In a bold demonstration of its active suspension system’s prowess, Chinese automotive brand Nio released a captivating video featuring a game of modern foosball played on the roof of its new flagship model, the Nio ET9.
This innovative stunt not only highlights the vehicle’s advanced suspension capabilities but also teases the upcoming Nio Phone 2, the successor to the company’s first smartphone launched last year.
A Dynamic Demonstration
The video showcases the Nio ET9’s active suspension system, which swiftly adapts to the movements of a smartphone controlling the foosball game via an app. The foosball table, mounted on the car’s roof, adjusts in real-time as the vehicle maneuvers, allowing players to direct the ball towards the goal.
This seamless interaction is enabled by a Bluetooth connection between the car’s Skyride system and the smartphone, utilizing the phone’s gyroscope to replicate its movements in the car’s suspension system. The entire test was conducted by Nio’s Senior Engineer, Neil Lei.
According to Nio, the Skyride intelligent chassis system is the world’s first fully active and hydraulically integrated suspension system. It boasts a response time of just one millisecond and features a high-performance brushless motor capable of making up to 1,000 torque adjustments per second.
One of the standout features of the Skyride system is its independent control of all four wheels, each benefiting from six-way adjustment. This results in exceptionally precise control and a smooth driving experience with rapid response times and minimal latency.
During the foosball game, dubbed “soccer maze” by Nio, the car’s body is adjusted along six axes using the smartphone’s gyroscope. The Skyride suspension system offers a range of adjustments between 40 to 50 mm, catering to various driving scenarios. Impressively, the system can raise the vehicle by 40 mm in just 2 seconds and lower it by 50 mm in less than 2 seconds.
The Skyride suspension system is supplied by ClearMotion, a Boston-based startup focused on enhancing car rides to be smoother and more enjoyable. In September 2022, ClearMotion secured $39 million in funding led by Nio Capital. Additionally, Porsche has also shown interest in adopting ClearMotion’s technologies, as revealed in April.
ClearMotion has received an order for 3 million suspension-related products from Nio, covering the production needs for 750,000 vehicles, though this figure does not solely represent the production capacity of the ET9.
