XPeng Inc. revealed a series of crucial innovations at its annual 1024 Tech Day, including the latest and most sophisticated version of its in-house developed advanced driver assistance system XPILOT 3.5 and XPILOT 4.0, the design of new generation road-capable flying car, major supercharging technology breakthroughs, and robotic innovations, forming the key components of the company’s smart mobility ecosystem.
“Our exploration of more efficient, safer, carbon-neutral mobility solutions goes far beyond just smart EVs, and is the cornerstone of our long-term competitive advantages,” said Mr. He Xiaopeng, Chairman & CEO of XPeng, at the 1024 Tech Day. “We strive to implement cutting-edge mobility technologies in mass-production models for the benefit of our customers,” Mr. He added.
XPILOT 3.0 achieved outstanding track record since launch
XPILOT has established a leadership position at the cutting edge of smart driver assist technology. Launched in early 2021, Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) for highways, the core function of XPILOT 3.0, has assisted customers in driving for 11.98 million kilometers, with 60% NGP penetration rate for highway driving mileage in 3Q 2021. The usage data to date demonstrates strong customer adoption and broad recognition of XPILOT’s multi-scenario driver assistance.
XPILOT 3.5 driver assistance system capable of handling city driving scenarios
In 1H 2022, XPeng will be rolling out XPILOT 3.5, extending XPILOT’s driver assistance system to support China’s complex driving scenarios in major roads in the city.
“Man-machine co-pilot functions will remain critical for the foreseeable future. Our mission is to progressively transition from advanced driver assistance to full autonomous driving, with a clear roadmap to connect all driving scenarios. Our closed-loop data operation, fast software iteration and mass production capability – all created in-house – put us in pole position to significantly improve safety and resolve the industry’s long-tail issues in China,” said Dr. Xinzhou Wu, Vice President of Autonomous Driving at XPeng, at the Tech Day event.
XPILOT 3.5 incorporates the industry’s first mass-produced quadruple perception fusion solution, with dual-camera-vision coverage, complemented by LiDAR and millimeter-wave radar sensors. Its visual perception network has been upgraded from 2D detection to 3D, with multiple-target recognition, classification and positioning. With the world’s first LiDAR perception system in a mass production model, XPILOT 3.5 will deliver deep information fusion in a 3D drivable space.
Safety is a core priority at XPeng. The Company has rolled out the industry’s first fully integrated smart driver assistance safety test, setting clear boundaries for drivers before activating functions. Drivers will receive comprehensive safe driving knowledge education and safety tests through XPeng’s smart driving score system, in order to fully embrace a safer man-machine co-pilot experience.
XPILOT 4.0 – full-scenario advanced point-to-point driver assistance
Planned for roll-out in the first half of 2023, XPILOT 4.0 is designed to deliver full-scenario driver assistance which can support point-to-point driving for customers. XPILOT 4.0 will be built on a comprehensive hardware upgrade, with 508 TOPS ECU computing power supported by two Orin-X autonomous driving SoC (System-on-the-Chip) units, 8-million-pixel front-view binocular camera and 2.9-million-pixel side-view cameras, and a highly integrated and expandable domain controller. The hardware upgrade will again significantly increase XPILOT’s perception capability on top of its market-leading multiple-perception fusion platform.
High voltage supercharging technologies to significantly boost charging power and efficiency
The evolving smart mobility ecosystem depends on highly efficient and full-coverage power infrastructure. To deliver this goal, XPeng will introduce China’s first 800V high-voltage mass-production SiC platform, with new-generation “X-Power” superchargers able to charge for a range of up to 200 km in just 5 minutes. To maximize the utility of the 800V SiC platform, XPeng will also roll out lightweight 480 kW high-voltage supercharging piles with IP67 protection, and safety monitoring, delivering a superior safe and convenient charging experience for customers. Supporting this supercharging network, XPeng will also launch power storage facilities in both piles and mobile vehicles.
XPeng currently has comprehensive supercharging network in China among all Chinese auto brands, with 1,648 free charging stations servicing 98.6% of its car owners, and 439 branded supercharging stations across China.
Unveils design of the next generation flying car, showcasing fly and drive conversion
At the Tech Day, XPeng unveiled the new generation flying car design developed by its affiliate Urban Air Mobility (UAM) company HT Aero. The new model will be built on HT Aero’s successful record of 15,000+ safe flights completed to date, fully in-house developed R&D, and multi-level safety redundancy design.
Planned for roll-out in 2024, the new road-capable model will feature a lightweight design, and a foldable rotor mechanism for seamless fly-drive conversion.
Robotic technology designed to support superior autonomy
XPeng also presented another aspect of its smart mobility ecosystem, its robotics innovations, during its 1024 Tech Day. XPeng foresees smart robots becoming an intelligent platform for the integrated smart mobility ecosystem. Addressing far more complex challenges in autonomy, sensing and interaction than vehicles, the pony-style robot prototype will be able to perceive diverse environments and multiple targets with 3D route planning, and execute multi-mode user recognition through facial, body and voiceprint sensing.
The next generation of robotics technologies integrated into smart mobility will need advanced sensory and tactile interactions to navigate and interact with complicated and highly diverse environments. The robot will have a 360-degree peripheral camera module and LiDAR sensing system, with object recognition, sound field sensory capabilities. XPeng will explore increasingly diverse scenarios to support wider mobility, planning and man-machine interaction.
