At the NIO IN 2024 Innovation Tech Day, NIO’s founder and CEO William Li shared insights into the company’s stance on autonomous driving and its future direction. William comments reveal a focus on enhancing safety and driver experience rather than pursuing the autonomous taxi market.
NIO has been developing assisted driving technology since 2017, with a clear emphasis on improving safety and reducing accidents. This approach stands in contrast to the rush towards fully autonomous taxis seen in some sectors of the industry.
William emphasized that the true value of autonomous driving lies in its potential to enhance safety and reduce driver fatigue. He stated, “The value of autonomous driving isn’t about eliminating hard-working ride-hailing drivers. That’s not exciting at all.”
While acknowledging the eventual maturation of Robotaxi technology, William expressed doubts about its viability as a sustainable business model.
William Li pointed out that autonomous taxis cannot solve fundamental traffic volume issues in cities. The number of vehicles a city can accommodate remains limited, regardless of whether they are driven by humans or AI.
Unlike software or cloud services, which can scale infinitely, Robotaxi services are constrained by physical and infrastructural limitations. This inherent cap on growth potential raises questions about the long-term profitability of such ventures.
Despite its reservations about Robotaxis, NIO continues to innovate in the automotive technology space.
At the event, NIO showcased several groundbreaking products:
- The next-gen NIO Phone
- SkyOS, a full-domain self-developed operating system
- Banyan 3 smart car system
- Shenji NX9031, the world’s first automotive-grade 5nm high-performance intelligent driving chip
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