XPeng launches its Tesla FSD-like assisted driving system in Beijing

XPeng has become the first automotive company to launch an assisted driving system in the capital of China. The Navigation Guided Pilot - NGP - is XPeng’s ADAS and it heavily relies on AI for its auto-learning, but the initial release depends on the location being mapped with high precision. After first releasing the NGP in Guangzhou in September last year, the system finally made its way to Beijing.

To start with, the City NGP is available to a small group of XPeng vehicle owners participating in the public testing phase. The system is limited to highways and ring roads at the moment but as the test progresses, the use will widen. Once the company releases its latest Xmart OS 4.3.0 operating system update, all owners of the XPeng G9 and P7i will have access to the City NGP and will be able to participate. Owners of the smaller XPeng P5 will be able to use the system after updating their vehicles to Xmart OS 3.5.0 version.

The City NGP is very similar to Tesla’s FSD or any other ADAS - in essence, all the driver has to do is set the destination and the vehicle does the driving. The basic functions of keeping a safe distance, lane changing, overtaking other vehicles, and avoiding obstacles. It relies initially on high-precision mapping of the area where it is to be used, and once deployed, it uses AI to learn and improve its performance.

XPeng is taking a much slower approach to the rollout of its assisted driving system. The company is avoiding calling it the autonomous driving system and only released the City NGP to Beijing after extensive testing on the streets of Guangzhou. The City NGP is part of the larger ADAS called XNGP - a full-scenario assisted driving system.

The NXGP is a second-generation system, it has already completed its Phase 1 capabilities thanks to the City NGP being successfully rolled out in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai. Phase 2 will begin in the second half of this year, and will involve adding Chinese cities without the precision mapping coverage.

Once Phase 2 is completed, the XNGP will enter Phase 3 - a full-scenario ADAS where the vehicle will take control from the start to finish of the journey. XPeng is planning for this to take place in 2024. The secret behind the XNGP and its City NGP software is its powerful AI. It learns quickly to improve its driving skills based on the feedback from the driver and it is capable of transferring its skills from the precision-mapped areas to the ones without any mapping.

XPeng is preparing to launch City NGP in dozens more Chinese cities before the end of this year. The next generation Highway NGP, the dedicated highway driving part of the XNGP, is being prepared for launch as well, and according to the company, it is more akin to a Level 4 ADAS with no interventions required on highways.

XPeng isn’t the only company in China pushing the advancements of autonomous or assisted driving systems. Nio has a system called NOP+ (Navigate On Pilot) which is already in its second generation. It covers over 95% of main highways and urban fast roads in China, as well as navigating to battery swap stations. Li Auto’s AD Max 3.0 is a full-scenario ADAS, and it will cover over 100 cities in China by the end of 2023.

Autonomous driving systems are progressing, although the majority of companies are avoiding Tesla’s approach and prefer slow and measured progress. Tesla ran into multiple trouble because of its hap-hazard attitude and notorious over-promising, but there is no doubt that the company pushed the envelope. Without Tesla’s antics, our cars would still go “beep-beep” when reversing, and that would be the extent of it.

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