While most of the auto giants of the world are running around trying to conjure up their best electric vehicles with good range figures and power, the XPeng G9 comes along from China boasting some very impressive numbers – in some cases blowing them all out of the water.
The G9 was unveiled at the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show as a Tesla Model Y rival, and now it has just been officially launched in the Chinese market. It comes in six main variants with three different battery range levels, spanning 570km, 650km and up to 702km. These are split up into single (2WD) and twin (AWD) motor setups; 570G, 570E, 702E in 2WD, and 650E Performance, 650X Performance, 650X Launch Edition in AWD.
In top-spec form the G9 is powered by a 96kWh battery featuring XPeng’s proprietary X-EEA 3.0 electric architecture. With twin electric motors combining to produce 405kW and 717Nm, the G9 can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.9 seconds, or 6.4 seconds for the 2WD models.
Most impressive of all, the battery supports charging at up to 480kW. That’s higher than any other EV currently on the market. As such, using a 480kW XPENG S4 charging station the SUV can accumulate 200km of range in just 5 minutes of charging. It also takes 15 minutes to go from 10-80 per cent, which is unheard of in today’s market.
In terms of ride and handling, the G9 features dual-chamber air suspension front and rear promising “unparalleled performance and handling”. It also offers adjustable ride height so drivers can alter the vehicle to suit various conditions.
Inside, the dash is dominated by two 14.96-inch touch-screen displays which run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 Chipset to ensure the “smoothest experience” possible, with Dolby Atmos audio technology as part of the Xopera 5D multimedia package boasting up to 22 speakers and a total output of 2250W.
Safety tech is also a standout, with NVIDIA Drive Orin chips running 31 sensors around the vehicle, offering an “industry-first” Advanced Driving Assistance System capable of autonomous driving. The company says the on-board computers are capable of undertaking 508 TOPS (508 trillion operations per second).
So, when is it arriving on sale in Australia? There are currently no plans at this stage. However, XPeng is rapidly expanding and has plans to enter some European markets soon. In fact, the G9 is the first XPeng model to be designed and developed from the beginning to fulfil European safety and environmental standards, and is the first XPeng product designed to pass European Whole Vehicle Type Approval certification. In essence, never say never for Australia.
Interesting, XPeng – officially Xiaopeng Motors – was founded only eight years ago, in 2014. It started producing its first vehicle, the G3, in 2018. The company is currently headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong in China, but has offices in Mountain View, California, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol, XPEV.
