Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Nio has expedited its goals for the coverage of its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) software, NOP+ (Navigate on Pilot Plus), revealing an optimistic outlook. Ren Shaoqing, Nio’s vice president of intelligent driving research and development, announced that the company aims to validate 250,000 kilometers of NOP+ urban pilot routes across 200 cities by the year-end.
Nio expresses confidence in achieving this milestone, with Ren highlighting the completion of 400,000 kilometers of NOP+ urban pilot routes across more than 230 cities by the second quarter of 2024. This expansion signifies coverage in 96 percent of Nio users’ resident cities.
This updated target represents a significant increase from the original plan, exceeding four times the initially projected mileage coverage by the end of this year. Despite this ambitious adjustment, the company maintains a cautious approach, adhering to the previously set target for the second quarter of 2024.
Ren Shaoqing had previously outlined Nio’s trajectory at the first Nio IN 2023 Innovation Day event in September. The company aimed for 60,000 kilometers of NOP+ urban pilot-assisted driving coverage in Q4 2023, followed by 200,000 kilometers in Q1 2024, and the ultimate goal of reaching 400,000 kilometers in Q2 2024.
Unlike its counterparts such as Xpeng and Li Auto, who focused on expanding coverage by city, Nio opted for a road mileage-centric approach. The company initiated user-driven route prioritization in September, allowing users to submit wish lists to determine routes for pilot-assisted driving services.
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Nio’s NAD Lane 2.0, part of the next-generation static-aware network, enables real-time sensing of intersection information without relying on high-definition maps. Ren highlighted NAD’s significant progress, boasting 38,100 POPS of distributed computing power for its fleet of group intelligence systems. This computing power aims to enable NOP+ to evolve in real-time without dependence on HD maps.
In the past two months, Nio has gathered over 30,000 user-submitted routes, serving as a crucial reference for the company’s route planning endeavors. The company remains committed to advancing its ADAS capabilities and expanding its smart driving experience for users.
