Chinese premier EV maker NIO has its flagship sedan, the ET9, certified for steer-by-wire (SWB), a first for Europe, after the regulator in its homeland did the same in December 2024.
There is no longer a mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the turning wheels. Still, NIO claims its system is fully redundant, making it 2.2 times safer than electric power steering commonly used in today’s cars.
Failing once in 25,000 years?
According to Nio, the probability of losing steering capability is 4.5 FIT, which equates to an average of just one steering failure in 25,368 years.
FIT stands for Failures In Time, a unit used to quantify the reliability of electronic components. It specifically measures the number of expected failures in one billion hours (10⁹ hours) of operation for a given component.
NIO said the SBW system’s redundant design includes dual power supplies, dual communication, dual hardware, and dual software to ensure this.
Multiple benefits
The benefits are multiple. Even more than with electric power steering, the angle and torque resistance of the steering wheel can be fine-tuned for more precise steering and flexibility.
Without a mechanical connection, the wheel can be adjusted up to 153 mm instead of the conventional 60 mm, leaving more space for the driver. A joystick could also replace the wheel, but NIO does not offer that.
The wheel only needs to be turned ten degrees to initiate the direction of a complete turn, which otherwise would require the wheel to rotate several times. This can be useful in automated parking, for instance.
It is also the foundation needed for fully automated L3, L4, and L5 driving in the future, when a steering wheel will no longer be needed in the car.
Another advantage of decoupling the steering wheel mechanically from the wheels is that the SBW systems filter out more than 80% of road vibrations that would be felt otherwise.
First mass-produced car with SWB
The NIO ET9 was the first mass-produced model to be equipped with the SBW technology certified by the Chinese industry experts organized by the MIIT, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The government administration oversees manufacturing industries, especially automotive, electronics, and high-tech, and certifies all Chinese vehicles before they can be marketed.
In Europe, the ET9’s SBW system received the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) E-Mark certification after being reviewed by the Spanish Applus+ IDIADA.
The latter is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company acting as a technical service under European regulations (e.g., UNECE), operating one of Europe’s largest proving grounds in Spain.
Taking on German premium brands
NIO started delivering the first ET9 sedans in China this month to compete with the ‘crème de la crème’ of German premium competition.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Tesla have shown prototypes or concepts with steer-by-wire, but no other major consumer vehicle with steer-by-wire is fully certified and available in Europe. Lexus has announced one for 2025, the RZ 450e, which will be available in select markets, including Europe.
The ET9 is NIO’s most expensive and technically most advanced model, starting at 788,000 yuan (€100,340), including the battery pack.
Early buyers in China get many benefits, like ten years of free battery swapping service, up to six times per month, or ten years of free Navigate on Pilot Plus (NOP+) driver assistance.
Fellow millionaires as early adopters
Among those early adopters in China are some big ‘competitors’. NIO’s founder and CEO, William Li, handed over the keys of a few of its ET9s to fellow millionaires and company owners at the Shanghai Motor Show.
Like Robin Zeng, founder, chairman, and CEO of CATL, the world’s biggest battery maker, or He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng, Holger Klein, CEO of German auto tech giant ZF Group, is the first to own one outside China.
