture, it is necessary to have full-stack self-research capabilities from battery cells to battery packs. NIO developed its own 46105 large cylindrical battery cell and battery pack for 900V.
The 46105 large cylinder, as the name suggests, is a large cylindrical cell with a diameter of 46 mm and a height of 105 mm, but the material ratio is not disclosedThe indication indicates that the energy density of a single cell is as high as 292Wh kg, the capacity of the whole package is 120kWh, the charging efficiency of the supercharging and quick-change battery pack reaches 5C, and the internal resistance of a single cell is only 16 Hoou. In addition, due to the change in the size of the whole pack and the change in voltage, the overall thickness of the battery pack mounted on the ET9 has been reduced by 1 cm to 125 cm
If you have to use one technology to represent NIO's definition of luxury, it may be the ET9's Tianxing Full Active Suspension (Full Active Suspension), the biggest feature is full drive-by-wire, including the brake-by-wire that has been implemented before, steer-by-wire and rear-wheel steering also use drive-by-wire technology.
At the heart of this is the active suspension electric drive unit jointly developed by NIO and Clear Motion. Information processing, calculation, and response can be completed in less than 1 millisecond, and the high-performance brushless motor can make 1,000 torque adjustments per second, and the body attitude adjustment is realized by applying the main force to the shock absorber.
The suspension adjustment range (travel) is +40mm (ascent) to -50mm (descent), which can meet the needs of multi-scene drivingEach wheel (suspension) can be controlled individually, and the adjustment speed can be adjusted by 40 mm in 2 seconds and 50 mm in 2 seconds.
At the scene of NIO Day, the official released a demonstration clip of the ET9 test car conquering the daily bumpy road section with a four-story champagne tower on top, which has also become one of the most memorable moments of this year's event.
In addition, the first application of the NIO ET9's aviation-grade "steer-by-wire" technology, which uses telecommunication transmission between the steering wheel and the steering motor, not only reduces the weight of the structure, but also improves the transmission efficiency by 40%, and supports OTA iterative upgrades. In scenarios such as low-speed parking and U-turns, the "steer-by-wire" technology provides sensitive and convenient steering, without the need to cross hands to hit the steering wheel, with a maximum rear wheel rotation angle of 8 as standard3° rear-wheel steering system to achieve a minimum of 109 meters of turning diameter
Behind the luxury, there is also the need for extreme safety. Li Bin said that the NIO ET9 adopts a flying body design, uses space mechanics structure, and uses high-strength steel aluminum-magnesium alloy and composite materials to create a torsional rigidity of up to 52,600Nm deg. At the same time, the NIO ET9 is equipped with 9 airbags as standard, with large side curtains covering 100% of the protective areas of the front and rear passengers, and second-row side airbags specifically for rear passengers.
In addition, Li Bin particularly emphasized that NIO ET9 pioneered 7-fold safety redundancy for passenger cars, including drive redundancy, braking redundancy, steering redundancy, perception redundancy, computing redundancy, communication redundancy, power distribution redundancy, etc.
The exterior is "big", but the interior is different
In addition to the technology, the NIO ET9 also has many highlights in terms of design.
In terms of appearance design, compared with many previous NIO products, it is not outstanding.
The biggest feature is probably the large.
As an executive-level flagship, it's bigger than anything NIO has ever done before.
The car is 5325 mm long, 2016 mm wide, 1620 mm high, and has a wheelbase of 3250 mm.
NIO's fully active suspension can instantly lower the body by up to 50mm, making it easier for users to enter the vehicle in the most natural manner.
sensor,NIO ET9 still chooses a watchtower-style sensor layout, equipped with the Aquila 2., a super-sensing system0, including ultra-long-range lidar, dual-side wide-angle lidar and 4D imaging radar, including 31 high-performance perception hardware systems。LiDAR and front-view cameras are placed on the roof of the vehicle, and dual-side wide-angle LiDAR is added to build a 350° laser circumferential perception system for the first time, and the lateral perception is enhanced through the integration of metal fenders on both sides. At the same time, the ET9 is equipped with a 4D millimeter-wave imaging radar for the first time, which greatly increases the forward perception capability.
Smart high-pixel headlights combined with Aquila Aquila 2The 0 Super Sensing System enables high-precision lighting enhancement and shading, greatly improving visibility and safety at night.
Li Bin saidAfter the new car was unveiled, two different views were received, one felt that it was not enough "old money" style, and the other felt that it was not innovative enough. However, he believes that design needs to be iteratively evolved, not subverted, and everyone has a different aesthetic, and it is impossible to please everyone. Therefore, NIO's goal is to make a durable product that can stand the test of time
The bigger feature of the new car is the interior, and NIO has tried to create a mobile administrative space for car owners.
The NIO ET9 adopts a native executive four-seat layout, with an interior space of 2,049 mm in length and 1,563 mm in widthBuild four exclusive First Class immersion experiences.
The first "administrative bridge" that runs through the front and rear rows. Length 195 meters, integrated with 20 innovative subsystems, while realizing spatial partitioning, it is also natural to become a bridge for communication and interaction between passengers in the whole car. Inside the "Administrative Bridge", NIO has designed a 360° stepless adjustable executive table for second-row passengers, which can be adjusted at any angle, and a smart refrigerator is integrated under the "Administrative Bridge", with one-key electric opening and closing, and a large space of nearly 10L, achieving a temperature adjustment range of minus 2 degrees to 55 degrees.
Echoing the "Executive Bridge", the longitudinal "Sky Island" design on the roof of the NIO ET9 is matched with the first exclusive canopy and 256-color diffuse reflection ring lights, making the exclusive and open interior space experience more three-dimensional.
NIO ET9's rear first-class seats have 24 self-developed patented technologies, the only self-developed "sliding executive seat" in the same class, with a maximum backrest adjustment angle of 45°, a seat cushion width of 582mm, and 11 linkage adjustments for one-key reclining, making the comfort experience far beyond its peers.
In addition, the seven electric sunshades in the whole car can be opened with one key, in order to create an exclusive and pure private territory for passengers. Panoramic interconnected executive screen developed for back-row business scenarios, application 145-inch OLED HD display, screen angle can be adjusted according to the seat position.
Charging and swapping, there are new products and small goals next year
In addition to the ET9, which will only be delivered in 2025, Li Bin also introduced two products that can be met with you a little earlier:The 640kw fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging pile and the first-class battery swap station will both be put into use in April next year
NIO's 640kW fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging pile has a peak charging power of 640kW, a maximum output current of 765A, a maximum output voltage of 1000V, and a liquid-cooled charging gun cable weight of 24kg。
NIO's battery swap station has increased to 24, and the maximum service per day can reach 480 times, reducing the time of a single battery swap by 22%. *The intelligent level of the battery swap station has also been improved, equipped with 4 NVIDIA Orin X chips, the computing power of the whole station has reached 1016TOPS, and it has 6 ultra-large vision lidars.
For the 2024 charging and swapping network layout plan, Li Bin saidNIO plans to add 1,000 battery swap stations, bringing the total number to more than 3,310, and adding 20,000 charging piles, bringing the total number to more than 41,000.
Everyone knows that NIO is good at battery swapping, but don't forget that NIO's charging has always been the first in the industry. In the field of public charging, Weilai has laid out 20,955 charging piles across the country, covering 307 cities, and is the car brand with the most charging piles in China, and the car brand with the widest coverage of charging piles, and the brand with the most charging piles on the highway.
In terms of battery swapping, NIO has also reached a 1,000-station plan to add 1,000 battery swap stations this year proposed in early 2023 on December 22. NIO has built 2,309 battery swap stations in China. Among them, on expressways, NIO has laid out 745 battery swap stations and built a high-speed battery swap network in 11 major urban agglomerations with 7 verticals, 6 horizontals.
He still insists, "Battery swapping is the best way to experience energy replenishment, and there is no one." ”
It is reported thatAt present, NIO's new battery swap stations are mainly third-generation stations, and the products of this generation can be backward compatible, and the second-generation stations can also be backward compatible, and the battery swap stations can be compatible before and after. The first generation station has entered the retirement period, and only about 150 are still in service
As for the cooperation with other car companies on battery swapping, Qin Lihong saidWe've signed more than we've disclosed, and there's more to talk about.
He also said frankly that it is still in a relatively early state, and there are many specific issues that need to be addressed, such as battery standards, battery swap station service management, how users charge and settle and a series of problems. "As for whether a joint venture will be established, I don't think the main question is to make the experience a good one."
Although at this press conference, whether it is ET9 and a series of accompanying technologies, or the layout plan of charging and swapping, they have experienced NIO's intentions in the fields of technology, service, and luxury.
The dream is great, but in the face of no new models on the market in 2023, the outside world is still worried about the sales of the NIO brand. In this regard, Li Bin saidSo far, NIO's sales pressure is the lowest in 2021, when the ET7 was just released, and it will not be delivered until the next year, and we can only sell the first generation of the car. But at the same time, 2021 is also the best year for NIO, with an annual gross profit margin of more than 20%. "We don't have a new car in 2021, so we just work hard. ”
At the same time, he also saidWith the continuous expansion of the charging and swapping network layout and the continuous active promotion of track players, 2024-2025 will be the two years of the outbreak of the high-end pure electric market, and Weilai's products, whether they are computing power or intelligent hardware, are still the ceiling, "so there is still a good chance to rely on the NIO brand next year."