Nio Pilot Now Offers Level 2 Autonomy With New Features

07/10/2019

Among the seven new features are Highway Pilot and Auto Lane Changing (ALC).

Nio is one of the most promising new EV carmakers. Before the ID.R broke the EV Nürburgring Nordschleife record, it was held by the Nio EP9, for example. Despite original solutions, such as the swappable battery pack, it knows Tesla is the model to follow. Perhaps this is why it offers a Nio Pilot, as an assisted driving system reminds us of Autopilot. Now the Nio Pilot offers a “comprehensive, level 2 autonomous driving system”.

That was achieved, according to the company, with seven new features, among which the company highlights a Highway Pilot, a Traffic Jam Pilot, and an Auto Lane Changing (ALC). The operation system of the car, called Nio OS – what else? –, has also been updated to a 2.0 version.

Nio states that “the research and development of autonomous driving technologies are absolutely vital” to the company. Possibly because, like Elon Musk with Tesla, they also intend to make the ES8, the ES6 and the future vehicles sold by the company “appreciating assets”.

Besides following Tesla’s steps, Nio has more serious matters to solve, such as the recent recall on 4,803 ES8 due to a problem with their battery packs. They can burst into flames if not duly corrected.

The company also has plans to become a global brand, according to an interview its CEO, William Li, gave Automotive News. Wisely, Li says he first has to make his company competitive in its home market. Which happens to be China, currently the biggest in the world.

Doing well in China can provide Nio the necessary strength to compete in other markets, such as Europe and the US. At least if it manages to do so before Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory 3 starts production. Considering the construction pace, Nio will have to be fast. Very fast…