Shanghai-based EV maker Nio announced on Monday that it is partnering with Alibaba’s mapping app Amap.
Alibaba-backed Amap was founded two decades ago and provides digital maps, navigation services, and real-time traffic information across China.
Known in China as 高德地图 or Gaode Map, the business ride-hailing service allows Nio employees to use AI route planning in corporate travel.
As first reported by Sina Technology News, Amap has helped the company reduce travel costs by 15%.
Employees of the EV maker can use Nio‘s internal system or the ride-hailing platform, booking trips with categories such as “overtime vehicle use” or “business trip vehicle use.”
Payments are centrally managed by the company, streamlining travel processes and improving mobility efficiency.
Amap provides these rides through over 80 major ride-hailing platforms, including taxi fleets.
It supports one-click dispatch with multi-platform price comparison, allowing a faster price comparison.
According to the company, the platform offers AI time prediction, which accurately estimates trip distance and duration while allowing users to add multiple stops as needed.
Additionally, the AI route planning function learns from users’ past route preferences to recommend faster and more convenient travel routes.
Several automakers have integrated the company’s navigation system within their Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) — such as XPeng in 2021 with Amap‘s third-generation navigation.
The Guangzhou-based carmaker has since then switched to developing its own smart driving NGP, which “will deliver top smart driving by the fourth quarter of 2026,” according to the brand.
Nio also adopted the Amap navigation in 2022 in its Aspen 3.1.2 software update, after only having Baidu Maps available in its system.
Last year, at the annual ‘Nio Day’ event, Amap debuted its full-domain lane-level navigation on the flagship ET9 sedan — offering broader coverage, enhanced capabilities, and improved user experience compared to ordinary lane-level navigation.
Two months ago, the company announced that it had become the world’s first AI-native mapping platform, according to which it “transformed from a navigation tool into a proactive travel partner.”
By then, and working with Alibaba’s Tongyi Lab, Amap developed ‘Xiao Gao,’ an “AI assistant that combines navigation and spatial intelligence with the latest AI capabilities.”
In August, Alibaba’s CEO Eddie Wu positioned Amap as a “new gateway for future lifestyle services” as part of the Group’s plan to create what it calls a “comprehensive consumption platform.”
The company also introduced its own ranking of restaurants, hotels and tourist destinations last month. The ‘Street Stars’ function uses AI algorithms to rank destinations for its users.
