NIO expands its international footprint and sets new standards in driving safety and comfort with new European Smart Driving Technology Center

• NIO opens its new Smart Driving Technology Center in Schönefeld, near Berlin - further proof of the company's international ambitions

• The greater Berlin area is developing into an internationally renowned automotive cluster. NIO is an integral part of this with its Innovation Center, which opened in 2023, now bolstered by the Smart Driving Technology Center

• The new facility will lead the development of NIO Smart Driving Assistance Systems, tailored to the needs of European users

• As part of a tech workshop at the Smart Driving Technology Center, NIO presents its Adam super computing system and the Aquila sensor system with integrated LiDAR

• NIO’s AD System, an integral part of NIO’s pioneering hardware and software architecture, sets the standard in terms of user comfort functions and driving safety. Thanks to LiDAR, Aquila can cope with the most adverse conditions

Munich, Schönefeld, April 8, 2024 – NIO, a global company for smart electric vehicles, officially opened its Smart Driving Technology Center in Schönefeld near Berlin today. It is the first center of its kind outside of China and is proof of the company’s international footprint.

Hui Zhang, Group Vice President, NIO, said, “The unveiling of our European Smart Driving Technology Center in Berlin/Brandenburg marks a pivotal moment in our journey as a premium global brand.Smart Driving technologies epitomize our essence as a forward-thinking smart EV company. Recognizing the dynamic challenges the market presents, we selected Berlin, in the capital of start-ups and technology, as the place to lead our development of Smart Driving solutions that will soon benefit users in Europe. Through NIO’s resilience and innovative spirit, we are poised to explore the big potential to complete our global development network and to provide tailer-made user-favorable tech-solutions from Europe for Europe.”

NIO is part of the Berlin Automotive Cluster

The Smart Driving Technology Center is in the greater Berlin area close to NIO’s Berlin Innovation Center, which opened in 2023.The two locations will co-operate closely to develop NIO technologies specifically for use in Europe. The choice of Schönefeld is partly due to the good international connections provided by the Berlin-Brandenburg airport, but it also underlines the growing importance of Berlin and the surrounding area as a leading automotive cluster.

International guests attending the opening witnessed first-hand on the site’s test track how NIO’s Adam Super Computing Platform and Aquila Super Sensing system improve the comfort and safety of the driving experience.

European user requirements integral to developments

Software for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), the outstanding digital and efficient hardware and software architecture, are one of the in-house developed core competencies of NIO.Its work is guided by the wishes of users, which, like the regulatory requirements for assisted driving, have different requirements in Europe than in China. This led to NIO creating engineering teams in the heart of the regions where the vehicles are being used.

The Smart Driving Technology Center team, led by Mirko Reuter, NIO’s Senior Director AD, develops and validates all vehicle-specific systems in Schönefeld, with a focus on the local user needs.“The great combination of automotive and software competences around Berlin and the good infrastructure of Brandenburg has enabled the Smart Driving Technology Center to become NIO’s future hub for all smart and digital development in Europe,” said Reuter.

Developing the software for ADAS functions in-house makes NIO’s development fast, agile and solid.This provides the prerequisites for being able to respond to user requests very quickly. At NIO, users have a significant influence on the development of features and functions. To ensure that these wishes can be implemented, all NIO models are ‘Ready for Tomorrow’ and can be updated Over-The-Air (OTA) at any time. This unique NIO Smart System allows the on-board systems to be kept fresh and up to date.

Adam Super Computing System, with computing power for tomorrow’s requirements

The Adam Super Computing System, with its enormous computing power (1016 TOPS - Trillion Operations per Second), powers the high-end sensor system called Aquila.It comprises 33 sensors that monitor the car’s entire surroundings.Aquila can also rely on a powerful high-resolution LiDAR, which improves the precision and robustness of the assistance systems, as internal and independent tests have repeatedly proven.

Heavy rain is a problem for ADAS without LiDAR and significantly limits the effectiveness of various emergency braking functions.Rain can even lead to the failure of camera-based systems. NIO’s Aquila Super Sensing System detects obstacles in front of the car, even during very heavy precipitation. LiDAR, in combination with camera and radar, can see through the rain water and makes the on-board systems safer.

NIO places the lidar above the windshield in a ‘watchtower’ design, which ensures that the lidar is able to see as far and unobstructed as possible.

Aquila Super Sensing System improves safety and comfort

Other features from the Aquila Super Sensing System include a junction assistant that displays the area next to the car on the central monitor when it is turning.Now, cyclists adjacent to the car can be identified, even if they are in the driver’s blind spot. Another feature made possible by the Super Sensing System sensors is the improved parking assistant. It enables the car to identify parking spaces available in the immediate vicinity. All the driver has to do is select one of them using a touch command on the screen and the car will park automatically, which is a significant convenience feature for users.

NIO brings LiDAR for Formula Student Germany

Individual functions of the advanced NIO Super Sensing Systems with integrated LiDAR will also be available to experience on various racetracks in the coming season. This is because NIO together with Seyond and the Deggendorf Institute of Technology have agreed a cooperation in Formula Student with Team Fast Forest, coinciding with the opening of the Smart Driving Technology Center. Having already been partnered the Elefant Racing Formula Student team at the University of Bayreuth for two years, NIO technology will also be used in the race car of the Fast Forest team this season.

About NIO

NIO is a global smart electric vehicle company. Founded on November 25, 2014, NIO’s mission is to shape a joyful lifestyle by offering high-performance smart electric vehicles and ultimate user experience. NIO operates R&D centers and manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, Hefei, Beijing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, San Jose, Munich, Oxford, Berlin, Budapest, and Singapore, and has established sales and service networks in China, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, providing products and services to users in over 300 cities worldwide.

In 2015, NIO Formula E team won the inaugural FIA Formula E Drivers' Championship. In 2016, NIO launched the EP9, one of the world's fastest electric vehicles. In 2017, NIO unveiled its vision car, EVE. On June 28, 2018, NIO began deliveries of the ES8, a 7-seater smart electric flagship SUV, in China. On September 12, 2018, NIO went public on NYSE. On March 10, 2022, NIO was listed on HKEX. On May 20, 2022, NIO was successfully listed on SGX.

NIO's lineup consists of the flagship smart electric SUV All-New ES8, flagship smart electric coupe SUV EC7, smart electric mid-to-large SUV ES7 (or EL7), flagship smart electric sedan ET7, versatile smart electric SUV All-New ES6 (or EL6), smart electric coupe SUV All-New EC6, smart electric sedan ET5, smart electric tourer ET5T, and smart electric executive flagship ET9.

Media Contact:

Florian Otto
Director Communications NIO Europe
Mobile: +49 162 207 1652
Email: florian.otto@nio.io