XPeng releases first data from long-distance highway AD expedition

Chinese EV manufacturer XPeng has released results from the first six days of China’s longest real highway autonomous driving challenge undertaken by mass-produced vehicles. The company claims the figures set some of the most successful autonomous driving performance records to date over long distance in real-road conditions in China.

Under the control of XPeng’s Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) autonomous driving assistance, the frequency of human driver intervention was as low as 0.65 times per 100km, and was less than once per 100km in five out of the six days from March 19 to 24 on highways in China. The route has covered some of the busiest and most complex highway sections along the country’s eastern costal corridor.

The success rate for lane changing and overtaking has been between 86.05% to 97.91% during the six-day period. Highway ramp entering and existing success rate ranged from 83.76% to 96.93% since the P7 fleet set off from Guangzhou on March 19, passing through Shanghai and arriving in Qingdao on March 24. Under the NGP control, tunnel pass-through success rate was as high as 100% during the same period.

The NGP delivered stable performance in rainstorm conditions and on highways in mountain areas during the six-day expedition, showcasing the robustness and reliability of its functionality for complex driving scenarios in China.

More than 200 auto journalists, EV enthusiasts and industry experts are taking part in the 3,675km expedition, over the course of seven days from March 19 to 26. The fleet of P7s has driven across eight cities, starting in Guangzhou and including Qingdao and Jinan, before finishing the trip in Beijing on March 26.

The NGP highway solution provides navigation assisted autonomous driving from point A to B, based on the navigation route set by the driver, and is available on highways covered by high-precision maps in China.