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The next XPeng model coming to market is the G9, a larger SUV than the company’s currently available G3. Taking advantage of that larger interior, XPeng has created a luxe cabin with some cool features and is now showing it off ahead of the vehicle’s release.
For a more immersive drive. Take a seat.
XPENG G9.#ElectricVehicles #SmartMobility pic.twitter.com/r6sT9Rnr5r
Interestingly, before getting to the interior, note that XPeng says, “The flagship SUV will be the world’s fastest-charging mass-produced EV, allowing drivers to add up to 200 km of CLTC range in just five minutes.” That’s 124 miles of range in 5 minutes for those of us who are kilometer-challenged. The SUV offers a CLTC range of 702 km (436 miles) on a full charge, a new best-in-class figure.
To make the most of the G9’s 800V architecture and actually hit those ultrafast charging times, XPENG is now installing 480 kW S4 supercharging piles.
XPeng’s infotainment system, Xopera, is supposed to deliver “an immersive 5D experience” to the driver and passengers. I was a little confused about that that meant, but the answer does seem to make the claim legit: “Users will experience seat vibrations, changes to ambient lighting, air conditioning, and in-car fragrances in addition to class-leading sound when watching a film, listening to music, or simply relaxing.” You’ve got touch, sound, sight, and smell in there (not taste, thankfully). However, within the “touch” category, you’ve got seat vibrations and air conditioning changes. Naturally, I think this is something that has to be experienced to judge it, but it certainly sounds like fun!
The XPeng G9 will also have the “first full-scenario Advanced Driver Assistance System” in the industry, according to XPeng. I recently went on an exclusive virtual drive of XPeng’s City Navigation Guided Pilot (CNGP) in Guangzhou, China, for over an hour and it was flawless — not a single disengagement and seemingly not a single instance in which it didn’t drive smoothly. A video and extensive writeup about this exclusive experience will be coming soon, but in the meantime, you can get a sense of how well the system works via this XPeng CEO and VP test drive with English dubbing (listen closely):
I am not aware of any ADAS that works as smoothly in heavy city traffic. So, I’m curious to see how customers respond to the new G9 and its advanced, full-scenario ADAS — as well as responses from others across the XPeng fleet who experience this high level of autonomy and compare it to other options on the market. As far as the hardware and compute power used for that, the G9 includes “31 Lidar sensors, dual NVIDIA DRIVE Orin-X intelligent assisted driving chips, and Gigabit Ethernet communication architecture,” and it has “up to 508 TOPS of computing power.”
Regarding the infotainment system, XPeng writes, “The G9 is equipped with the first mass-produced interactive 3D user interface system in the industry, providing a unique and intuitive experience. The 14.96″ dual screen is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip; both primary and secondary displays can be switched and shared seamlessly. The 3D multimedia system projects the real world onto the screen, providing real-time feedback during driving, thus enhancing the immersive experience.”
When the G9 was first revealed in November 2021, CleanTechnica‘s Steve Hanley also gathered and wrote the following: “The G9 is the first to be equipped with Xpilot 4.0, an AI-assisted driving system capable of address-to-address automated driving, including valet parking. It is built on two NVIDIA DRIVE Orin systems-on-a-chip capable of 508 trillion operations per second. It uses an 8 million pixel front-view camera and 2.9 million pixel cameras to cover the left and right sides of the vehicle as well as the front and rear views. Lidar sensors are embedded in the headlights. The system includes a highly integrated and expandable domain controller.” So, first of all, it seems clear XPeng has stuck to its plans and had its specs right last year when revealing the model. Secondly, wow, this is going to be an electric and electronic beats.
Looking at the interior, there’s premium Nappa leather inside. It includes a wraparound design that aims to create a kind of VIP lounge atmosphere. I’m also personally a fan of the higher dock for wireless phone charging and a cubby below for the things you’d rather have out of view.
But how poshy is XPeng really getting with this premium interior? This is how poshy: “The G9’s seat quilting is inspired by Canton Tower’s silhouette, with the designs based on Fibonacci principles to create an impressive finish along the door panels.”
Aside from expected heating and ventilation of the front seats, they also offer massage functions. Even the rear seats include heating and massage functions (though, seemingly not ventilation), and can be adjusted electronically. The front seats also adjust to the main users. “Both front seats use independent seat memory to easily adjust to the habits of the driver and front passenger.”
We’re not done with the impressive user features, though. I’m sure everyone is now familiar with in-vehicle voice assistants. In this case, though, the G9’s voice assistant “responds to dialogue from all four zones of the car while boasting millisecond response and a fully-deployed local voice system that enables easy communication even when the network is unavailable.”
The Dolby Atmos audio system includes 28 speakers (total output of 2250W).
We’ll have more about the G9 as it gets closer to arrival. This piece mostly just covers the interior goodies, not even getting to the insane performance of the SUV (0 to 100 km/h in ~3 seconds) or its multi-link suspension system and double-chamber air suspension.
The smart and luxe electric SUV will be launched fully in September, and deliveries being in the 4th quarter. It will launch in China of course, the largest electric vehicle market in the world by a wide margin and the home of XPeng, but at long last, some Westerners can think about buying the G9 as well. With XPeng now entering the European market, Europeans will also get continent-tailored specs, features, and availability in due time.
As for Americans like myself, well, I don’t think XPeng will be entering the US market anytime soon, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled and our ears up.
Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.
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