Two people were killed when a Nio ET5 fell out of a multi-story parking garage in Shanghai, China, crashing down on the street below.
The accident happened at Nio’s headquarters while two test drivers, one from Nio and another from a supplier, were inside the electric sedan. Observer reports that the incident happened at around 5:20 pm local time on Wednesday and that the ET5 fell from the third level of the parking garage. Both of the occupants died.
The electric car manufacturer quickly took to Weibo where it stated a preliminary analysis had determined that the incident was an “accident” which wasn’t caused by an issue with the vehicle itself.
Read Also: Nio’s All-Electric ET5 Is A Tesla Model 3 Rival With Over 621 Miles Of Range
Local media states that authorities responded to the accident and attempted to save the two test drivers. Speaking with Xin Huanghe, a Nio employee claimed that the driver had simply selected the wrong gear. “It’s not a braking problem, (the driver) had hoped to put it in reverse gear, but instead put it in forward gear,” the employee said.
Nio has confirmed that it will establish a special team to help the families of the two employees that died.
The Nio ET5 was unveiled last December and serves as the car manufacturer’s rival to the Tesla Model 3. It can be purchased with either a 75 kWh Standard Range Battery providing a range of over 342 miles (550 km), a 100 kWh Long Range Battery that boosts the range to over 435 miles (700 km), or a massive 150 kWh Ultralong Range Battery with over 621 miles (1,000 km) of range.
All variants feature a pair of electric motors that combine to produce 483 hp and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque, allowing the ET5 to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.3 seconds. Local prices start at 328,000 Chinese Yuan or the equivalent of $49,000 at current market rates.
