On December 16, 2024, a NIO vehicle in China suddenly shut down while driving, causing concern for its owner, Mr. Heng from Xi’an. He stated, “The brakes didn’t respond, all the buttons in the car were not working, and the doors wouldn’t open. It was very scary.” This incident made headlines on Baidu’s hot search on December 16.
According to Da Feng News on December 15, Mr. Heng from Xi’an purchased a NIO L9 electric car in October 2022 for over 460,000 RMB and has driven it for over 40,000 kilometers to date.
On the morning of December 14, around 10 a.m., while driving on Xiying Road, the entertainment screen in the car suddenly went black. Mr. Heng tried to stop the car, but he found that the brakes were unresponsive, and he couldn’t switch gears or use any buttons in the car. The doors also could not be opened, which left him feeling very frightened.
Fortunately, the car was driving on the far right lane at a moderate speed, allowing other vehicles to maneuver around him upon noticing the situation. Mr. Heng expressed relief that the incident didn’t happen at high speed, as the consequences could have been disastrous.
Mr. Heng immediately contacted NIO’s customer service center and explained that none of the buttons in the car were working. The customer service representative mentioned that the system was undergoing an upgrade at that moment and apologized for the inconvenience.
In response, Mr. Heng expressed confusion, questioning why the system upgrade couldn’t wait until the car was stationary. He proposed the idea of providing a QR code for drivers to scan and initiate the upgrade at their convenience rather than having it done automatically. To him, a mere apology was not sufficient.
The system upgrade in Mr. Heng’s car lasted for over 40 minutes, during which he was trapped inside the vehicle and unable to exit.
After this incident was reported by the media, it sparked discussions among internet users.
Some expressed concerns like “If this happened on the highway, what would have been the consequences?” while others argued that buying cars with such advanced technology allows others to control their vehicles.
One user mentioned that electric cars, regardless of the brand, can be remotely shut down, posing a significant risk. They asserted their decision to avoid owning new energy vehicles altogether.
However, another commenter noted that it’s unlikely for NIO to conduct OTA updates while the vehicle is in motion, citing specific prerequisites that need to be met for such upgrades.
Suggestions from netizens included the idea of optimizing the system by incorporating an emergency button to allow users to exit an ongoing upgrade or having a backup system in place so the car can operate with the old system while an upgrade is in progress.