The Xpeng G9 electric SUV becomes a robotaxi. The Chinese brand has received approval to test autonomous driving on public roads.
XPeng Inc., a leading Chinese smart electric vehicle company, announced today that it has successfully obtained the permit making XPENG G9 the first commercial vehicle to qualify for autonomous driving tests on public roads in China.
This achievement represents an important milestone towards mass production of robotaxis and a future commercialization of robotaxis as a service.
From electric SUV to Robotaxi
On October 31, XPENG received permission, following approval from the Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, the Public Security Bureau and the Guangzhou City Transportation Bureau.
With no hardware reconfiguration, but only software updates, the production XPENG G9 SUV is now eligible for self-driving tests on public roads in Guangzhou, China.
“Obtaining road test approval for commercial vehicle autonomous driving is a strong confirmation of our capabilities in research and development and autonomous driving software.” said Dr. Xinzhou WuVice President of the Autonomous Driving Center at XPENG.
“Our approach to exploring mobility solutions using mass-produced commercial cars will create a solid foundation for enabling economies of scale. Another step has been taken towards the commercialization of robotaxis ”.
A step towards the future
The road test vehicles a autonomous driving G9 use the same hardware suite as G9 commercial vehicles, including sensors for perception, information technology and vehicle control systems.
An important step in the company’s goal to enter the robotaxi space, Xpeng says it plans to leverage its technology stack platform-based to train its advanced driver assistance and autonomous driving systems. This will help him accelerate software development for his self-driving vehicles.
Introduced a year ago, the Xpeng G9 is a five-seater electric crossover which delivers up to 543 hp (405 kW / 551 hp) and 529 lb-ft (717 Nm) of torque in its most powerful set-up. In more range-focused finishes, it can go up to 436 miles (702 km) on a single charge.
Thanks to its 800 V charging, Xpeng claims the G9 is the “fastest charging mass production SUV in the world”. This means that at 480 kW, it can recover up to 124 miles (200 km) of range in just five minutes. Charging from 10-80 percent, meanwhile, takes just 15 minutes.
Deliveries of the vehicle began in China last month, with prices starting at ¥ 309,900 ($ 42,441 at the current exchange rate). Xpeng is likely to offer the G9 in overseas markets as well, as it was “specially designed” for international sales.
