Xpeng bets on Eagle Eye technology to enhance autonomous driving in new P7+ sedan

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng has embarked on a new camera-based technology to enhance autonomous driving, fitting it into the P7+ sedan that it plans to launch in the local market starting next month.

Its new self-driving system fitted with Eagle Eye hardware and software has proven to be more accurate in information collection, according to He Xiaopeng, founder and CEO of the carmaker. The technology can enhance the autonomous capability of the P7+, a fully-electric sedan to rival Tesla’s Model 3.

“AI will be the foundation for developing EVs in the future,” he said in a virtual media briefing on Thursday. “AI technologies will be widely used in intelligent cars and we aim to create a benchmark AI-powered vehicle for the industry.”

CEO He Xiaopeng speaks during a launch event at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2024. Photo: AFP

While the Guangzhou-based EV maker has yet to disclose the price of the P7+, the firm has pledged to make it affordable to as many potential buyers as possible. The basic edition will offer up to 602km of driving range, versus 606km for the Model 3. Tesla prices the entry-level, Shanghai-made Model 3 at 231,900 yuan (US$32,764).

He said Xpeng has made a full use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to make the P7+ smarter in terms of autonomous driving, energy control and thermal management. The Eagle Eye system will replace lidar sensors, once viewed as critical parts for intelligent cars, used in its existing models like P5 sedan and G6 sport-utility vehicle.

Lidars, which uses laser beams to measure distance and generate accurate maps of objects around cars, are important parts for smart EVs, as carmakers race towards building fully autonomous vehicles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk in 2019 described lidars as a “fool’s errand” because of the high cost of production.

Tesla is developing its own Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which does not use lidar sensors. While it is not yet approved for use in China, the FSD is likely to enter testing in the first quarter next year. Tesla charges US$8,000 to install FSD in the US, on top of a US$99 monthly subscription.

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