![[Updated] Xpeng P5 EV lineup and pricing revealed, set to be first production vehicle WITH Lidar-based Navigation Guided Pilot](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5237a580e4b09510ca448d5e/1618797813644-A6ZS8AR2Z79Z2HH54HB7/XPeng_P5_3.jpg)
[Updated] Xpeng P5 EV lineup and pricing revealed, set to be first production vehicle WITH Lidar-based Navigation Guided Pilot
China’s ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has received filings from Xpeng for the entire model range, revealing three versions of the P5 with 460km, 550km and 600km NEDC range, and battery packs of 55.9kWh, 66.2kWh and 71.4kWh, respectively.
[Updated 22/7/21] Cnevpost reports that China’s ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has received filings from Xpeng for the entire model range, revealing three versions of the P5 with 460km, 550km and 600km NEDC range, and battery packs of 55.9kWh, 66.2kWh and 71.4kWh, respectively.
The P5 line-up costs from RMB 160,000 ($24,700 USD) to 230,000 ($35,560), with the Chinese EV subsidy included.
Colours available for Xpeng’s P5. Image: Xpeng
Original article:
Xpeng Motors pulled the covers off the P5 mid-size sedan this week just prior to Auto Shanghai, and the Chinese automaker claims its new Lidar-based XPILOT 3.5 architecture is “the strongest autonomous driving system in production cars”. The P5 sits below its P7 in the model range, and features a raft of sensors as the company ramps up plans to compete with Tesla in the race to autonomous vehicle control.
It is well known that Tesla’s CEO Elon musk has derided the use of Lidar in passenger vehicles, stating that it is a “fool’s errand”. Tesla’s is likely to begin rollout out 4D vision technology utilising only 8 cameras within the next few months. Xpeng is a Chinese startup that has gone from strength to strength, and seems to be powering ahead with capital raises and strong Chinese sales numbers.
The company has debuted its most advanced autonomous driving technology on the new P5 sedan, with its Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) claiming to handle highway and city driving. The company’s CEO He Xiaopeng has stated that he believes a full suite of sensors is required to safely navigate urban conditions, and the P5 sedan features 32 perception sensors (including 2 LiDAR units, 12 ultrasonic sensors, 5 millimeter-wave radars, and 13 high-resolution cameras) and 1 high-precision positioning unit (GNSS + IMU). There is redundancy built into the perception sensors to handle “challenging and complex road conditions”.
The P5’s double-prism LiDAR units are capable to distinguish pedestrians, cyclists and scooters, static obstacles, and road works and according to Xpeng, challenging scenarios such as night and low-light conditions, backlighting, and alternating light and dark illumination in tunnels are also not a problem for the system.
“Each new Xpeng model aims for a new high in technology, and the P5 is our most advanced and technically ambitious model yet” according to He. “Our home-grown technology, distinctive design language and user experience philosophy: all reflect Xpeng’s drive to grow from its Chinese roots to realise its global vision of leading the world’s smart EV market.”
Exterior Design
With a length of 4808mm and wheel base of 2768mm, the P5 is 114mm longer that the Tesla Model 3 (4,694mm), but 107mm shorter in the wheelbase (2,875mm for the Tesla). The P5 has a more ‘upright’ look than the Model 3 or it’s P7 sibling, but we like the bold ‘X’ graphics in the front headlight cluster, and the expansive glass area.
Interior Design
Xpeng promises lots of passenger space inside and claims that the interior can be reconfigured into a private cinema or sleeping compartment (though it’s likely BYO projector and mattress). The P5 features a 15.6in touchscreen in the centre console, with access to many popular apps on the Chinese market, and voice control for almost every function via the Xmart OS 3.0 system. The design is minimalist and fuss-free, and appears to be of a high quality.
Full technical details and range will be revealed in the coming months, but Xpeng insiders have hinted that the vehicle could provide up to 600km (373 miles) of range on the Chinese NEDC cycle.
The Xpeng P5 interior
A variety of popular apps will be available in the P5’s infotainment system.
The P5’ flexible interior allows for a cinema-style seating setup.
NIO Reveals Striking ET7 Sedan with 1,000km Range
NIO has pulled the covers off the new ET7 Sedan at its annual NIO Day. NIO claims exceptional range, performance and luxury from this striking sedan, as well as the introduction of Lidar technology — a first in all-electric consumer vehicles — to aid autonomous operation.
NIO has pulled the covers off the new ET7 Sedan at its annual NIO Day. NIO claims exceptional range, performance and luxury from this striking sedan, as well as the introduction of Lidar technology — a first in all-electric consumer vehicles — to aid autonomous operation.
Exterior Design
Clearly carrying cues from the ET Preview displayed in 2019, the ET7 is objectively a handsome car. The short, squat front end is muscular and sporty, and its small, narrow headlights and grille-less front end are reminiscent of Hyundai’s 2021 Kona. The deliberate, triangular slots for the additional front lights remind us of the Kia Stinger (no bad thing).
Images: NIO
With a large glasshouse profile, NIO designers have kept the side of the vehicle simple yet cohesive. One accentuating crease near the top of the door plays beautifully with light, while a rising ‘power line’ on the lower part of the doors is reminiscent of Audi’s A5 and A7 Sportback models.
The tapering rear roofline and chunky three quarter panel remind us of the Polestar 2, without the squared-off edges. It’s elegant — if a little unexciting — but does well to give the rear presence while masking the bulk of the vehicle.
The rear itself shares design elements the Audi A7 and Tesla Model 3, with what looks to be an integrated retractable spoiler as well as a fixed ducktail lip in the boot (trunk) lid, and plenty of horizontal lines to accentuate dynamism and presence. Plus the (now ubiquitous) LED light bar running the width of the vehicle as seen on vehicles from Polestar to Porsche.
Interior
The interior is a clean combination of Volvo Scandi-minimalism, Tesla austerity and familiar design cues from the NIO family. NIO has made a big deal about "invisible" smart air vents on both front and rear row, frameless windows and soft close doors with flush door handles.
NIO has compared the interior of the ET7 to a second living room, and it appears to be a comfortable space for four adults on a long trip. Standard equipment includes smart air suspension, heating, ventilation and massage functions all round. There is a full length glass roof, a 23 speaker audio system, dual-LCD screen dashboard and NIO’s Nomi; the automotive world’s first in-vehicle digital assistant.
Battery and Drivetrain
The NIO ET7 will initially be offered with two battery options; a 70 kWh with 500km (310 miles) of range, and 100 kWh with 700km (440 miles) range.
NIO plans a version with a solid-state battery packing 150 kWh and a density of 360wh/kg for later in 2022, which the company claims will offer 1,000km (620 miles) of range. While a number of automakers including Toyota have publicly discussed plans to develop solid state batteries and claim many advantages over Tesla’s technology, for now, solid state batteries have inferior cycle life to batteries with liquid electrolytes, such as Tesla’s setup.
NIO has also revealed Power Swap 2.0, it’s battery-as-a-service (BaaS) swap technology. While many — including us to a degree — remain sceptical about the scalability of this battery swap model, many NIO owners and Chinese customers generally are fond of the technology, which allows drivers to either turn up or book in a time to swap their vehicle’s battery pack in a matter of minutes. NIO claims the stations will be able to store 13 battery packs and provide up to 312 battery swaps per day. NIO plans over 500 battery swap stations by the end of 2021. NIO will offer a monthly payment option for this battery swap technology.
The ET7 offers an all wheel drive dual motor setup, with a permanent magnet motor in the front and an induction motor in the rear. It has a peak system output of 480 kW and 850 Nm of torque. NIO quotes a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) time of 3.9 seconds.
Autonomy and Vehicle Technology
One hundred million. That’s the number of real-world kilometres driven using Tesla’s Autopilot system, and its the reason Tesla will be so hard to beat when it comes to autonomous driving. During NIO’s presentation of the ET7, the company praised the new NAD (NIO Autonomous Driving) system, with its Lidar, eleven eight-megapixel cameras and crazy powerful — 1,016 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS) — Nvidia chip, but what they didn’t talk about was software.
Elon Musk has long dismissed Lidar on passenger vehicles as unnecessary, and has even claimed “LiDAR is a fool's errand…anyone relying on LiDAR is doomed.” Tesla has stuck with a system of cameras and radar for the “eyes” of its autopilot system, but Tesla has had vehicles gathering data in the real-world for years now, with its Neural Network processing trillions of data points. In the video by Whole Mars Blog, a Tesla Model 3 successfully navigates from San Francisco to Los Angeles with almost zero human intervention, with just its computing power, and Tesla’s radar and camera system. Seriously impressive.
The NIO ET7 is due for release sometime in 2022, and pricing is as follows:
NIO ET7 (70 kWh)
448,000 yuan (US$69,185)
with BaaS: 378,000 yuan ($58,375) plus 980 yuan ($151) per month
ET7 (100 kWh)
506,000 yuan (US$78,142)
with BaaS: 378,000 yuan ($58,375) plus 1,480 yuan ($229) per monthET7 Premier edition (100 kWh)
526,000 yuan (US$81,230)
with BaaS: 398,000 yuan ($61,463) plus 1,480 yuan ($229) per month
Xpeng Teases new Electric Sedan
Chinese automaker Xpeng or Xiaopeng Motors is set to unveil the third model in its lineup after the G3 and P7. The company has announced that the vehicle will utilise LiDAR technology, with CEO He Xiaopeng stating in November that Xpeng will be the first production vehicle to market with the technology.
Image: Xpeng Motors via Twitter
Chinese automaker Xpeng or Xiaopeng Motors, also known as XMotors.ai is set to unveil the third model in its lineup after the G3 and P7. The company has announced that the vehicle will utilise LiDAR technology, with CEO He Xiaopeng stating in November that Xpeng will be the first production vehicle to market with the technology. It’s likely that this will be utilised for various driver assistance systems, rather than for a Tesla-like autonomous Autopilot system. Further detail on specifications will have to wait for the unveil, expected sometime in Q1 2021.
This new model from Xpeng appears smaller than the company’s P7 sedan, and features an interesting front LED light signature, mimicking the Xpeng logo. In China, the P7 sedan starts at a price of 229,900 yuan (US$32,470) after green vehicle subsidies. The company is pushing for rapid growth in the increasingly competitive BEV market, with global expansion on the cards for 2021. In December, Xpeng commenced delivery of the first 100 G3 SUV models to Norwegian customers, at a price of 358,000 NKr (US$41,000).
