Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO) shares traded roughly unchanged on Tuesday as the electric-vehicle maker reported fresh developments in artificial intelligence recruitment and grid innovation in China.
The moves come amid broader efforts to strengthen technology leadership in autonomous driving and energy integration, CnEVPost reports.
According to the media report, Nio added a seasoned algorithm expert from Alibaba Group Holding Limited’s (NYSE:BABA) DAMO Academy to its smart driving division this week to boost early AI research for autonomous systems.
Yang Sheng will focus on foundational architecture and algorithms for future smart driving solutions, working with the company’s R&D leadership in China.
Yang previously led autonomous driving initiatives at Alibaba’s DAMO Academy, where he worked on level-4 vehicle architecture and logistics vehicle projects.
His appointment comes as Nio sharpens its efforts on smart driving foundation models and computing power upgrades this year.
Grid Trial Participation
Separately, Nio also engaged in a large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trial in eastern China, using retrofit battery swap stations to discharge power into the grid, CnEV Post reports.
Six fourth-generation battery swap sites contributed a significant share of discharge output during peak load hours, showing the potential for EV infrastructure to support grid stability and efficiency.
Nio’s involvement signals interest in expanded energy services beyond traditional vehicle functions.
The trial included dozens of energy facilities aimed at demonstrating practical grid contributions from EV infrastructure.
According to Benzinga Pro, NIO stock has gained over 8.55% in the past year. Investors can gain exposure to the stock via Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF (NASDAQ:PGJ).
Morgan Stanley analyst Tim Hsiao reiterated his Overweight rating on the stock and maintained a $7.00 price forecast.
NIO Price Action: Nio shares were up 0.76% at $4.64 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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