Nio, a leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has announced the nationwide availability of its NOP+ (Navigate on Pilot Plus) feature, allowing users to utilize the advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) on virtually all roads in China. This development comes shortly after a similar announcement from local competitor Xpeng.
Harry Wong, Nio’s head of smart driving products and experiences, revealed the expansion in a post on the Nio App on March 1. He referred to this new mode as Unlimited Mode, which enables NOP+ to function on almost any road in China, except for those with specific control measures.
See also: Xpeng Rolls Out XNGP Nationwide, Offering Advanced Driver Assistance System on All Chinese Roads
Wong emphasized that “nationwide” coverage includes all administrative regions in mainland China, as well as the special administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong, and Taiwan province.
Nio has begun recruiting a group of 100 people to join NOP+’s Unlimited Mode as pioneer testers. The company’s latest NOP+ iteration can even be used outside of Greater China, showcasing its adaptability to diverse traffic rules and driving scenarios, according to a research note from Morgan Stanley analyst Tim Hsiao’s team.
See also: Nio Accelerates Urban Road Coverage Targets for Advanced Driver Assistance System
Initially available only on highways, NOP+ has now expanded its coverage to urban roads, providing users with a comprehensive point-to-point intelligent driving experience. Nio attributes this expansion to its “group intelligence” approach, which has rapidly increased coverage to 651,640 kilometers by the end of January, double the figure from December.
Wong highlighted that group intelligence has seen continuous growth, with NOP+ now covering 83 percent of the main roads in China’s county-level cities, ensuring at least 90 percent road coverage. In the fourth quarter of the previous year, Nio launched an engineering test to use the Unlimited Mode alongside group intelligence validation.
See also: NIO Successfully Deploys Advanced Driver Assist System in Beijing
Nio’s vice president of smart driving research and development, Ren Shaoqing, is scheduled to provide further details about NOP+ next week. Wong mentioned that even without relying on Unlimited Mode, the validation mileage of group intelligence enables NOP+ to achieve nationwide availability.
