Xpeng’s CEO He Xiaopeng stands beside the company’s P7 electric sedan while speaking to the media at the Beijing 2020 Auto Show.
Evelyn Cheng | CNBC
GUANGZHOU, China – Chinese electric car maker Xpeng Motors has announced a new self-driving feature designed to work on highways as it increases your challenge to domestic rivals, as well as Tesla.
The feature – called Navigation Guided Pilot or NGP – will allow the company’s flagship, the P7 sedan, to automatically change lanes, accelerate or decelerate, or overtake cars and enter and exit highways.
It is part of the next generation of Xpeng’s XPILOT 3.0, called advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that the company expects to launch in the first quarter of this year. ADAS refers to a system with some autonomous features, but where a driver is still needed.
Xpeng is one of China’s electric vehicle start-ups that seeks to run ahead in the country’s growing market while facing other start-up companies, such as Nio and Li Auto, as well as the American electric car giant Tesla.
Mass deliveries of Xpeng’s P7 sedan, a direct rival to Tesla’s Model 3, began last June. Xpeng delivered 27,041 vehicles in 2020 – more than double last year.
NGP is a challenge for Tesla’s autonomous ADAS, called Autopilot. One of the autopilot features is called Navigating on autopilot, which has functions similar to Xpeng’s NGP.
Chinese electric vehicle companies are looking to add more autonomous features to their cars. Nio has its own system called NIO Pilot.
How the Xpeng system works
The driver will need to watch a safety video before he can activate the Xpeng’s motorway driving function. Drivers need to keep their hands on the steering wheel while using the vehicle’s autonomous steering features.
Users then enter their destination on the map. The car will then begin to perform some of the functions, such as changing lanes on its own.
Drivers will receive a warning when they need to take manual control of the car, for example, during adverse weather conditions or an accident on the road.
Xpeng says its cars are equipped with 14 cameras and other essential 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 available only to customers in China.