Nio is taking a significant step forward in automotive manufacturing by integrating autonomous driving technology directly into its production process. A recent video showcases the company’s F2 factory in Xinqiao, Hefei, where new electric vehicles (EVs) are now capable of driving themselves from the final assembly shop to the road test area.
This achievement, made possible by the integration of 5G network and vehicle-road-cloud collaboration technology, allows for fully unmanned transit along a 450-meter route, according to reports in Hefei Daily. This innovation marks Nio as the first automaker in China to achieve this level of automation. The driverless operation is managed via cloud control.
William Li, Nio’s founder, chairman, and CEO, highlighted the significance of this development. “The driverless transit of the new cars is just the tip of the iceberg of the factory’s intelligent capabilities. Everyone is welcome to visit,” he stated after retweeting a video of the new cars from Nio’s sub-brand, Onvo making their way off the assembly line.
The F2 plant, operational since 2022, is located in NeoPark and employs extensive automation. Public tours of the factory have been available since October 2023. Nio is expanding its plant capabilities further, with 11 public tour slots available this month for visitors to experience its capabilities. This move also mirrors a similar innovation from Tesla which recently demonstrated autonomous vehicle movement within its Fremont factory in the US. This advancement hints at the broader application of autonomous capabilities in the automotive manufacturing process.
