XPeng begins rolling out XNGP ADAS as ‘most advanced and capable in China’
XPeng Motors just announced that its EV customers in three major Chinese cities will receive a Phase One rollout of the automaker’s XNGP advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). With new software architecture, massive computing power, and dozens of sensors, XPeng continues to tout its ADAS platform as the “most advanced mass-market option in China.”
In September of 2022, Chinese EV automaker XPeng Motors announced it had launched a pilot program for its City Navigation Pilot (NGP) advanced driver assistance system. With its debut, XPeng claimed to be the first Chinese company to deliver such an “high-level” ADAS for complex urban driving, continuing to challenge Tesla’s Full-Self-Driving (FSD) technology overseas – although the latter’s tech is not currently available in the country, so its not exactly a fair fight.
The “Highway” version of XPeng’s NGP was launched in China in Q1 of 2021 on the premium trim of its P7 sedan, which is supported by XPILOT 3.0 software. This ADAS feature functions without LiDAR, but its potential is limited – it allows for assisted driving on highways and expressways, but not for city-level driving.
XPeng’s latest bespoke EV, the G9, arrived last fall equipped with the automaker’s ultra-advanced X-PILOT 4.0 ADAS, capable of full-scenario-assisted driving through its Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) and the full embrace of LiDAR technology (unlike Tesla).
XPeng first teased its City NGP in a video last September, showing a beta version of the software navigating busy urban streets in China without human interference. By July 2022, XPeng had shared even more comprehensive footage of City NGP in action, and it was quite impressive.
City NGP has been enabling XPeng drivers to navigate congested areas in Guangzhou for months and was soon followed by enabled driver assistance in the city of Shenzen. XPeng’s new XNGP technology is an all-encompassing generation of ADAS that includes highway, city, and other autonomous features like parking assist and will now be rolled out to a third major Chinese city as XPeng looks to expand its market leading ADAS platform across the entire country someday.
XPeng rolls out XNGP ADAS with new augmented tech
According to XPeng Motors following a presentation from China today, Phase One of its XNGP rollout is now underway as an over-the-air update to customers driving the “Max” trims of its G9 and P7 EVs. In addition to the City NGP availability in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the first phase of the rollout now includes Shanghai – China’s largest city.
XPeng states the new ADAS rollout includes an expanded Lane Centering Control (LCC) function that can recognize traffic signals, safely navigate intersections, and bypass any nearby obstacles – all without the dependency of high precision maps most other automotive safety systems rely heavily on. XPeng Motors’ vice president and head of autonomous driving center Dr. Xinzhou Wu spoke:
Today marks another exciting milestone in the development of autonomous driving. We are truly proud to be trailblazing this leap forward that will significantly enrich our customers’ driving experience using the latest technology iterations.
XNGP has proven itself to be the most advanced and capable ADAS platform in the Chinese market. We are continuously pushing the envelope to further expand its capabilities to enhance driving safety and provide superior functionalities for our customers.
Developed upon XPeng’s proprietary in-house software architecture, the automaker continues to proclaim its ADAS as the most advanced all-scenario system available in any mass-produced vehicle in China. Here are some of the new features drivers will see in the OTA update:
- Enhanced Simulated Reality (SR) 2.0 instrument display empowered by XNet deep vision perception technology.
- The upgraded visual display delivers a bird’s eye view and 360° panoramic environmental perception of surrounding road conditions across more than 8 lanes to identify both safe and no-go areas.
- XPeng says its the first in China with the ability to truly recognize lane markings like dashed lines, arrows, stop lines, and zebra crossings.
- XPeng’s latest Xmart OS 4.2.0 operating system includes 27 new functions, 52 optimizations and over 40 other improvements, covering smart driving, smart voice, and the cockpit experience.
Looking ahead, XPeng motors says Phase Two of its XNGP ADAS rollout will include the addition of full lane changing capabilities and overtaking left/right turn functionality – again, without the need for high precision maps.
The “all-scenario” version of XNGP detailed above is expected to begin rolling out in china in 2024. When complete, XPeng expects its ADAS to inevitably enable autonomous driving assistance for every driving scenario, “from start to park.”
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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