Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng stands next to the company’s P7 electric sedan while speaking to the media at the 2020 Beijing automotive show.
Evelyn Cheng | CNBC
GUANGZHOU, China – Chinese electric manufacturer Xpeng Motors has announced a new autonomous drive feature designed to operate on highways, as it builds up its challenge to domestic competitors as well as Tesla.
The feature – called Navigation Guided Pilot or NGP – allows the company’s P7 main sedan to automatically switch, accelerate or slow down, or bypass cars and get in and out of motorways .
It is part of the next generation of Xpeng’s XPILOT 3.0 called advanced driver support system (ADAS) which the company plans to launch in the first quarter of this year. ADAS refers to a system with some autonomous features but where a driver is still required.
Xpeng is one of the start-up vehicles in China that is looking to race forward in a growing market in the country while fighting other upside down such as Nio and Li Auto, which as well as US electric car giant Tesla.
Massive delivery of a P7 sedan at Xpeng, a direct competitor to Tesla’s Model 3, began in June last year. Xpeng delivered 27,041 vehicles in 2020 – more than double from a year ago.
The NGP is a challenge to Tesla’s autonomous ADAS called Autopilot. One of the features of Autopilot is called Navigate on Autopilot, which has NGP-like functions at Xpeng.
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
A driver must watch a safety video before he can turn on the Xpeng highway driving function. Drivers must keep their hands on the wheel while using the vehicle’s autonomous driving features.
Users then enter the destination into the map. The car will then begin to perform some of the tasks such as changing rows automatically.
Drivers will be warned when they need to take manual control of the car, for example, in bad weather or a road accident.
Xpeng says its cars are equipped with 14 cameras and other emergency sensors. Nvidia’s Xv computer system powers XPILOT 3.0.
The highway driving feature will be available on the basic version of the P7 and available to customers in China only.