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| Xpeng launches Xpilot 3.5 to challenge Tesla |
Chinese electric car startup Xpeng Motors has released an update to its semi-autonomous drive system in order to tackle Tesla's challenges in China.
The company has released Xpilot 3.5, the latest version of its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). It is a training program system with some independent functions. But the driver is still required.
In Xpilot 3.5, the company introduced a feature called City NGP, which stands for Navigation Advisor. The system enables Xiaopeng vehicles to change lanes, accelerate, brake or overtake, as well as drive on and off highways.
Xpilot 3.5 includes a strategic planning module with advanced forecasting capabilities that uses a combination of rule-based and data-driven AI to manage urban scenarios. For example, to avoid stationary objects, dangerous road users and to change lanes at any speed.
Previously, Xpilot 3.0 was only available on highways. And NGP management at the highway level. Thanks to him, the company was able to collect almost 12 million kilometers of data.
But Xiaopeng is now bringing this advantage to the city driving market. The Xpilot 3.5 is available to owners of the P5 cars launched this year.
The P5 can have a built-in lidar, millimeter wave radar and a 3D visual perception network. Allow him to identify, categorize and set multiple goals. All of these functions are the core functions of PNG City.
The upgrade will roll out to customers in select cities in the first half of 2022.
The company also announced details of the next generation ADAS called Xpilot 4.0. She said she upgraded from a device with Xpilot 4.0.
Xpilot 3.5 is designed for city driving
Xpilot 4.0 gives this startup an edge in the race for full autonomy. The plan will be the first to offer an intelligent driving experience powered by all scenarios, from take-off to parking and everything in between.
This version of Xpilot requires a lot of computing power. Xiaopeng upgrades hardware to version 4.0, and two Orin-X-SOC 508 TOPS units provide computing power.
There's also an 8p front camera, a 2.9p side camera (covering front, rear, left and right fields of view) and a compact and expandable field controller.
Xpilot 4.0 is scheduled for release in the first half of 2023. Xpilot is a competitor to Tesla's autopilot system.
The competition in the Chinese electric car market is also increasing. Automakers want to bring features and vehicles to market to differentiate themselves from an increasingly dense market.
Xiaopeng Motors also introduced a new supercharger for its cars. The company said that after 5 minutes of charging with the new charger, the car's battery can have a range of up to 200 km.
Xiaopeng also stressed the importance of ADAS safety, stating that intelligent driving is only one aspect. The startup has announced an upgrade of its user interface and operating system.
Xmart OS 4.0 is a detailed display with 3D rendering of the vehicle's environment. Xiaopeng Motors has also launched version 2.0 of the voice assistant to make driving easier for drivers.
The way Tesla bills its fully automated FSD driving program, Xiaopeng bills its Xpilot.
The company did not mention the costs of version 3.5. However, the current price for version 3.0 is around $3,200, which can be purchased directly or subscribed annually.