--- title: "Tesla Competitor Traps Driver For an Hour While It Completes Software Update" description: "Chinese media report that one of Tesla competitor Nio's cars shut down in the middle of a Beijing traffic jam after the driver triggered a software update." date: "2019-02-02" modified: "2019-02-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-competitor-nio-test-drive" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "china" - "electric car" - "nio" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Competitor Traps Driver For an Hour While It Completes Software Update ![Chinese media report that one of Tesla competitor Nio's cars shut down in the middle of a Beijing traffic jam after the driver triggered a software update.]() *\Image: Nio\* ## Nio World Getting a Windows update while you're in the middle of working on something on your computer is frustrating. But what happens when you accidentally trigger a software update in your car while driving on the highway? *The S**outh China Morning Post* and *[Bloomberg]()* [report]() that China's electric car maker and noted [Tesla competitor]() Nio had a bit of a hiccup. One of their cars (it's unclear which model it was) shut down in the middle of Changan Avenue — a busy main street that passes by some of the most important government buildings in the country — while on a test drive. ## Shutdown Mode The incident was first reported on Chinese social media website Weibo on Tuesday. What caused the shutdown in the middle of the street was a series of accidental operations that led to the activation of a system update, according to the Weibo post. "So there we were, parked in Changan Avenue, motionless yet bold as brass. Police officers came, one group after another, yet we could not even wind the window down," a Nio representative wrote on the Weibo post, as quoted by *The South China Morning Post*. ## Follow the Instructions It's not entirely clear if it was purely a driver error or if it was an inherent design flaw of the car's computer software. [*The Verge* was told]() by a Nio spokesperson that it should've been pretty obvious what was about to happen: users receive a "clear notice explaining that users need to park their cars during the upgrading and the car’s relevant functionalities will be shut down." But considering the software update could still be triggered while in the middle of a busy road, Nio should probably look into it. **READ MORE:** [Tesla rival faces online heat as Nio smart car comes to a halt in Chinese capital]() \[*South China Morning Post*\] ***More on Nio: [EV Competition Heats up Between Chinese Startup and Tesla]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()