Two deaths in one month, NIO's head of autonomous driving: NOP is not autonomous driving and may exit at any time during operation

An obituary has once again put NIO at the center of public opinion. The obituary stated that at 2 p.m. on August 12, 2021, Lin Wenqin, the founder of Meiyihao Brand Management Company, Yitongtianxia Catering Management Company, and Shangshanruoshui Investment Management Company, was driving a NIO ES8 car with the NOP autonomous driving function activated when he encountered a traffic accident on the Shenhai Expressway and unfortunately passed away.

It is reported that Lin Wenqin is the founder of restaurant chain brands such as "Jia Ruhua Jia Noodles", "Guo Juxia", "Da Xi Spicy Mix" and "Yi Qi Hong Kong Style Afternoon Tea", with more than 500 franchise stores across the country.

As of now, NIO has not issued an official response on its official platform, but according to media reports, NIO responded: "The police are investigating."

According to the relevant content of the obituary, Lin Wenqin had a car accident after turning on the NOP pilot assisted driving function of the Future ES8. From the pictures of the accident scene circulating on the Internet, it can be seen that Lin Wenqin's Future ES8 collided with cones placed on the highway and a maintenance vehicle parked on the roadside. The A-pillar on the main driver's side was completely torn apart, and the cab was squeezed to the point where there was no living space. The scene was extremely tragic.

It is worth mentioning that it has only been two weeks since the last serious accident in which a driver of a NIO car died. On July 30, a NIO EC6 crashed into a barrier stone pier at high speed on Lingang Avenue in Pudong New District, Shanghai, and the driver was unfortunately killed. NIO also responded that the specific cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Since the obituary clearly stated that Lin Wenqin used the NOP pilot assistance system in the accident, many netizens attributed the accident to NIO's autonomous driving technology. However, some people pointed out that NIO has publicly stated many times that the NOP pilot assistance system is only a driving assistance system, not autonomous driving technology.

Zhang Jianyong, head of NIO's autonomous driving technology, once said in the "Navigation Assist (NOP) User Guide": "NOP is not equivalent to autonomous driving, but an assisted driving system that may exit at any time if the working conditions cannot be met. When using it, everyone must always pay attention to traffic conditions and road environment."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.