https://www.gfmag.com/magazine/julyaugust-2020/ceo-nio-william-li
Just a few months ago, Nio had only $152 million left on the balance sheet and was not expected to survive. Since then, the company has enjoyed a stunning reversal of fortune. Not only it has successfully raised capital, but its second-quarter deliveries nearly tripled from the year-earlier period, prompting its US-listed shares to soar more than tenfold. These gains, however, are not without challenges, says transportation expert and professor of management at the University of San Francisco, William Riggs: “Most EV manufacturers need to invest in infrastructure and accelerate vehicle delivery to consumers, and Nio is not an exception.” In the meantime, Riggs adds, Nio must continue to attract new customers, face Covid-related supply-chain disruptions, and grapple with basic resource issues such as finite supply for the battery-grade lithium used to power its vehicles.