On the road with Highway Navigation Guided Pilot, the semi-autonomous driving tech from XPeng

XPeng Inc. releases autonomous technology

XPeng Inc. released their Highway Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) software to customers via an over-the-air (OTA) update on January 26, and has already logged over one million kilometres within its first 25 days.

Youtuber Wheelsboy visited XPeng’s headquarters, and demonstrated the company’s NGP technology on an electric P7 sedan:

XPeng’s NGP features

Owners are required to watch an instructional video and complete a quiz before the software features are unlocked. Once operational, XPeng’s NGP can perform the following functions:

• Automatic lane changing and overtaking with lane optimisation

• Automatic speed limit adjustment

• Automatic changing of highways

• Automatic highway ramp entering and exiting

• Collision avoidance, in -lane and while changing lanes

• Identification and avoidance of obstacles on the road

Customers are required to watch a safety video regarding the operation of NGP before using the features. Image: XPeng

XPeng is working hard to gather data from customers on the road to improve their technology. NGP utilises cameras, sensors, radar and lidar for its suite of autonomous functions, whereas Tesla has avoided lidar technology, with Elon Musk going so far as to say “lidar is a fool’s errand” and “Anyone relying on lidar is doomed. Doomed!”

We know that Tesla’s autonomous systems are a technological tour-de-force, with dual chips for redundancy, and a processor capable of over 144 trillion operations per second (TOPS). For comparison, XPeng’s in-car computer is currently rated at 30 TOPS, but the company promises increases to the computing power over time. We’re yet to see how well XPeng’s NGP software works outside of China, but Wheelsboy’s video demonstrates promising signs of competent driver assistance technology.

Porsche Taycan 4S Outperforms EPA Range Estimates

The Porsche Taycan has faced a lot of criticism for underwhelming range and efficiency, but the good news is that similar to Porsche’s performance and power output figures for its internal combustion engined models, the company seems to quote quite a conservative figure for its first all-electric model range.

According to the EPA, the Porsche Taycan 4S has a range of 203 miles (325km) from a single charge, which seems quite inefficient for a brand new EV with a 79kWh battery pack. The good news for Taycan 4S owners is Inside EVs tested the vehicle in real-world conditions. Although the test vehicle had the largest optional wheels available, Using range mode with the air-conditioning switched on, the team drove the fully charged Taycan 4S, cruising at 70 mph (112kmh) and managed to cover 278 miles (447km) until the vehicle literally came to a stop in the middle of the road. An impressive effort for such a heavy, performance oriented EV.

Source: Inside EVs