Xpeng "copies" Tesla and says goodbye to LiDAR on EVs

Updates to the G6 and G9 SUVs do without LiDAR. Xpeng prefers to concentrate on a new generation of cameras.

By: Alberto Carmone

Dec 16, 2024 at 5:09am ET

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A change of technology is in the offing for Tesla, but also for Xpeng. Like Tesla, the Chinese brand could be abandoning LiDAR sensors in its future models in favour of more powerful cameras. These first glimpses come straight from China, with patents filed by Xpeng showing some of the content that will be found on the restyled G6 and G9 SUVs.

The first news from China (and why)

Chinese colleagues at CnEVPost have reported on XPeng's latest regulatory document, outlining how the brand intends to do away with LiDAR sensors in its upcoming cars. Indeed, a prototype of a new Xpeng model (presented in October as the P7) without LiDAR, but equipped with Eagle Eye technology with new cameras and sensors, was spotted last July.

According to the aforementioned documents filed with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the G6 and G9 SUVs could also adopt Xpeng's Eagle Eye technology. In the latest MIIT catalogue, each Xpeng model was the subject of a three-page documentation, with details of three items of equipment for each, but without any reference to LiDAR sensors.

Xpeng G6 (2024)

Xpeng G9

Generally speaking, the G6 will be 5 mm longer than the version currently on sale, and should abandon the twin-engine option in favour of three single-engine variants. The dimensions of the G9 will remain unchanged and it will continue to be sold with single- or twin-engine propulsion options.

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Along with Tesla, Xpeng remains one of the few electric vehicle manufacturers to adopt pure vision cameras in favour of LiDAR. Xpeng has yet to confirm that LiDAR will be removed from these new models, so we'll have to wait for the official launch to find out more.

But what could be the reasons for abandoning LiDAR? In addition to technological developments linked to cameras, it's possible that the brand has rationalised its equipment (and range, as in the case of the G6) to reduce production costs.