When you’re going through “The Green Hell,” keep going.
An electric supercar has completed a lap of the legendary Nürburgring in six minutes 45.90 seconds, shaving off 2.1 seconds off the previous best time by a road-legal vehicle — set by the Radical SR8LM in 2009.
The NIO EP9 is a full half-minute quicker than the nearest EV challenger — Toyota’s TMG EV P002 — and can now lay claim to being the fastest electric road car on the planet.
“This is a fabulous achievement for NIO,” Gerry Hughes, head of performance and Next EV Formula E team principal said in a statement. “I am very proud of the team that has worked tirelessly to achieve this accolade.”
The EP9 boasts one megawatt of power, equivalent to 1342 BHP, and a top speed of 194 mph (312 kph).
At full throttle, it can accelerate from standstill to 124 mph (200 kph) in just 7.1 seconds.
The new lap record illustrates the importance of favorable conditions, with driver Peter Dumbreck taking 19.22 seconds off the EP9’s previous time, recorded last October in “inclement” weather.
His new lap of the 12.9-mile (20.7-kilometer) German circuit is 35.73 seconds faster than the nearest Ferrari and more than 47 seconds faster than a Koenigsegg CCX.
Powered by four inboard electric motors, the EP9 also tops the four-wheel drive leaderboard, edging out the Lamborghini Huracan Performante.
But the absolute lap record holder at the Nurburgring remains the Porsche 956, built in 1980s for the FIA World Sportscar Championship.
During the 1983 “1000 km of Nürburgring” endurance race, Germany’s Stefan Bellof recorded a still-unbeaten six minutes 11.13 seconds.
The 73-turn circuit that winds its way through the Eifel mountains was nicknamed “The Green Hell” by triple Formula One world champion Jackie Stewart — winner of three German Grand Prix when races were staged at the track during the 1960s and 1970s.
Going forward, NIO plans to produce a limited run of ten EP9 supercars, made to order.
The price? $1.48 million.