XPeng 2024 Tech Day: AI chips, L4 autonomy, eVTOLs, humanoid robots, and… range extenders?
XPeng Motors celebrated its annual Tech Day event in China earlier today, which was renamed “AI Day” for good reason. The topic of artificial intelligence dominated the Chinese mobility company’s incoming technologies, which were abundant. We got updates on a new in-house AI computing chip, a new Xpeng platform to support Level 4 autonomous robotaxis, flying cars, and eVTOLs, a new humanoid robot called “Iron,” complete with an existential launch video, and a surprising adoption of combustion-powered extenders that deliver up to 970 miles of additional range.
Today marked XPeng Motor’s sixth consecutive Tech Day event – something we look forward to each fall as it is sure to be filled with exciting updates and debuts from a mobility company that continues to expand and dabble in a little bit of everything, not just passenger EVs.
Last year, we saw the debut of XPeng’s X9 MPV, a humanoid robot called the PX5, and plenty of AI-centric software upgrades. Since then, we’ve seen the X9 officially launch in China along with a rollout of OTA updates to XPeng’s operating systems, including its XNGP ADAS.
This past April, during the Beijing Auto Show, XPeng gave the public a preview of some of the technologies explained further during today’s Tech Day event. That included AI-centric chips, Level 4 autonomous robotaxis plans, and a new neural network called “XNet.” We also saw some fresh updates, including a new humanoid robot, an eVTOL, and a new gas range extender that could deliver some of the farthest-driving vehicles in the world. Let’s dig in.
XPeng shares flying car update during Tech Day 2024
There’s a lot to unfold here, but we’ll start with a mainstay in XPeng news, flying cars through its air mobility entity, AeroHT. Today’s talks were led by the “Land Aircraft Carrier” – an eVTOL/vehicle combo that debuted last year.
As we previously reported, the revolutionary land and air vehicle is slotted for scaled production in 2026, and AeroHT recently broke ground on the facility in China that will build them. There is not much of an update here. Still, XPeng founder and chairman He Xiaopeng reiterated that the Land Air Carrier will showcase its first public flight demonstration later this month before pre-orders open in December.
In September, AeroHT founder and president Zhao Deli said the modular eVTOL/van combo would be priced at no more than RMB 2 million ($279,200).
In addition to its modular Land Air Carrier and eventual plans for a bonafide flying BEV with propellers on its roof, Xiaopeng shared that AeroHT is also developing a dedicated full tilt-rotor eVTOL featuring six seats and hybrid power. The aerial vessel will have a maximum range of 500+ km (311 miles) and reach a top speed of 360 km/h (224 mph).
These flying cars and eVTOLs will be powered by a new AI “Turing” chip developed in-house by XPeng.
In-house AI chips and a new platform
XPeng renamed its Tech Day event “AI Day” this year for a reason. Artificial intelligence was at the forefront of most of He Xiaopeng’s conversations on stage, and the debut of the mobility company’s new Turing chip was also a part of the event.
The company showcased a new Turing AI Intelligent Driving System, powered by XPeng’s proprietary Turing AI chip, described as “a world-first chip designed for AI vehicles, robots, and flying cars.” The new chip features a 40-core processor and supports models with up to 30 billion parameters, delivering the power of three high-performance chips in one.
Xiaopeng explained that the Turin chip has already completed over 2,700 functional verifications in a mere 40 days and has achieved three times the industry standard for development efficiency during that time.
In addition to powering XPeng’s flying cars and humanoid robots (more on that below), Xiaopeng used the 2024 Tech Day event to unveil a new Canghai Platform that will enable full Level 4 autonomous driving. XPeng has already been promising fully autonomous robotaxis by 2025, and we now have a better idea of the technology that will support that, again, centered around its new Turing AI chip.
The company explained that the new platform would act as the previously teased neural network for XPeng’s new line of AI-centric vehicles, supporting driving (with or without a human in the driver’s seat) with enhanced safety features, 33x bandwidth, and 12x faster camera image processing, thus creating “a foundation for full-scenario AI-enabled driving experiences.”
The “Hawkeye” pure vision ADAS system can see the world around it at 720 degrees without blind spots. Per XPeng during Tech Day:
XPeng’s Turing AI system marks a pivotal step toward L4 autonomy, with continual model updates from cloud-based models, ensuring a highly responsive, ever-evolving smart driving experience.
In addition to autonomous robotaxis, XPeng’s Turing AI chip will power a new humanoid robot called “Iron” which made its official debut at Tech Day.
XPeng introduces a new humanoid robot called “Iron”
One of the stars of today’s event was Iron, a serious upgrade to the robots XPeng has debuted at Tech Days in the past. With today’s debut, XPeng becomes the latest tech company developing and implementing impressive robot technology that could one day take over full assembly of its vehicles.
Per XPeng, the Turing AI chip enables the Iron bots to think and remember like humans (spooky) and also enables its hands and feet to move autonomously. The robot’s hands also use a 1:1 human hand size, with 15 degrees of freedom.
The debut included an interesting video in which Iron steps into a room and admires famous sculptures like Rodin’s “The Thinker” and “Discobolus” by Myron. Iron even copies the Discobolus pose, as seen in XPeng’s video below:
XPeng’s Tech Day event includes a new gas range extender
Perhaps the biggest surprise from XPeng’s 2024 Tech Day was the news that it is shifting its business strategy from all-BEV to include some combustion with a new gas-powered range extender.
On the stage in Guangzhou earlier today, He Xiaopeng unveiled XPeng’s Kunpeng Super Electric System. Xiaopeng says this next-generation solution “brings together XPeng’s advancements in latest AI-defined mobility innovations to deliver an unparalleled charging and range experience.”
The system consists of an 800V platform powered by XPeng’s battery technology, which supports 5C fast charging and can charge from 10% to 80% in 12 minutes. New to the party is a hybrid silicon carbide coaxial electric drive, which, according to XPeng, will offer industry-leading efficiency and reliability. The range extender is also extra quiet, outputting noise levels as low as 1 dB.
The automaker has also once again integrated AI into the power optimization system, which enables a seamless transition between pure electric and range-extended driving modes. As you can see from the Tech Day image above, XPeng’s new system offers 430 km (267 miles) of all-electric range and a combined range of over 1,400 km (870 miles).
That’s a lot to take in, but it’s all for now. Check back with Electrek soon as we await the official launch of XPeng’s next BEV model, the P7+. In the meantime, you can watch the full 2024 Tech Day presentation on XPeng’s Weibo page.
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On today’s festive episode of Quick Charge, Tesla steps up for its owners by calling in mobile charging stations to cut down on wait time. Meanwhile Hyundai has some extra goodies for your stockings and Texas is cleaning up its act.
We’ve also got big savings for Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra shoppers, as well as some good environmental news in the form of new solar and wind projects coming online at a record clip, and a dirty Texas mine that’s cleaning up its act.
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Dodge is rolling out a hefty discount on the 2025 Charger Daytona EV even though it hasn’t officially hit the market yet. According to a dealer bulletin, the 2025 Daytona EV qualifies for a juicy $3,000 discount, but you won’t see it advertised anywhere. Here’s how you could snag this deal and save big.
On December 13, Stellantis introduced the BEV Dealer Cash Coupon Program, an incentive program designed to sweeten the deal on electric Dodge models. Under this program, dealers get a $1,000 cash coupon for the Charger Daytona – and here’s the kicker – they can stack up to three of these coupons for a total of $3,000 in savings. Unlike traditional rebates that go directly to the buyer, dealers have the option to keep the incentive as extra profit.
The program covers both the 2024 and 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EVs for purchases and leases. But there’s more: if you’re leasing, you can stack that $3,000 dealer cash with a $7,500 lease incentive tied to a commercial tax credit (unavailable when buying). Add it all up, and you could score a whopping $10,500 in savings. This deal is slated to end on April 30, 2025, so there’s time to plan your move.
For some context, the 2024 Dodge Charger EV starts at $61,590, including destination fees. With $10,500 in potential savings, that’s an impressive 17% discount off MSRP—and that’s before you factor in any additional dealer discounts. Interestingly, Dodge has a higher-than-usual difference between invoice and MSRP pricing on the Daytona, meaning there’s room for negotiation if you’re savvy.
Of course, there are a few things to watch out for. Dealer participation varies, so your results may depend on where you shop. Plus, Dodge hasn’t released pricing for the 2025 Charger Daytona yet, so there’s some guesswork involved. Still, if you’re hunting for a bargain, the 2024 Charger EV stands out as one of the best financing deals right now, offering 0% interest for up to 72 months.
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Source: Stellantis via CarsDirect
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Toyota’s electric SUV may soon get a fresh start. After a rocky debut, the Toyota bZ4X is reportedly due for a rebrand, with a new name coming as soon as 2026.
Is Toyota giving the bZ4X a new name?
After launching the bZ4X in 2022, Toyota’s first electric SUV had a bumpy market debut. In June 2022, all bZ4X models were recalled over concerns that the wheels could fall off.
Since then, Toyota has struggled to gain traction. Through the first nine months of 2024, Toyota sold 13,577 bZ4X models in the US. Although that’s double the roughly 6,500 sold through Q3 2023, it’s still less than 1% of its over 1.7 total vehicles sold through September.
As Toyota looks to turn things around, the bZ4X is due for a complete rebrand. Speaking at a recent auto press event in Quebec, a regional director for Toyota Canada said the company is preparing to change the bZ4X name.
According to Motor Illustrated, Patrick Ryan, Toyota’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, said the name change will occur over the next year.
Toyota just revealed the 2025 bZ4X last week, so it will likely be for the 2026 model year. Prices for the 2025 Toyota bZ4X start at $37,070 in the US, or $6,000 less than the outgoing model. The FWD model has an EPA-estimated range of up to 252 miles, while the AWD trim has a range of up to 222 miles.
Toyota promotes its bZ branding as “beyond Zero” in reference to EVs cutting emissions. Meanwhile, the “4” determines its format (think RAV4), and the X tells us it’s a crossover.
In the US, all Toyota vehicles are badged with an actual name other than the RAV4 and bZ4X. A new name may make sense since bZ4X is a bit of a tongue twister and had a less-than-favorable reception.
After unveiling its new Urban Cruiser electric SUV earlier this month, will Toyota follow a similar route with the bZ4X? Although its first three-row electric SUV is now delayed until 2026, we could see a completely different naming system rollout.
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