by Brad Anderson
- Nio EC6 hit a concrete barrier in Shanghai and split through the rear.
- Driver and passenger escaped without injuries after the violent impact.
- Battery pack survived the crash and avoided any fire or thermal issues.
All too often, we read about EVs catching fire after relatively minor accidents, and in some cases, occupants were trapped inside. This story is a little different though, as a Nio EC6 was recently destroyed in a crash in China, but remarkably didn’t catch fire despite almost completely splitting in two.
This incident happened in Shanghai on Monday. It’s understood that the light pink-colored EC6 hit a concrete crash barrier side-on after cutting in front of another vehicle, causing it to clip the rear of the Nio.
Local reports suggest that the top edge of the barrow, approximately 120 mm (4.7 inches) wide, applied an extraordinary amount of pressure on the C-pillar and the area of the floor.
Read: Nio’s Mass-Market Onvo Drops Its First 3-Row SUV With More Power Than An EV9 GT
This force caused a split through the rear of the car. Remarkably, the driver and passenger of the Nio were not injured in the crash. Additionally, the battery pack wasn’t severely damaged and did not catch fire.
According to a statement released by Nio, immediately after the crash, the vehicle’s onboard safety systems reported the accident. Nio staff were alerted to the impact and quickly responded to the scene, helping the occupants receive medical treatment.
Perhaps in a thinly-veiled dig at Tesla, Nio says that the EV’s doors immediately unlocked after the collision, allowing the driver and passenger to free themselves.
The car manufacturer also confirmed that the EC6’s driving assistance system was not enabled at the time.
The Nio EC6 was first unveiled in late 2019 before being thoroughly updated in February 2023. The example involved in this crash was one of the facelifted models.
It’s available with either a 75 kWh or 100 kWh battery pack and sold exclusively in dual-motor guise, producing a combined 483 hp and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque.
