Xpeng launches compact sedan with lidar technology

Electric vehicle startup Xpeng Inc., seeking to gain a competitive edge, this week launched a compact sedan featuring lidar technology developed internally. 

The electric car, the P5, is equipped with an autonomous driving system dubbed XPilot 3.5. 

The system comprises 32 perception sensors -- 2 lidar units, 12 ultrasonic sensors, 5 millimeter-wave radars, and 13 high-resolution cameras – as well as a high-precision positioning unit. 

The vehicle’s double-prism lidar units can distinguish pedestrians, cyclists and scooters, static obstacles, and road construction zones, all in challenging scenarios such as night and low-light conditions, backlighting, and alternating light and dark illumination in tunnels, Xpeng said.

The P5 will be exhibited at the Shanghai auto show. It is Xpeng’s third product, following the G3 compact crossover and the large P7 sedan. 

Xpeng was established in the south China city of Guangzhou in 2014.

In the first quarter, the New York Stock Exchange-listed company delivered 13,340 vehicles, an increase of 487 percent from a year earlier.