Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng is sitting next to the company’s P7 electric sedan, while addressing the media at the 2020 Beijing Motor Show.
Evelyn Cheng | CNBC
GUANGZHOU, China – Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng Motors announces new autonomous driving function designed to operate on highways as it intensifies its challenge for internal rivals as well as for Tesla.
The feature – called Navigation Guided Pilot or NGP – will allow the company’s P7 pilot sedan to automatically change lanes, accelerate or slow down, or overtake cars and enter and exit highways.
It is part of the next generation of the Xpeng XPILOT 3.0 so-called advanced driver assistance (ADAS) which the company expects to launch in the first quarter of this year. ADAS refers to a system with some stand-alone features, but in which a driver is required.
Xpeng is one of China’s electric vehicle start-ups trying to run the country’s growing market while battling newcomers such as Nio and Li Auto, as well as US electric car giant Tesla.
Mass deliveries of the X7 P7 sedan, a direct rival to Tesla’s Model 3, began in June last year. Xpeng delivered 27,041 vehicles in 2020 – more than double the number a year ago.
NGP is a challenge for Tesla’s autonomous ADAS called Autopilot. One of the autopilot features is called Navigate on Autopilot, which has similar functions to Xpeng’s NGP.
Chinese electric vehicle companies are looking to add more autonomous functions to their cars. Nio has its own system called NIO Pilot.
How the Xpeng system works
A driver will have to watch a safety video before he can activate the Xpeng motorway driving function. Drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel while using the autonomous driving functions of the vehicle.
Users then enter their destination on the map. The machine will then begin to perform some of the functions, such as switching the belt by itself.
Drivers will receive a warning when they have to take manual control of the car, for example, in adverse weather conditions or in the event of a car accident.
Xpeng says its cars are equipped with 14 cameras and other critical sensors. Nvidia’s Xavier computing system powers XPILOT 3.0.
The highway driving feature will be available on the premium version of the P7 and only available to customers in China.