Why Xpeng Is Taking Tesla’s Controversial Method To Autonomy

Tesla isn’t the one automaker chasing robotaxi desires with the assistance of cameras and AI. Chinese language automaker Xpeng, which turned the world’s first automaker to put in lidar into electrical autos again in 2020, has since had a change of coronary heart.

On the IAA Mobility 2025 present in Munich, Candice Yuan, senior director and head of product at Xpeng’s Autonomous Driving Heart, advised CarNewsChina that the corporate has grown more and more assured in its vision-based method since pulling lidar from its autos.

Picture by: Opel

“The lidar information can’t contribute to the AI system,” Yuan advised the outlet, including that the corporate’s giant language mannequin is fed primarily 10 to 30-second quick movies, taken from its buyer autos, after which used to coach the AI system. “We name it VLA. Imaginative and prescient, language, motion. Lidar information is totally different and may’t be absorbed by the AI system,” Yuan added.

Xpeng’s self-driving system is known as Navigation Guided Pilot (XNGP). It sounds far much less polarizing than Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD), which nonetheless requires fixed driver supervision and readiness to take over always. Like Tesla, Xpeng is betting huge on end-to-end machine studying fashions that it says might function anyplace in China, no less than theoretically.

That declare won’t be totally true. Robotaxi firms Waymo and Zamx already use lidar information to coach their AI, arguing that it helps their techniques learn the highway and setting extra precisely, particularly in poor lighting, dangerous climate, or the numerous edge instances that occur in complicated city environments.

Picture by: Xpeng

Nevertheless, research have mentioned that coaching AI techniques with lidar may be extra complicated and costly. It could actually require heavy information labeling, sensor calibration and sophisticated integration. Except an AI system is constructed from the bottom as much as assist lidar, including it later can imply reengineering the entire system. That’s probably what Yuan meant. Not that lidar is ineffective, however that Xpeng’s new system wasn’t designed for it.

Tesla has lengthy made the identical argument. The corporate says lidar is simply too expensive, whereas cameras and video are cheaper, easier and extra scalable throughout a world fleet.

In truth, Xpeng’s CEO, Xiaopeng He, even visited Silicon Valley final 12 months and examined Tesla’s FSD. He mentioned it labored “extraordinarily nicely.” Quickly after, Xpeng cheekily posted on Musk’s social media platform Xasking to borrow a Tesla outfitted with FSD (Marvel why?), whereas inviting Musk to China to attempt its XNGP system.

Xpeng just isn’t the one Chinese language firm utilizing the vision-based method to autonomy. InsideEVs’ author Kevin Williams visited China final 12 months and drove a Ji Yue, a model underneath Geely’s umbrella. The Ji Yue 01 had a backup radar and likewise used HD maps to learn the setting extra precisely, however the core system was vision-based.

“The 01 was fairly competent at judging the mess of pedestrians, impatient drivers, cyclists and motorbikes that don’t appear to have any respect for site visitors legal guidelines,” Kevin wrote in his assessment. I actually examined Tesla’s FSD in New York Metropolis lately. It was spectacular on the freeway and within the suburbs, however the edge instances in Manhattan required me to take over a number of occasions.

The one robotaxis which are actually driverless at the moment are the lidar-heavy fleets from Waymo and Zoox. Waymo is already delivering greater than 250,000 absolutely driverless rides every week throughout a number of U.S. cities. These riders can sit again, learn a ebook, watch Netflix, take a nap, or do no matter they need with their time. Tesla Robotaxis and FSD-equipped EVs nonetheless require human babysitting.

Ji Yue driving with its superior driver help system 01 in China.

The corporate has promised that “true autonomy” is simply across the nook. Then once more, it’s been across the nook for a decade. So till a camera-only automobile can decide me up, drop me off, and let me calm down within the again seat with out a human driver up entrance quietly intervening in edge instances, I’ll maintain treating these guarantees with a wholesome dose of skepticism.

Have a tip? Contact the creator: Suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com