chinese language electric automobile start-up XPeng automobiles is making an attempt to boost its income and is exploring areas together with robots and flying automobiles that can play an crucial role in its lengthy-time period goals, in step with its CEO.
XPeng’s CEO, He Xiaopeng, mentioned its today's tendencies and investments in robotics, flying motors, and the demanding situations that the car enterprise is dealing with because of the dearth of semiconductor chips with CNBC on Tuesday.
earlier this yr, the business enterprise showcased the second prototype of its flying automobile Voyager X2 which has been in development for 8 years. It additionally unveiled its 4-legged ridable ‘robot unicorn’ on Tuesday.
at the same time as commenting at the development of these technology, He Xiaopeng stated,
With the development of technology, the form of mobility will evolve from wheels to wings, propellers, 4 legs or 2 feet, [and] technology should help people have better and happier lives. This has always been my goal.
He estimated that each one automakers also will be robotics companies within subsequent 10 to 30 years, and stated that XPeng considers robots to be the transportation tools in low speed and random environments. He added that as these robots become smarter, they will help humans with simple and repetitive tasks.
Other automotive manufacturers across the planet also are working during this direction. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last month that the corporate will build a humanoid robot called the ‘Tesla Bot’. Similarly, Hyundai recently acquired the renowned Boston Dynamics, while the Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is additionally pursuing similar paths.
Flying Cars
Voyager X2 is XPeng’s second flying car prototype and therefore the world’s first flying car that carries a passenger. Xiaopeng stated that the X2 are going to be ready to begin and land vertically, and can be a low-to-mid-altitude flying car. He added that the corporate is producing a search and development team of a couple of hundred people for the event of the X2.
The CEO stated that the corporate will hold a news conference to debate the size , pricing, and pre-orders of the X2 in a few year’s time.
Chip Shortage
The global shortage of semiconductor chips has affected every automaker, and XPeng is not any exception. Its vehicle deliveries dipped in August as compared to its sales in July this year.
Xiaopeng attributes the disturbances within the supply chain to the pandemic that's the “biggest challenge” for XPeng but sees it as an opportunity for the corporate to become resilient.
He said,
The pandemic has caused a shortage of semiconductor chips, which is the biggest blow to our business. I expect the chip shortage to ease in about 18 months from now [or] the situation might get even worse.
The CEO is hopeful , and remarked,
XPeng is a very young company. I see this as an early test. If we can overcome the challenge and get ready for what’s to come, we will do even better when our sales reach 300,000 or 500,000 cars per year.
no matter a lot of these troubles, the employer has pledged to persevere and launch new cars. Its most modern automobile, the P5 sedan, will launch on 15 September and it plans to launch two or three cars each 12 months from 2023 onwards. it's also operating on expanding its production potential
