Xpeng Motors passed an autonomous driving test in Guangzhou, China, for its soon-to-be-launched vehicle, the G9 Sports-Utility Vehicle (SUV). This is a good step before releasing it to the market as the Chinese Electric Vehicle maker has been planning to launch a taxi business, and this vehicle will be part of this plan.
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WUHAN, CHINA - OCTOBER 21: (CHINA OUT) Attendees wear protective masks as they look around at XPeng Motors during the Wuhan Motor Show 2021 on October 21, 2021 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. More than 150 brands took part in the Wuhan Motor Show 2021 Show which started on Thursday. According to local reports, more than 20 domestic electric vehicle brands participated in the exhibition.
Xpeng Passes Driving Test
The South China Morning Post reported that Xpeng Motors, a Chinese Electric Vehicle maker, just recently passed an autonomous driving test for its G9 SUV, which is a step forward toward their plan to launch a taxi service with this particular vehicle.
The robotaxi business is planned to launch next year in Guangzhou, China, in 2023. As per Xpeng, Vice President of Autonomous Driving Wu Zinzhou, the company is also planning to expand this service to several cities in the country for the next two years.
XNGP Autonomous Driving
The vehicle comes with the company's XNGP autonomous driving technology straight from the factory, which might help Xpeng scale its services quickly and give them an edge over its competitors at the same time. Based on a report by CNBC, this replaces Xpeng's Xpilot ADAS system, and it is now more advanced and improved than before.
"Obtaining the road test permit by our mass-produced commercial vehicles - with no retrofit - is a major achievement. Our platform-based robotaxi development aims to generate significant cost benefits, and ensure product quality, safety and user experience," Wu stated. He added that they are planning to release more features, such as overtaking and parking, in the second half of next year.
Meanwhile, the City NGP (Navigation-Guided Pilot) will be starting to roll out this year up to the other half of 2023 in several cities in China. Through this, it allows drivers to semi-autonomously navigate their surroundings and more complex urban environments with its features.
Also Read: [WATCH] XPeng's 'Electric Flying Car' Takes its First International Flight in Dubai
New Standard Voice Assistant
During Xpeng's Tech Day online briefing, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder He Xiaopeng also stated that the autonomous taxis would feature an AI voice assistant and a 3D user interface. TechCrunch reported that it incorporates Multiple Input, Multiple Output multi-zone technologies, which allow the vehicle to recognize several commands from everyone inside the vehicle.
Since it is an AI, it also can communicate with you in casual conversations. The company clarified that compared to other voice assistants, this could be used even without internet and activation commands. Despite these, what it says remains accurate 96% of the time.
Related Article: Is XPeng's G9 SUV the Fastest-Charging EV in the World? Coming to EU Soon!
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Written by Inno Flores
