Preface
Unconsciously, it’s been almost 10 months since I bought my XPeng P7. I have driven more than 13,000 kilometers on highways, national roads, and urban areas, and had two maintenance checks. During this event, I’ll take the chance to write down the moments between us.
Fortune Favor
As a technology follower, I have been paying attention to electric vehicles and autonomous driving for many years. Qian Xuesen, the predecessor of China’s aviation industry, foresaw years ago that China should vigorously promote electric vehicles to help China overtake in the automobile industry and stand at the international stage. I followed the birth of Tesla and the production of the first vehicle, and Google’s X lab project on the development of fully autonomous driving.
The first mass-produced Tesla
Google’s first generation prototype vehicle
After 2010, BYD began to gain momentum in pure electric vehicles. At that time, I predicted that China might enter the fledgling period of electric vehicles in 2013. Sure enough, Musk brought Tesla into China and delivered the first batch of vehicles in 2014. I took the opportunity to experience the Model S that year.
With Tesla’s stock price soaring, I thought China’s Internet giants BAT will surely join the competition to make electric vehicles, and not miss this trend. Alibaba is my favorite internet company, and later I found that a senior executive had invested in a startup electric vehicle company, whose logo looks like an X and the demo looked like a Lexus. This company was constantly demonstrating its parking videos and I felt that this company would focus on the technology route, just the way I like.# Translation
Later, this company became the current XPeng Motors. The first car model that XPeng Motors launched was G3, and I even participated in the official naming event, which means “Geek 3”. I also found out that this car can only achieve Level 2.5 autonomous driving. Level 2.5 is not a new technology anymore, as Mercedes-Benz had already produced cars with this capability as early as 2014. I recommended this car to a friend of mine, and he was satisfied with the price and configuration. However, I decided to wait for their another car model: E28. Because I was interested in it, I knew about its existence as early as in 2016 when it was internally approved. It focuses on autonomous driving and is rumored to be capable of achieving Level 3 autonomous driving.
Finally, in 2019, at the Beijing Auto Show, XPeng Motors officially announced this car and opened nationwide pre-orders on the same day. I ordered this car on the first day, and I chose the top configuration directly without much consideration. I was also one of the earliest XPeng Motors fans. When G3 was delivered, I also cooperated with the person in charge of the new energy sector of Autohome to shoot a promotional video for G3. The video had 87,000 views, which ranked first in the entire sector at that time. Even the person in charge of the sector said that this video could at least promote the purchase of this car by three digits, which is interesting to think about now. (The video is attached)
Exterior
First of all, although I had been exposed to traditional fuel-powered cars for a long time, I did not need any time to get used to its appearance because it is visually very comfortable.
I chose the gray color which requires additional payment, expecting it to have some coolness. In reality, the car did not have much eye-catching impact, so I immediately put on a heavy metal calcium gray car jacket with more aggressive and fighting atmosphere after receiving the car. It is quite personal, and when I go out on the street, people can recognize that this is my car.
The front of the car is too wide, and I need to be extra careful when passing through narrow passages. The chassis is also low, so I need to pay extra attention to the road condition.
Interior
The interior design of this coupe P7 is okay, with an average level of effort. However, the only flaw is that the top color doesn’t match the black edition. The seats are sporty, and the overall texture is good except for the center console. It has a full-scene voice system, and most commands can be controlled by voice, where P7 excels in allowing multiple conversations and commands with voice control for both drivers’ seats. The downside is that the reading light cannot be voice-controlled, and only the main driver’s seat has a seat ventilation system, which has a weak airflow and is barely useful.
The center console is rather stiff and unimpressive.
Smart Features
For a smart electric car like P7, intelligence is essential, and that’s why I chose it in the first place. The marketing and advanced sensor hardware deeply attracted me.
The P7’s light language attracts attention, followed by its substance. The through-type LED lights outside and rich ambient light design inside create a futuristic look and feel. Meanwhile, XPeng has developed a unique “car language” system for P7. Just as phone companies offer different ID designs and back panel colors, car language systems can showcase personalized scenarios and user thinking.
P7’s intelligent features primarily focus on:
1. Automatic assistant driving system, perfect for long-distance trips
2. Parking assistance system, with the latest OTA unlocking feature "VPA memory parking"
3. Intelligent AI voice assistant, a lazy driver's best friend
Charging
Since I started using P7, I haven’t bothered to drive my gasoline car. I never liked gasoline cars, which are outdated when compared to electric ones, just like old trains compared to bullet trains. 21st-century cars should be electric, which are both eco-friendly and easier to drive. When I’m home, I can charge my car in my garage with an AC outlet. XPeng also gave me a portable charging gun, which is quite useful. XPeng offers a 3000 kWh/year free annual quota at their official charging stations, and with the increasing number of official charging stations, this benefits P7 drivers immensely.
Energy Consumption
We must drive an electric vehicle with the habit of driving a gasoline car to experience the actual feeling. Turn on the air conditioning when necessary, step on the accelerator timely. The electric car can withstand the test, and there is no need to drive at a low speed or refuse to turn on the air conditioning at high temperatures. Although the official range is only 562KM, the actual range is 425Km (concluded after multiple uses, and needs to be discounted in winter). The four-wheel drive version has a slightly shorter actual range, while the actual range of the rear-wheel drive version can reach 525KM (the regular range in Guangdong, with some discount in winter). Objectively speaking, compared with any pure electric product of international brands, it has obvious advantages. Even Tesla’s actual range cannot reach 500km, which can refer to the range evaluation of major car media. The car with the longest actual range is the P7 706 version. Although it sacrifices intelligence, it is definitely the king of endurance. Car owners said that the actual range reached 562km, thumbs up for that.
Driving:
The power of the motor for the four-wheel drive version of XPeng P7 is 316KW, and the 0-100 acceleration is 4.3S; the power of the motor for the rear-wheel drive version is 196kw, and the 0-100 acceleration is 6.7S. Such parameters are absolutely mainstream. The Brembo brake caliper makes the car brake efficiently. After an unexpected experience on the highway, combined with the Porsche team’s tuning of the chassis, it has a great advantage over most models.
I also have to praise the sound insulation effect of P7, and my friends said that the sound insulation effect of my car is very good.
P7 made a series of exterior styling optimization for wind noise reduction.
P7 carried out a three-in-one acoustic package design and used 36 sound-absorbing cottons.
Finally, I want to talk about the suspension of the chassis. After comparison, the CDC electromagnetic suspension of the four-wheel drive version has shock absorption and road avoidance effect that is completely comparable to the air suspension.
Maintenance:
I have done two maintenance, the first free maintenance was done at the franchise when the car had 5000 kilometers, and the second one was done at the official direct-sale store when the car had 10000 kilometers. This time, although it was not free, I could use my points to exchange for the maintenance fee, which is really economic and cost-effective. The official website often has activities to award points, which we can use during maintenance, thumbs up for that. This is probably exclusive to new forces, haha. The maintenance experience is actually no different from that of traditional 4S stores. With more and more after-sales centers, I believe that even in small cities, we can experience the convenience of after-sales service in first-tier cities. I wish new forces will get bigger and stronger with various styles.
Experience
Of course, we should drive electric cars for long distances. Electric cars do not produce CO, which affects the brain, making us more comfortable driving long distances and reaching further destinations. With the assistance of NGP and LCC, we are fully satisfied.After picking up the car, I often drive on long trips, and I feel much more comfortable than driving a fuel car before. My head no longer hurts, and when I am tired or sleepy, I can take a rest with air conditioning in the service area. During the Spring Festival, a friend and I took a self-driving tour across provinces, directly from Guangdong to Hainan. With my good partner P7, we explored beautiful places where the air was free of depression. For the first time, I rested in the car overnight and marvelled that electric cars are really a camping treasure that don’t have to worry about CO problems.
We got up early to watch the sunrise by the sea.
Summary
The XPeng P7 is a microcosm of the progress of China’s automotive industry, a pioneer in electrified travel, and a pioneer in China’s exploration of luxury smart electric vehicles. More P7s will be born in the future, and China’s automotive industry will definitely stand among the world’s nations.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.