All-electric 20,000-kilometer round trip across the Eurasian continent; the 2026 Silk Road Driving Challenge is set to begin.

On September 10, the signing ceremony for the "All-Electric 20,000 km Round Trip Across Eurasia" 2026 Silk Road Driving Challenge (Silk Road Challenge 2026, SRC) cooperation agreement was held at Nio. Chen Chen, Vice President of Nio and Head of Global Business Development, signed the framework cooperation agreement with Szilard Bolla, former Consul General of the Hungarian Consulate in Shanghai and initiator of the Silk Road Driving Challenge. The signing was witnessed by Qin Lihong, Co-founder and President of Nio, and Dzsenifer Halmai, Commercial Consul of the Hungarian Consulate in Shanghai. This signing marks the official launch of this all-electric expedition spanning over 20,000 kilometers across the Eurasian continent.

Nio will provide a joint fleet of 14 vehicles comprising Nio and Onvo models for the "2026 Silk Road Driving Challenge," including five models: Nio ES8, ES6, ET5T, and Onvo L90 and L80. Nio will also provide comprehensive vehicle service guarantees and technical support throughout the journey.

On September 16, 2026, the fleet will depart from Xi'an, China, the starting point of the Silk Road. The 41-day journey will cover over 20,000 kilometers, passing through 11 countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Serbia, before finally arriving in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

In the China segment, the fleet will travel westward along Nio's Silk Road battery swap route, utilizing battery swaps throughout the Hexi Corridor and exploring the scenery of the Western Regions. With a charging experience that is "as convenient as refueling," the journey aims to achieve "seamless travel across ten thousand miles and over the Tianshan Mountains." Nio's Silk Road battery swap route, spanning 3,605 kilometers with 33 battery swap stations along the way, will be fully operational in late September. At that time, users will be able to start from any battery swap station nationwide and reach all provincial-level administrative regions in mainland China entirely via battery swaps.

The Silk Road has served as a millennium-old corridor for the fusion of Eastern and Western civilizations, once linking disparate worlds through camel bells and sailing ships. Today, the "2026 Silk Road Drive" retraces this ancient route with an all-electric fleet. This initiative is not only a tribute to history but also a pioneering effort for the future, breathing new life into the Silk Road in the electric era and providing a vivid testament to green cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative framework.

The "2026 Silk Road Drive" integrates the Silk Road spirit of "daring to break through and courageously connecting" into every leg of the journey, pushing the limits of technology and road conditions to link China with the world's green future. This event is not merely an extreme real-world test of smart electric vehicles and charging infrastructure; it serves as a mobile ambassador for China, showcasing the innovation strength and open spirit of the country's new energy vehicle industry to the world.

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