Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com | LinkedIn | Twitter
A NIO ES8 model was spotted for the first time this Sunday in Portugal, specifically in Porto — a city located in the north of the country. According to what EV has learned, NIO started collecting data for its NAD (NIO Autonomous Driving) technology in Portugal about two months ago, starting in the southern part of the country namely in the cities of Lisbon and Leiria. The team will continue to collect data in Portugal until the end of July.
The team responsible for the process has been driving three NIO ES8 models with German plates from Munich and collecting data — through the LIDaR technology — having spent the last few months in France, Spain and, most recently, Portugal. This exact model was seen in mid-March in France and the company posted its first job vacancy based in France two months later. It is now expected that NIO opens the first positions for Lisbon and Porto around September to start building the team in Portugal.
NIO has “built up the full-stack NAD capability with perception algorithms, localization, control strategy, and platform software developed in-house”. NAD will gradually “cover use cases of expressways, urban areas, parking, and battery swap to enable a safer and more relaxing autonomous driving experience from point A to point B,” the company says.
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The EV maker is preparing the second phase of its European expansion into seven new countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Portugal. During the last NIO day — held in December 2021 — the EV maker confirmed its plan to expand its services to 25 markets by 2025.
On Friday, the location of the first NIO House in Germany — and the second in Europe — became known. The new space is being remodeled and is located in Berlim opposite the Zoo Palast, one of the most touristy areas of the German capital.
In late May, NIO‘s Communication Specialist in Norway Asbjørn Mitusch told local media NIO will open three new NIO Houses in the Nordic country. In the third quarter, the EV maker will open the second space in Bergen after arriving in Oslo in 2021. The other two showrooms are located in Stavanger and in Trondheim and will open in the fourth quarter of 2022, as confirmed by Mitusch.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com | LinkedIn | Twitter
