
Could Nio's Safety-Certified Yoke Steer-By-Wire be Safer Than Tesla's?
0:00 / 0:00
First Level Redundancy
At this level, all computer controls, communication, and electromechanical controls are duplicated. This much everybody does. Nio also uses separate electrical architecture zones to control the twin communication and power paths, with an independent monitor comparing signals. In the event of a discrepancy, the monitor determines a 'winner.' Nio, and many others offering steer-by wire use a single motor with multiple phases in the winding, wired to the disparate control systems—either of which has sufficient power to steer the vehicle (other systems provide for a fail-safe mechanical shaft connection). There are separate DC-DC converters, separate CAN bus connections, multiple steering torque sensors, and steering-yoke position sensors.
See All 6 Photos
Tesla Rear Steering Rack
Second Level Redundancy
Here's where we believe the Nio approach deviates from Tesla's in following aviation's lead. The separate zones and their communications networks were developed by different teams and sourced from different suppliers whenever possible. This helps minimize the chance of a common failure mode or use-case scenario crippling both systems at the same time.
See All 6 Photos
Tesla Cybertruck showing front and rear tires at max turning angle.
Third Level Redundancy
In an absolute worst-case scenario when a steering order fails to be executed by either of these disparate control, communication, and execution systems, the computer is programmed to utilize other approaches to execute the intended steering request. This can include activating the rear steering (which the ET9 and Cybertruck are both equipped with), and/or heavily braking one or both inside wheels on the side in which the car is intended to steer.
See All 6 Photos
Nio ET9 luxury sedan steering wheel.
Measuring Results
During the lengthy development of the Nio ET9's steering system, the company and the homologation reps from the government considered the job done when recorded failures could be measured in events-per-trillion-hours of operation. We're eager to learn more about the various layers of redundancy Tesla employs, and we'd love to know how Tesla's system would fare if subjected to this same new Chinese homologation testing, but for now the Cybertruck's form factor is disallowed in China.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hill
29 minutes ago
- The Hill
US-China trade talks: Can China reduce its export dependence?
BEIJING (AP) — China's high dependence on exports will likely be a key focus of a new round of U.S.-China trade talks this coming week in Stockholm, but a trade deal would not necessarily help Beijing to rebalance its economy. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he hopes the negotiations can take up this issue, along with China's purchases of oil from Russia and Iran, which undercut American sanctions on those two countries. Hopes rose for a breakthrough in talks after U.S. President Donald Trump announced deals with Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines this week. The U.S. wants China to do two things: Reduce what both the U.S. and the European Union see as excess production capacity in many industries, including steel and electric vehicles. And secondly, to take steps to increase spending by Chinese consumers so the economy relies more on domestic demand and less on exports. 'We could also discuss the elephant in the room, which is this great rebalancing that the Chinese need to do,' Bessent told financial news network CNBC. He said China's share of global manufacturing exports at nearly 30%, 'can't get any bigger, and it should probably shrink.' China is tackling the same issues — for domestic reasons The issues are not new, and China has been working to address them for years, more for domestic reasons than to reduce its trade surpluses with the U.S. and other countries. Bessent's predecessor as treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, made industrial policy a focus of a trip to China last year. She blamed government subsidies for flooding the global market with 'artificially cheap Chinese products.' The European Union, whose top leaders met their Chinese counterparts in Beijing on Thursday, has cited subsidies to justify EU tariffs on electric vehicles made in China. In the 1980s, the U.S. pressured Japan to boost consumer spending when American manufacturing was overwhelmed by exports from the likes of Toyota and Sony. Economists have long argued that China likewise needs to transform into a more consumer-driven economy. Consumer spending accounts for less than 40% of China's economy, versus close to 70% in the United States and about 54% in Japan. Chinese leaders have spoken about both factory overcapacity and weak consumer spending as long-term problems and have sought over the past 20 years to find ways to rebalance the economy away from export manufacturing and massive investments in dams, roads, railways and other infrastructure. Fierce price wars have prompted critical reports in official media saying that companies are 'racing to the bottom,' skimping on quality and even safety to reduce costs. With strong government support, they've also expanded overseas, where they can charge higher prices but still undercut local competitors, creating a political backlash. Economists say China needs a consumer-driven economy All that competition and price cutting has left China battling deflation, or falling prices. When companies receive less for their products, they tend to invest less. That can lead to job cuts and lower wages, sapping business activity and spending power — contrary to the long-term goal of increasing the share of consumer spending in driving overall growth. To counter that, the government is spending billions on rebates and subsidies for people who trade in their cars or appliances for new ones. But acknowledging a problem and solving it are two different things. Economists say more fundamental changes are needed to boost consumption and rein in overcapacity. Such changes can only come incrementally over time. Private Chinese companies and foreign-invested companies create the most jobs, but they've suffered from swings in policy and pressures from the trade war, especially since the pandemic. Demographic changes are another challenge as China's population shrinks and ages. Many experts advocate expanding China's social safety net, health insurance, pensions and other support systems, so that people would feel freer to spend rather than save for a medical emergency or retirement. Yan Se, an economist at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management, warned at a recent forum that deflation will become a long-term issue if China doesn't step up its welfare benefits. 'Chinese people deserve a better life,' he said. Facing external threats, China wants to be more self-reliant One possibility, put forward at the same forum by Liu Qiao, the dean of the business school, would be to change incentives for local government officials, rewarding them for raising consumption or household incomes instead of meeting an economic growth target. He doesn't see that happening nationwide but said it could be tested in a province. 'That would send out a message that China needs a different approach,' he said. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made transforming the country into a technology superpower a top priority. It's a goal that has gained urgency as the U.S. has tightened restrictions on China's access to high-end semiconductors and other advanced knowhow. Output in high-tech manufacturing is growing quickly, adding to potential overcapacity, just as what happened with the government's encouragement of 'green' technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines. Various industries, including EV makers, have pledged to address the issue, but some local governments are striving to keep money-losing enterprises afloat, reluctant to lose tax revenues and jobs, or to fail to meet economic growth targets. Going forward, the government is calling for more coordination of economic development polices in fields such as artificial intelligence so that not every province champions the same industry. But government moves to counter the impact of higher tariffs tend to support sectors already in overcapacity, and the share of consumption in the economy has fallen in recent years. 'A sustained improvement in household consumption will require greater reform ambition,' the World Bank said in its most recent update on China's economy.'


Newsweek
30 minutes ago
- Newsweek
India's New Deals Leave US to Catch Up
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. On a sweltering afternoon beside the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood beside Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu for the island nation's 60th birthday. It was not only ceremonial, however. Three agreements and four memorandums of understanding were signed with a country that had once been seen as inching into China's orbit. Days earlier and at a different place on the diplomatic scale, Modi had inked a new trade agreement with former colonial power Britian — calling it "a blueprint for our shared prosperity." But as the world's most populous nation forges a new global diplomatic playbook, one country appears conspicuously left out and with a trade deal still hanging in the balance: the United States. "We wish to engage with the world, including the West, on equal terms," Sanjeev Sanyal, a key member of Indian Prime Minister Modi's Economic Advisory Council told Newsweek. "We understand that Western countries have their interests, but we also have ours. So, we will speak up for our interests. This does not mean that we won't be willing to engage or make reasonable trade-offs." India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2L) inspects a guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at the Republic Square in Male on July 25, 2025. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2L) inspects a guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at the Republic Square in Male on July 25, 2025. Photo by Mohamed Afrah / AFP A U.S. State Department spokesperson described India as "a strategic partner with whom we engage in full and frank dialogue, including on its relationship with Russia and problematic actions by China." "We deeply value our relationships with fellow Indo-Pacific nations like India and Maldives. We will continue to work with our partners to advance American interests by ensuring the region remains free and open, and continues to become more connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient," the spokesperson said. White House In a sign of India's importance for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, he was an early visitor to the White House in the second Trump term. But the optics of India's recent diplomatic activity are hard to ignore. India's diplomatic calendar this month reads like a G20 cheat sheet: France, UAE, Egypt, Iran, Russia — now Britain and the Maldives. And in a move that would have been unthinkable even a year ago, India just resumed offering tourist visas for Chinese citizens, ending a five-year freeze following deadly clashes in a disputed border area in 2020. "China and India should adhere to the direction of good neighborliness and friendship," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a July 15 meeting with Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar. "China is willing to work with India to promote sustained, healthy, and steady development," he added. These moves reflect India's deepening role as a global swing power, geopolitical analysts said. "Power—not justice, not fairness, not laws, rules, or ethics—but raw, unadulterated, crude and unhinged power has become the key determinant of international relations," Gautam Chikermane, Vice President at Observer Research Foundation told Newsweek. "Threats have become the new vocabulary, whims are the new rules. Every country must have Plan B and Plan C in place. India already does." India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he speaks during a joint press conference with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer on July 24, 2025. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he speaks during a joint press conference with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer on July 24, 2025. Photo by KIN CHEUNG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Landmark Deal with Britain India's landmark deal with the UK is seen as much about geopolitics as about goods and services. It wasn't rushed. Negotiations began in May 2022, took three years, and involved tough domestic balancing acts—protecting farmers, small businesses, and service sectors on both sides. "It is not easy to sign a trade agreement like this," said one senior Indian trade official involved in the deal. "But both sides were patient. We weren't desperate, and we didn't take ultimatums." "This agreement is more than just trade," UK opposition Conservative MP Bob Blackman told Newsweek. "It reflects a shift in how both nations perceive power and partnership. No longer limited to Commonwealth nostalgia, the UK–India relationship is maturing—grounded in democratic resilience and pragmatic alignment." In contrast, there is still no trade deal with the United States despite some optimism voiced by President Trump and India. "The United States is very close to a trade deal with India... I think we'll get it done soon," Trump said at a recent press briefing. Yet, almost in the same breath, he reiterated his frustration with India's trade stance, immigration policies, and neutrality on Russia. "The era of building factories in China and hiring workers in India is over," Trump added—comments that have left New Delhi watching with a wary eye. Trump has also threatened secondary tariffs of up to 100% on countries importing Russian oil—a clear warning to India, which continues buying discounted energy from Moscow in what it sees as a vital economic hedge, not a geopolitical endorsement. "India's successful trade deal with the UK demonstrates that it has global trading options and that it is not desperate enough for a trade deal with the United States to open up its agricultural sector," Lisa Curtis, director at the Center for a New American Security told Newsweek. "The Trump administration would be wise to make concessions for India in the interest of the larger strategic partnership." "One of the greatest foreign policy accomplishments of the first Trump administration was elevating the U.S.–India strategic partnership," Curtis continued. "It would be a mistake for the second Trump administration to sacrifice those gains."


Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Stellantis Stock (STLA) Powers Forward as Tesla's Chinese Challenge Intensifies
Shares in auto maker Stellantis (STLA) raced higher today as rival Tesla (TSLA) was handed another huge roadblock in the Chinese EV market. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. The Stellantis leap came on reports that Hangzhou-based EV maker Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology is launching a battery-powered sedan in mainland China. Leap Lower The B01, a midsize sedan, offers features similar to Tesla's Model 3 but reportedly at less than half the price at 89,800 yuan. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, it is understood that Leapmotor, which is backed by Stellantis, also plans to launch the car in global markets at a yet-to-be-decided date. Deliveries to mainland Chinese customers will reportedly begin this month and include five variants with driving ranges from 430 kilometers to 650 kilometers. The top-end model is priced at 119,800 yuan, the report said. Meanwhile, a Tesla-made Model 3 is priced from 235,500 yuan to 339,500 yuan. Tesla's China sales have suffered this year, falling month after month, as it suffered more intense competition from domestic rivals such as BYD (BYDDY). That's important given that a fifth of Tesla revenues come from China – see below. Stellantis Charge China's car market has also been dragged into a price war as companies compete to win over consumers who, hit by a sluggish economy, are reluctant to spend. However, Tesla recorded a 0.8% increase in June, delivering 71,599 units and breaking an eight-month losing streak. Meanwhile, deliveries of Tesla's China-made Model 3 and Model Y autos surged 16.1% compared to May. These figures include vehicles sold both within China and exported to other markets. Tesla is hoping for further growth from its revamped Model Y car. The six-seat sports utility vehicle could be launched in the fall. Reports suggest that the new Model Y will be larger than the current five-seat version and will have a top speed of 201 kilometers an hour. As for Stellantis, known for traditional car brands such as Chrysler, it keeps charging forward in the electric space. It has been reported that starting this September, some South African Stellantis dealers will sell Leapmotor electric vehicles, starting with the C10 SUV. More models are set to follow over the course of 2025 and into 2026. It's much needed if it wants to keep making inroads into the likes of Tesla both in China and elsewhere. As we see below it has underperformed Tesla substantially over the last 12 months.