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Xpeng is often called the Chinese challenger to Tesla for its efforts to bring advanced driving capabilities to its electric vehicles. It\u2019s now getting a step closer to its American counterpart as it gets rid of high-definition mapping in its XNGP assisted driving feature, its equivalent to Tesla FSD.<\/p>\n
Tesla FSD famously does not rely on HD maps, which contain many details such as lane lines, curbs, traffic signs and more. The use of this pre-computed information, combined with sensors like radars and cameras, can help autonomous driving cars to understand the road better and thus drive more safely.<\/p>\n
Tesla not only opted out of HD maps but also made the controversial move to also eliminate lidars, the powerful light detection and ranging method that\u2019s a staple sensing technology in the development of self-driving cars.<\/p>\n
Xpeng still uses lidars, but it\u2019s taken on a technical challenge by rolling out map-free XNGP in 20 Chinese cities soon, the company announced<\/a> at its tech day on Wednesday. Being map-free means Xpeng\u2019s urban assisted driving feature can drive anywhere, unlimited by where maps have been made or road condition updates. By the end of this year, the map-free XNGP\u00a0will be available in 50 Chinese cities.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an interesting time to witness Xpeng\u2019s tech development progress as the company transitions into a new era after losing its former head of autonomous driving to Nvidia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other autonomous vehicle teams in China are also racing to remove the expensive HD maps. Deeproute, which has shifted its focus from developing robotaxis to assisted driving for mass-produced passenger cars<\/a>, unveiled<\/a> its map-free autonomous driving solution in March.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n