XPeng to start autonomous driving public highway exams in Guangzhou • TechCrunch

XPeng obtained a allow Monday to start testing its G9 electrical SUV as an autonomous automobile on public roads in Guangzhou. The corporate will start testing a small fleet as quickly as potential with a human security operator within the driver’s seat. This can be a milestone for XPeng because it goals to make use of its autos for robotaxi operations sooner or later.

The G9 is the primary mass-produced automobile to qualify for such exams in China, Xpeng claims. The corporate is pursuing an strategy of utilizing EVs off the shelf for twin functions — autonomous purposes and particular person gross sales — to decrease the price of manufacturing and make its autos extra commercially viable. That is particularly salient within the wake of Argo AI’s shutdown, with Ford and Volkswagen pulling their investments within the firm to be able to prioritize nearer time period bets like in-house constructed superior driver help methods (ADAS).

The information follows XPeng’s announcement at its annual 1024 Tech Day that the G9 handed a government-led autonomous driving closed area check, which made it eligible for approval of additional testing.

Most, if not all, present autonomous automobile operators depend on current automobile fashions which were retrofitted with {hardware} and software program suites to drive autonomously. Within the U.S., Waymo makes use of Jaguar I-Paces and Cruise makes use of Chevrolet Bolts.

XPeng’s G9, which was unveiled in September as a passenger automobile, can be examined for robotaxi purposes with none {hardware} modifications — higher-end variations of the G9 can be constructed with Nvidia’s Drive Orin chips and depend on 31 sensors, together with a front-view digicam and twin lidar sensors. Meaning the automobile that’s being examined for robotaxi operations is similar automobile that can be bought to non-public passengers. The one distinction can be within the software program.

By early subsequent 12 months, G9s bought by people in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai could have the choice of downloading XNGP software program, which is XPeng’s “full state of affairs” ADAS that guarantees to automate freeway driving, metropolis driving and parking duties. The G9s XPeng will use for autonomous automobile testing can be given an improve that enables them to carry out  Degree 4 autonomy. Degree 4 autonomy means the automobile can drive itself with out requiring a human security operator to take over so long as it’s in sure circumstances, like a geofenced space or time of day.

XPeng will combine information from each personal passenger autos and autonomous check autos to proceed to function each methods in parallel, a spokesperson mentioned.

The corporate goals to check its automobile for robotaxi purposes over the subsequent two to a few years because it develops its subsequent technology automobile, with the objective of launching that by 2025 as one of many choices, in accordance with Xinzhou Wu, XPeng’s VP of autonomous driving.

“Hopefully the software program can be in good condition by then so we will not less than see a restricted state of affairs just like what Cruise is doing now,” Wu instructed TechCrunch.

Wu mentioned that whereas the brand new automobile could have a full sensor suite, it most likely received’t come within the type of a purpose-built AV — XPeng for now could be sticking with a technique of utilizing the identical mass-produced automobile for passenger automobile gross sales because it does for robotaxi operations.

XPeng additionally doesn’t intend to run its personal robotaxi operation sooner or later. The corporate envisions itself as extra of a supplier of the software program, and probably the {hardware}, stack for different ride-hail centered firms.