Xpeng G9, the electric SUV becomes a robotaxi. Testing begins in China

At the Tech Day 1024 appointment, Xpeng he had said he wanted to do it a fleet of robotaxis based on its new Xpeng G9 electric SUV. As it turns out, road tests will begin very soon as the Chinese brand has got the green light to test autonomous driving on roads open to traffic in Guangzhou, in China. The tests, however, will take place in specific areas of the city and if they go well, the car manufacturer may, in the future, launch a robotaxi service.

The most interesting thing, however, is that the electric SUVs have not received any technical changes in order to be used as a robotaxi. This is the first time that a vehicle equipped with standard hardware has been authorized to test for an autonomous transport service.

In order to be used as a robotaxi, the Xpeng G9 electric SUVs received a simple software update released via OTA. In order to have autonomous driving, this car can count on a platform made up of 31 sensors, including two LiDARs. The whole is managed by two NVIDIA Drive Orin-X chips. All these elements also allow you to operate what Xpeng calls XNGP (Navigational Guided Pilot), an advanced driver assistance system.

The Chinese manufacturer says XNGP will be available in most Chinese cities by 2023 and will be able to tackle multiple driving scenarios without having to rely solely on high-precision maps.

Therefore, the authorization will allow the automaker to carry out its project of creating a fleet of robotaxis. For the moment, this project seems limited to the Chinese market. Xinzhou Wuvice president of the XPeng Autonomous Driving Center, commented:

Obtaining permission for self-driving commercial vehicle testing on the road is an important recognition of our autonomous driving software research and development capabilities.

Our approach, using mass-produced vehicles to explore mobility solutions, will create a solid foundation for achieving economies of scale. The significant cost efficiency leads us to take another step towards commercializing robotaxis in the future.