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Tesla rival Xpeng gets self-driving parking assist, but it needs to be trained for specific parking spots

  • Xpeng’s P7 is getting a software update with Valet Parking Assist, which can be trained to learn up to 100 parking spots, but only one per lot
  • Rivals such as Hyundai and Weltmeister already offer similar features, but Tesla’s summon feature has invited regulatory review

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Xpeng’s factory in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province. High-end models of the P7 will be getting a software upgrade that includes autonomous parking. SCMP / Iris Ouyang
Chinese Tesla rival Xpeng has launched a new feature to automate parking for drivers as the company seeks to catch up with the competition.

Starting on Wednesday, high-end editions of Xpeng’s P7 model will begin to receive a firmware upgrade that includes Valet Parking Assist (VPA), giving the car the ability to drive itself from a car park entrance to a designated parking spot, along with several other new features.

However, since VPA relies on real-time learning instead of maps, drivers must first train their cars on the route, which can be up to 1km (0.6 miles) long. The system can memorise up to 100 different parking spaces, but only one per lot.

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Chinese XPeng electric car can drive and park by itself

Chinese XPeng electric car can drive and park by itself

The P7 does not require any additional hardware for the function to work, and parking garages do not need to be modified to accommodate it. However, it requires drivers say in the car while parking.

“Xpeng’s VPA doesn’t rely on the internet, as it uses semantic maps and visual recognition, but there are limitations,” said Jiang Wei, lead researcher on intelligent connected vehicles at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. “It isn’t that useful for one-time parking.”

Despite its limitations, Jiang said the feature is a “very beneficial exploratory attempt” to trial assisted driving in low-speed environments.

However, he also cautioned that it could open the company up to legal questions concerning data collection, how it’s used and who owns it. Xpeng declined to comment on potential data privacy issues.

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