Connect with us

Published

on

Shanghai-based EV maker NIO marked a significant milestone this week with its Navigate on Pilot (NOP+) advanced driver assist software now live in Beijing. NIO says its NOP+ ADAS was launched on expressways and urban expressways within Beijing’s fifth ring road.

NIO’s NOP+ ADAS goes live in Beijing

So far, NIO’s ADAS has achieved full coverage on urban ring roads (major roads that encircle the central part of the city) and expressways such as the second, third, fourth, and fifth ring roads in Beijing.

NIO is the second EV maker to accomplish the feat after XPeng revealed its City NPG Advanced Driver Assist System went live less than a month ago in Beijing.

NOP+ is a Tesla FSD-like advanced driver assist software based on NIO’s next-generation NT 2.0 platform. All NT 2.0 models are built on the NIO Adam supercomputer, which is powered by four Nvidia DRIVE Orin system-on-chips (SoCs).

According to CnEVPost, NIO began recruiting the first beta testers just before the end of the year (December 27, 2022), offering features like entering and exiting ramps, optimal lane changing, and active passing, expanding it to all NT 2.0 models in March.

Nio-ADAS-Beijing
NIO’s flagship EC7 electric SUV (Source: NIO)

By the end of June, NIO’s beta driver assist software accumulated over 26.6 million miles (42.86 million kilometers). The company said at the time it was adding over 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometers) per week.

NIO announced on July 1 that NOP+ was coming out of beta testing with plans to introduce an official release of the ADAS.

NIO-ET5-Touring
NIO ET5 Touring (Source: NIO)

The official driver assist software features a new 3D Birds Eye View (BEV) feature and other visualization features to better understand where people and objects are.

NIO says the BEV feature can highlight more information like road elements, vehicle taillights, turn signals, and dynamic models.

NIO-ADAS-Beijing
New NIO ES6 electric SUV (Source: NIO)

In the second half of the year, NIO plans to extend the NOP+ system to include battery swaps in highway service areas, eventually extending the service across the country.

NIO launched several models recently, including what’s touted as its most important yet in the second-gen ES6. The EV maker also launched its first electric station wagon, the ET5 Touring, designed to take on the European markets.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

No one knows how NYC’s 15 mph e-bike speed limit will even work

Published

on

By

No one knows how NYC's 15 mph e-bike speed limit will even work

In his latest crackdown on e-bike riders, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pushing for a new citywide e-bike speed limit of 15 mph (25 km/h), despite the fact that no one seems to know how it would actually be enforced.

The proposal, introduced last month as part of a broader package aimed at improving safety on city streets, would make it illegal to ride an e-bike over 15 mph. But experts, advocates, and even city officials are scratching their heads about how the rule would work in practice.

Most consumer e-bikes are already sold with speed limits in place: 20 mph (32 km/h) for throttle assist and 28 mph (45 km/) for pedal assist, per classifications used in the majority of states in the US. Yet those limits are controlled by the bike’s electronics, not by any city infrastructure.

According to reporting by Hell Gate NYC, even the Mayor’s own office couldn’t explain what the enforcement mechanism would look like, and no single agency has so far been put in charge of enforcing the speed limit. Will the city mandate software modifications such as those that limit Class 3 e-bikes to 25 mph (40 km/h) in NYC? Would they rely on radar guns like traditional speeding enforcement for cars? Install speed cameras that can identify bikes? So far, there are no answers.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Citi Bike has already reduced its electric bicycle fleet’s speed limits to 15 mph, but that only impacts shared e-bikes used in the city. Complicating matters further is the fact that most delivery riders – who are clearly the unspoken target of this policy – don’t use mainstream e-bikes from the major manufacturers, or even those that can accept firmware updates to adjust speed and power. Many of them ride inexpensive, sometimes heavily modified throttle bikes purchased online or from bike shops like FLY that cater to these types of riders. Such e-bikes often lack more sophisticated software speed-limiting features, and few, if any, have any form of digital connectivity that could allow for remote speed capping.

City transportation experts note that enforcement of speed limits on e-bikes is nearly impossible without clocking and stopping each rider. Unlike cars, bikes don’t have license plates. And even if a bike is capable of going faster than 15 mph, it doesn’t mean the rider is actually breaking the law – unless caught in the act. Nearly every car in NYC can likely push close to or past 100 mph (160 km/h), despite the city wide’s vehicular speed limit of just 25 mph. Advocates have also questioned the wisdom of focusing on e-bike speed while car crashes continue to injure and kill far more people.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Range Rover’s electric SUV won’t launch this year after a surprise delay, but there’s more

Published

on

By

Range Rover's electric SUV won't launch this year after a surprise delay, but there's more

Range Rover’s first EV was initially scheduled to arrive later this year, but that won’t be the case. JLR has delayed the launch of the Range Rover Electric after telling customers they will have to wait a little longer. However, that may not be the only EV JLR is delaying.

Range Rover Electric and Jaguar EVs are being delayed

Although the electric SUV was originally due to hit showrooms in late 2025, it’s now being pushed back until next year.

The British automaker claimed it needed more time for testing while it waited for stronger demand. However, there’s more to the story. According to The Guardian, Jaguar Land Rover wrote to clients waiting for the Range Rover Electric, telling them deliveries will not start until 2026.

Sources close to the matter said the delay could also impact two Jaguar EV models, including the radical blue-and-pink Type 00 Concept. Jaguar’s electric vehicles are expected to be delayed by several months.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

The news comes after JLR announced plans to cut up to 500 management positions in the UK this week. Britain’s largest carmaker was hit hard by the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs.

Range-Rover-Electric-delayed
Range Rover Electric SUV prototype testing (Source: JLR)

JLR’s sales plunged over 15% in the previous quarter after the company was forced to temporarily halt shipments to the US.

A company spokesperson confirmed that “By 2030 JLR will sell electric versions of all its luxury brands,” adding “we will launch our new models at the right time for our clients, our business and individual markets.”

Jaguar's-controversial-EV-debut
Jaguar Type 00 first public debut in Paris (Source: Jaguar)

Range Rover’s first electric SUV has secured over 61,000 customers on the waiting list. JLR claims it’s currently undergoing “the most intensive testing any Range Rover vehicle has ever endured.”

An electric version of the Velar is due for a radical new look. It’s scheduled for production in April 2026, but that could also be delayed. An electric Defender is due out in early 2027.

Meanwhile, production on Jaguar’s new EV, its first since the I-PACE, is set to begin in August 2026. Jaguar’s electric GT is expected to cost over £100,000 ($135,000) as part of its brand revamp. Its second EV may not launch until December 2027 now.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Wheel-E Podcast: Lectric XP Trike2, Amish e-bikes, little Honda, more

Published

on

By

Wheel-E Podcast: Lectric XP Trike2, Amish e-bikes, little Honda, more

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bikes from Aventon and Lectric, a surge in Amish riding e-bikes, a wireless charging kickstand, cheaper electric motorcycles coming from Honda and LiveWire and more.

The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Overcast

Pocket Casts

Castro

RSS

We also have a Patreon if you want to help us to avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:00 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:00 a.m. ET):

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending