XPeng Motors CEO shares plans to launch 30-ish new and refreshed EVs through 2027
China is returning to work following a break to celebrate the 2024 Lunar New Year, and XPeng Motors looks to hit the ground running with massive expansion plans. According to an internal letter, XPeng Chairman CEO He Xiaopeng detailed plans to deliver about 30 new and updated EV models over the next three years, bridging the price gap between $14,000 and $56,000 vehicles in China.
XPeng Motors ($XPEV) is a Chinese EV brand celebrating ten years in this business in 2024. In that relatively short time, the automaker has climbed the ranks as one of the top EV developers in China, competing against NIO and current market leader, BYD.
Like its competitors, XPeng has expanded to new markets in Europe over the past few years while simultaneously bolstering its EV lineup in China with new models like the G9 and, most recently, the X9 multi-purpose vehicle.
While XPeng’s advanced air mobility (AAM) AeroHT works to deliver genuine flying cars to the masses, its parent company remains focused on delivering more and more new EVs in China and beyond… just not the US anytime soon.
Still, XPeng Motors continues to gain momentum as an EV contender and appears to be planning an onslaught of new models in its three-year pipeline.
XPeng is planning a slew of new and updated EVs
According to an internal letter from XPeng Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng, obtained by CnEVPost, 2024 will be the year the Chinese automaker breaks out on the wings of a bolstered product and technology platform.
The letter states that XPeng is planning approximately 30 new or refreshed EV models over the next three years – a massively ambitious rollout for any OEM, let alone one focused explicitly on nascent EV technology – a segment that has not come anywhere near approaching its tremendous potential yet.
XPeng’s previously mentioned platforms will power two initial EVs targeting prices in the RMB 150,000 ($21,000) price range, as well as RMB 300,000 ($42,150), thus bridging a previously vacant price gap for XPeng in China, offering consumers new EVs in every class, from RMB 100,000 ($14,0000), all the way up to RMB 400,000. ($56,200).
According to Xiaopeng, the reasoning behind the ambitious expansion is to compete in a Chinese EV industry that is becoming more and more intense, stating that 2024 will go down as a “sea of blood” competition amongst local automakers, kicking off the segment’s first “elimination round.”
To support its development goals for the next three years, XPeng says it will conduct about 4,000 new hires and enrich its research and development budget by over 40% YOY to “fight for tomorrow.” While many OEMs in China and beyond (US included) are backtracking on EV development targets, XPeng’s CEO sees a window of opportunity to capitalize and will push ahead harder and faster than before:
We will go forward in 2024 and enter a high-speed positive cycle in the fourth quarter or a little earlier.
Starting this month, we will make the company more successful with a more advanced and efficient full-process system based on the new XPeng Product Development (XPD) system, which is the full lifecycle product development management system V1.0 with XPeng features
Looking ahead, smart driving technology will remain a key focus for XPeng throughout its new EVs, and the automaker plans to invest RMB 3.5 billion (~$492M) in 2024 alone toward the R&D of artificial intelligence to support those ADAS functions. This year also marks XPeng’s new strategy of merging marketing of its cars, internet, and phones into one holistic system to ensure the company is recognized as “one of the undisputed first-tier players in the industry.”
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Environment
Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]
![Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/Uber-Middle-East-WeRide.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Just over a year after Uber announced a strategic partnership in the Middle East with autonomous vehicle specialist WeRide, the companies have officially begun offering the public robotaxi rides without a driver or safety operator present on board.
Today’s latest milestone involving robotaxi operations in the Middle East dates back to September 2024, when Uber and WeRide initially announced a strategic partnership to bring autonomous rides to the UAE.
Three months later, the partner officially launched autonomous rides in Abu Dhabi, but with a safety operator present in the vehicle. At the time, Uber and WeRide said the supervised rides were “laying the groundwork” for a true driverless commercial operations planned for 2025.
That day has come.
WeRide and Uber have confirmed that commercial robotaxi operations are officially underway in Abu Dhabi without any safety operators on board – a first for the Middle East.
Uber rolls out Middle East robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi
Uber shared details of its latest milestone late this evening or in the afternoon in the Middle East, depending on where you are.
Beginning today (Wednesday) customers in Abu Dhabi can select an UberX or Uber Comfort ride that enables them to be matched with a fully autonomous WeRide robotaxi without a driver inside. Riders in the Middle East can also increase their chances of hailing one of these driverless rides by select the “Autonomous” option in the Uber app.
In order to qualify, the prosepctive rider’s route must be part of WeRide’s operating territory in Abu Dhabi and a dedicated WeRide GXR Robotaxi vehicle (seen in the featured image above) must be available.
Similar to Uber’s partnership with Waymo in Austin and Atlanta, the global rideshare network will oversee fleet operations for WeRide vehicles, handling end-to end rider support. It has tapped Tawasul Transport to facilitate vehicle cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging, and depot management. WeRide will remain responsible for vehicle testing.
As you may recall last spring, Uber and WeRide announced an expansion to their strategic partnership beyond the Middle East (although Dubai will be the city for its next robotaxi rollout). Over the next five years, Uber and WeRide intend to deploy true driverless public rides in 15 additional cities, some of which will be in Europe.
As promised, here’s some b-roll footage from Uber showing how riders in Abu Dhabi can order a WeRide robotaxi:
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Metro Detroit is about to get a big boost of fast EV chargers, with more than 40 new ChargePoint ports set to come online across multiple sites owned by the Dabaja Brothers Development Group.
The first ultra-fast charging site just opened in Canton, Michigan. It’s owned and operated by Dabaja Brothers, who plan to follow it with additional ChargePoint-equipped locations in Dearborn and Livonia.
“We started this project because we saw a gap in our community – there was almost nowhere to charge an EV in Canton, and a similar lack of charging across metro Detroit,” said Yousef Dabaja, owner/operator at Dabaja Brothers.
Each metro Detroit site will feature ChargePoint Express Plus fast charging stations, which can deliver up to 500 kW to a single port, can fast-charge two vehicles at the same time, and are compatible with all EVs. The stations feature a proprietary cooling system to deliver peak charging speeds for sustained periods, ensuring that charging speed remains consistent.
The stations operate on the new ChargePoint Platform, which enables operators to monitor performance, adjust pricing, troubleshoot issues, and gain real-time insights to keep chargers running smoothly.
Rick Wilmer, CEO at ChargePoint, said, “This initiative will rapidly infill the ‘fast charging deserts’ across the Detroit area, allowing drivers to quickly recharge their vehicles when and where they need to.”
Read more: ChargePoint just gave its EV charging software a major AI upgrade
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Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging and Starbucks have officially opened their first DC fast charging hub together, off the I-5 in Red Bluff, California.
The 400 kW Mercedes-Benz chargers are capable of adding up to 300 miles in 10 minutes, depending on the EV, and every stall has both NACS and CCS cables – they’re fully open DC fast chargers.
Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, a joint venture between subsidiaries of Mercedes-Benz Group and renewable energy producer MN8 Energy, first announced in July 2024 that it would install DC fast chargers at Starbucks stores along Interstate 5, the main 1,400-mile north-south interstate highway on the US West Coast from Canada to Mexico. Ultimately, Mercedes plans to install fast chargers at 100 Starbucks stores across the US.
Mercedes-Benz HPC opened its first North American charging site at Mercedes-Benz USA’s headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia, in November 2023 as part of an initial $1 billion charging network investment. As of the end of 2024, Mercedes had deployed over 150 operational fast chargers in the US, but it hasn’t disclosed an official number of how many chargers are currently online.
Andrew Cornelia, CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, is leaving the company at the end of the month to become global head of electrification & sustainability at Uber.
Read more: Mercedes-Benz is deploying 400 kW US-made EV fast chargers with CCS and NACS cables
If you’re looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, it’s free to use!
Your personalized heat pump quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – *ad
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