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XPeng announces average of 0.71 human interventions per 100 km for NGP-powered expedition

Monika From Gasgoo| March 31 , 2021 20:34 BJT

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- XPeng Inc. (XPeng), a Chinese EV startup headquartered in Guangzhou, kicked off on March 19 an autonomous driving expedition with a fleet of XPeng P7s to showcase the capability of Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP), the full-stack autonomous driving solution developed in-house by XPeng, on China's highways.

Ended on March 26, the expedition covers a total distance of 3,675km, the longest one to date for autonomous driving journey by mass-produced vehicles in China. During the 8-day period, the P7 fleet traveled across 10 cities, starting from Guangzhou, to Shantou, Quanzhou, Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao, Jinan, finishing in Beijing.

XPeng announces average of 0.71 human interventions per 100 km for NGP-powered expedition

Photo credit: XPeng

The NGP offers point-to-point navigation assisted autonomous driving based on the navigation routes set by drivers, and is available on highways covered by HD maps in China, said the company. During the 8-day expedition, it delivered stable performance in rainstorm conditions, passing through tunnels, and on highways in mountain areas, showcasing its high robustness and reliability handling the complex driving scenarios in China.

XPeng announces average of 0.71 human interventions per 100 km for NGP-powered expedition

Photo credit: XPeng

According to the figures XPeng released on March 31, the average success rate for lane changing and overtaking was 94.41% for the 8 days. The average highway ramp entering and exiting success rate was 92.76% and average tunnel pass-through success rate was 94.95% during the same period.

Moreover, the XPeng P7 fleet, which drove from Guangzhou to Beijing with 2,930 km highway driving under the control of the NGP, achieved an average of 0.71 human driver interventions per 100 km, setting a new benchmark for long-distance autonomous driving by mass-produced passenger vehicles.

XPeng announces average of 0.71 human interventions per 100 km for NGP-powered expedition

Photo credit: XPeng

XPeng invited 228 auto journalists, EV enthusiasts and industry experts to join the expedition. As one of them, Gasgoo did have some unique driving experience with a NGP-powered P7.

For the sake of safety, a driver must learn dos and don'ts through watching video and complete a quiz before he starts a journey. When the P7 enters urban expressways or motorways covered by HD maps, the NGP function can be activated by a very simple process—just pressing the shift lever on the back of the steering wheel twice with figures. Then the system will select a proper running speed based on the speed limit of the current road.

Controlled by the NGP, the P7 is able to perform a series of driver assistance actions, like automatic lane changing, overtaking and highway ramp entering & existing, by virtue of 14 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, 5 millimeter-wave radars as well as the integration of HD maps and high-precision positioning technologies.

XPeng announces average of 0.71 human interventions per 100 km for NGP-powered expedition

Photo credit: XPeng

Specifically, if a driver wants to overtake the car ahead, the system will let the turn signal turned on once it ensures there are no other cars within the right and left safety distances, and make the P7 change lanes after delivering a voice instruction. Additionally, the P7 will move to the right lane in advance where a ramp is about two kilometers ahead of it.

It should be noteworthy that most NGP-enabled automatic operations were performed quite smoothly during Gasgoo's journey. The stiffness didn't exist even the driving was manipulated by a system.

The NGP used in the expedition will be shipped to P7's users as well. Compared to the engineering version for internal tests, it features some improvements in details. For instance, it delivers higher recognition rate of traffic cones when the vehicle runs in areas with roadworks.

The system can automatically complete operations like deceleration and lane changing, while it still warns of a take-over by the human driver to ensure safety. When overtaking a super wide and long truck, the NGP will help the car enlarge the transverse distance from the truck lest the driver felt mentally pressured.

Nonetheless, it seems that the concept “defensive driving” has not been infused into the NGP’s mind. When a P7 runs at a speed close to the limit, it will not actively increase the transverse distance if there is a car running on the next lane at a similar speed. Running abreast for a long time will lead to unfavorable blind zone, which might endanger the driver.

XPeng announces average of 0.71 human interventions per 100 km for NGP-powered expedition

Photo credit: XPeng

Restricted by current rules and regulations, the driver is not permitted to make their hands completely off the steering wheel. Being attentive to the roads all the time and rotating the steering wheel at proper moments are still the right attitude and behavior for drivers.

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