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.
Source: XPeng Motors
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 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.
Source: XPeng Motors/AeroHT
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.
Source: XPeng Motors
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.
Source: XPeng Motors
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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EcoFlow’s Early Prime Day Sale increases power station discounts up to 65% with bonus savings, free gifts, and more from $169
EcoFlow has launched its Early Prime Day Sale through October 6, which is increasing discounts on power stations up to 65% off, complete with bonus sitewide savings, free gifts at certain pricing thresholds, and even additional bulk savings when buying five or more items. Among the lineup, there is a direct-sale-only offer on the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station bundled with a smart extra battery and two 110W solar panels for $892.05 shipped, after using the sitewide code 25PDFAFF at checkout for an additional 5% savings. This bundle would normally run you $2,646 at full price, and would currently cost you $1,379 buying the power station/battery bundle with two 110W panels separately at Amazon. We’ve seen this kit dropped down to $999 in direct sales before this event, with the $1,754 markdown here dropping things to a new all-time low price. Head below to get the rundown on all the extra ways to save and the full lineup of deals.
As expected, EcoFlow’s Early Prime Day Sale is bringing along plenty of bonus savings promotions while it lasts, including the 5% sitewide bonus discount you can score on any order using the code 25PDFAFF at checkout. There are also three gift with purchase options, with orders reaching $500 getting a free 45W portable solar panel, while orders reaching $1,500 get a free 220W panel and orders of $3,000 or more get a free 400W panel. There’s also the bulk savings with an extra 7% savings being given to orders of five to 10 pieces, an extra 9% savings on orders with 11 to 20 pieces, and an extra 10% savings on bulk orders of 20 or more pieces.
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EcoFlow’s DELTA 2 portable power station is a great well-rounded option for your off-grid living needs, as well as your at-home emergency backup, and with the extra battery included in the bundle, you’ll be starting with a doubled 2,048Wh LiFePO4 capacity that can bump up further to 3,072Wh with one additional battery. You’ll be getting a steady 1,800W of power through the 15 ports present here, surging up to 2,200W when needed. It’s been constructed with an IP68 waterproof rating to handle your outdoor adventures and the weather you may come across, and offers the usual array of in-app smart controls.
Seeing as you’re getting the 220W of solar panels with the bundle, you’re nearly halfway to its max 500W solar input that can put the battery back to full in three to six hours. There’s also the option to recharge from a standard AC outlet to 80% capacity in 50 minutes, or wait for 80 minutes for it to get back to full, with a car port available to plug into your car’s auxiliary cigarette lighter port for on-the-go charging too.
***Note: None of the prices below have had the extra savings factored in and currently represent the starting price listed on the brand’s direct site. Be sure to use the sitewide promo code 25PDFAFF at checkout for the best deals, with the other discounts/gifts automatically applied upon hitting their thresholds.
Equip your travels with Anker’s SOLIX C300X DC 90,000mAh power station and a 60W solar panel at $236 (Today only)
As part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is offering the Anker SOLIX C300X DC 90,000mAh Portable Power Station with a 60W solar panel at $235.99 shipped. We’ve been seeing this combo bundle pop up every two to four weeks over the last few months, dropping from its usual $330 price tag, with it coming in $1 lower than the previous one-day sales. You’ll only find its grey variant sitting at higher rates at Amazon (currently $250) and Anker’s direct website (currently $270), with discounts on those alternate colorways having mostly dropped costs to $250 and had fallen as low as $220 in February. For the rest of the day only, you can pick up this solar generator bundle at the third-best price of 2025 and the fourth-lowest overall, which sits $46 above the all-time low that last appeared during Black Friday.
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
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Did Lucid sell out of Gravity inventory online? Just a day after the inventory was listed online, the Lucid Gravity appears to be sold out.
Lucid Gravity inventory appears sold out online
Lucid said it expected higher output of the Gravity electric SUV in the second half of the year. After listing Gravity inventory on its website on September 19, a few users on X suggested it was due to a lack of demand.
Nick Twork, Lucid’s global communications chief, clarified that the new listing “is not a demand related development.”
Twork explained that “While we have been building Lucid Gravity vehicles to order to satisfy existing customer orders, we’ve produced a small number of configurations based on component availability, ensuring we didn’t lose production slots when parts were constrained.”
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In other words, “you can now skip the wait and drive away in one of our most sought-after models today,” Twork added. In less than 24 hours, Gravity inventory appeared to be sold out online already.
In a quick turn of events, by Sunday night, there were zero Lucid Gravity models listed available through inventory. Through mid-Monday, Lucid’s website still shows “There are no vehicles available at the moment” when searching for Gravity models.
On the company’s Q2 earnings call, interim CEO Marc Winterhoff told investors and analysts that Lucid expected a significant ramp-up in Gravity production after overcoming supply chain issues.
Lucid Gravity Grand Touring (Source: Lucid)
Winterhoff said the company expected the Gravity SUV to account for the majority of production and deliveries in the second half of the year.
“Our daily order rate has nearly doubled,” since introducing Gravity models to its studios while offering test drivers, Winterhoff said.
The Lucid Gravity debuts in Europe (Source: Lucid)
Lucid currently offers the Gravity Grand Touring model, starting at $94,900. Soon, it will add the lower-priced Touring trim, starting from $81,550.
Orders for the Gravity Grand Touring also opened in Europe earlier this month, with deliveries set to begin in early 2026. The Lucid Gravity Touring starts at 116,900 euros ($137,000) in Germany, including VAT. Lucid will introduce the Gravity Touring in Germany, priced from 99,900 euros ($117,000).
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Attendees during a media tour of the Revolution Wind construction hub at the Port of Providence in Providence, Rhode Island, US, on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Adam Glanzman | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A federal judge on Monday allowed Danish renewable energy company Orsted to resume construction on an offshore wind farm that the Trump administration had blocked.
The judge’s decision is a setback for President Donald Trump’s effort to shut down the nascent offshore wind industry in the U.S.
The Interior Department had ordered Orsted on Aug. 22 to halt construction on Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The project is fully permited and 80% complete. It would provide power for more than 350,000 homes.
Orsted and its partner Skyborn had asked the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to halt Interior’s stop-work order, arguing that it was aribtrary, capricious, unlawful and “issued in bad faith.”
While the judge granted the injuction request, a full opinion has yet to be filed.
Trump has targeted the wind power industry since his first day in office, when he banned new leases for offshore wind farms. But the industry had hoped that fully permitted wind projects, particularly those that are already under construciton, would be allowed to proceed.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said earlier this month that he is “taking a deep look” at five offshore wind projects in the U.S. that are under construction. Burgum made clear that Trump wants to shut down the offshore wind industry.
“Under this administration, there is not a future for offshore wind because it is too expensive and not reliable enough,” Burgum told an audience at the Gastech conference in Milan, Italy on Sept. 11.