On August 18, Li Bin, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO Inc., became a trending topic on Weibo after live-streaming his oxygen inhalation in Tibet, attracting widespread attention from netizens. This incident not only demonstrated Li Bin's dedication as an entrepreneur but also heightened public anticipation for NIO's upcoming new ES8 model.
On August 15, Li Bin traveled to Lhasa, Tibet, to personally witness the completion of the G318 Sichuan-Tibet battery swap route. However, due to the high altitude in the region, Li Bin experienced altitude sickness upon arriving in Lhasa and required oxygen supplementation. He shared images of himself using oxygen in user groups, which quickly went viral among netizens who created memes, with some jokingly comparing him to a pig character from an animated series.
Despite this, Li Bin persisted with his work and responded to concerned netizens on Weibo, stating that he felt much better and was driving the new ES8 on his way to Shigatse, emphasizing the need for both oxygen and battery charging. Li Bin's dedication has earned praise from numerous netizens. Many expressed admiration for the 51-year-old entrepreneur's commitment to personally traveling to high-altitude regions for work, demonstrating an admirable fighting spirit.
Some netizens have summarized Li Bin's version of an "iron man triathlon": ultra-long range testing, extreme cold charging testing, and high-speed tire blowout testing. With this Tibet expedition, Li Bin's triathlon appears to have upgraded to a "quadrathlon": ultra-high altitude, ultra-long duration, extreme cold, and extreme heat conditions.
On August 16, with the official launch of the 15th NIO battery swap station on the G318 Sichuan-Tibet route - the Dingri Everest Station - the G318 Sichuan-Tibet battery swap route was officially completed. This route starts from Chengdu, passes through Ya'an, Kangding, Litang, and Batang, and ultimately reaches Everest Base Camp, spanning over 2,000 kilometers. Along the route, there is a NIO battery swap station approximately every 200 kilometers, providing more convenient battery swap services for users traveling to Everest.
Previously, on August 14, NIO co-founder and president Qin Lihong completed the first battery swap at the Gongbo'gyamda swap station at an altitude of 4,500 meters, driving the new ES8 in just 3 minutes and 9 seconds. The Gongbo'gyamda swap station is currently the world's highest-altitude NIO battery swap station, and its activation marks further improvement of NIO's battery swap network in high-altitude regions.
Li Bin's oxygen inhalation live stream in Tibet showcased an entrepreneur's fighting spirit and dedication to work. Building on the strong sales of the ONVO L90, NIO's upcoming new ES8 is highly anticipated. Under Li Bin's leadership, NIO Inc. is expected to continue maintaining its important position in the electric vehicle market, bringing consumers more high-quality products and services.