NIO, a start-up funded by Chinese investors, has presented an autonomous electric vehicle.
Called EVE, the automobile in the photo gallery is a concept car that previews a production model. It was showcased at SXSW, and it is a car that focuses on offering a pleasant ambiance for its passengers.
That is why its inner glass panels can be transformed into smart displays, which could be used to access entertainment while the car drives itself to the selected destination.
NIO has named its artificial intelligence system NOMI, and it is the primary controller of the vehicle. However, users may choose to drive it themselves. The company has announced its intention of offering it on the American market by 2020, but do not hold your breath.
We tend to be skeptical when hearing announcements like these, especially when they refer to a product that has a range of 600 miles (965 km), and they come with a wireless charging system. The latter claims to offer up to 200 miles (321 km) of range with just a ten-minute charge.
Previous start-up companies in this field have announced ambitious projects, but none of them have offered a product to the general public.
Tesla is an exception here, but the American automaker has received support from Toyota and Daimler in the past, as well as significant funding from its founder, Elon Musk.
Not even Tesla has managed to offer a production automobile with self-driving capabilities, but they are closing in on that goal as the Autopilot technology advances.
Meanwhile, NIO will have to prove its abilities by launching a production model, and then start ticking all the boxes next to its promises. The race for the first production car that can drive itself on public roads is still on, and various automakers that have previously shown production-based models are most likely to succeed.
However, we will give the Chinese at NIO the benefit of the doubt, but that will slowly fade away if they don’t launch a production car of any kind by 2020. We must note that NIO does have a self-driving electric supercar, so they have a starting point.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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