Nio founder and CEO William Li said on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, that autonomous driving's next phase will be judged on two tests: whether users pay for it and whether it is clearly safer than a human driver. "If users are unwilling to pay, there is no real creation of user value," Li said at the 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference in Beijing, according to EV's translation of a National Business Daily transcript. Ifeng Tech, via 10jqka, reported the same remarks.
The two tests
- Payment: how many users are actually willing to pay for the feature.
- Safety: quantified indicators that let users "significantly perceive" that autonomous driving is safer than people driving, with insurers giving "real feedback" on accident rates, per EV.
Li called the July 1, 2027 start of China's mandatory safety standard for automated driving systems an important marker of this "second half."
Nio's new figures
Li said Nio's assisted-driving system has logged more than 9.14 billion kilometers and more than 112 million hours of use, and has avoided or mitigated more than 9.07 million accidents. EV notes Nio hasn't published these numbers in a filing or press release. Ifeng Tech also quoted him citing four insurers on the system's effect on major accidents.
Nio charges used-car owners 380 yuan a month for its smart-driving subscription, while new Nio and Onvo buyers get five years free, Li said on Nio's September earnings call, according to EV. About 20% of used-car owners subscribe.
What it means for Tesla
Paid adoption is the same question investors ask Tesla, which sells FSD (Supervised) for $99 a month, CNBC notes. Tesla reports its third-quarter results after the market closes today; see our earnings preview. China's rules for self-driving cars are also shifting; see China's proposed Level 3 marker lights.