Nio opens Smart Driving Technology Center near Berlin

The E-car start-up Nio, which has run into financial difficulties, continues to drive forward and has opened its Smart Driving Technology Center in Schönefeld near Berlin. It is the first of its kind outside China and strengthens the company's international presence, it says. "The Smart Driving Technology embodies our vision of a future-oriented company for intelligent electric vehicles. That's also why we chose Berlin, the capital of start-ups and technology, as the location to advance the development of Smart Driving solutions for NIO users in Europe. This way, we can complete our global development network and offer tailored, user-friendly technical solutions from Europe for Europe," advertises Hui Zhang, Group Vice President at Nio.

The center is located in the greater Berlin area, in close proximity to Nio's Berlin Innovation Center, which opened in 2023. Both locations work closely together to develop technologies specifically for use in Europe. The decision for Schönefeld is justified by the good international connectivity provided by Berlin-Brandenburg Airport and underscores the growing importance of the greater Berlin area as a leading automotive cluster.

Requirements of European Users
The software of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) is part of the manufacturer's leading digital and efficient hardware and software architecture, considered one of its core competencies. The needs and regulatory requirements for assisted driving differ between Europe and China, it says. The team at the Smart Driving Technology Center, led by Mirko Reuter, Senior Director AD at Nio, develops and validates all vehicle-specific systems in Schönefeld with a focus on the local needs of NIO users. The in-house development of software for ADAS functions aims to make the entire development faster, more agile, and more stable. This way, the company can quickly respond to changing user requirements, which play a significant role in the development of features. To ensure that needs can be met, all NIO models are "Ready for Tomorrow" and can be updated at any time over-the-air (OTA).