I have wanted to buy a pure electric car since 2017, but at that time, new forces had just entered the stage of mass production. The cruising range and product logic are not mature enough. I have watched Weilai, i3, and Tesla. There are parts that I particularly like, but there are also problems that are unacceptable. When I was really involved in the decision-making process of purchasing a pure electric car, I found that there were quite a few things I wanted.

1. Why did you choose Xpeng P7

My family originally owned a BMW 5 Series gasoline car and drove it for 8 years. I even used it for daily commuting, picking up and dropping off my children, and taking care of my parents. The performance is good in all aspects, and the family is very satisfied. Compared with pure electric cars, the biggest difference is that this 5 Series shows a battery life of 1,00km with a full tank of fuel, so there is no worry about ultra-long-distance battery life. Everyone knows that Beijing has limited travel numbers. One day a week, fuel vehicles are not allowed on the road. My home is far away from the company, nearly 40 kilometers away, so taking a taxi on a day with restricted numbers is more expensive than paying a fine. (Traveling with limited number, no penalty, 100 yuan). It just so happens that my father’s pure electric license is about to expire. In Beijing, the combination of one oil and one electric is perfect! So buying a pure electric car is officially on the agenda.

In fact, for those of us in the automobile industry, the decision to buy a car is the same as that of ordinary people. First you will set a budget. Based on my judgment and expectations about the industry, I think 200,000-300,000 is a range that takes into account both cost-effectiveness and quality. If it is too expensive, you will feel distressed when it comes to depreciation.

Second, I will consider the development prospects of this company. What everyone fears most when buying a car is that the company will disappear after using it. Relatively speaking, Xiaopeng has devoted itself to research and development for so many years and has spent its money in a restrained and orderly manner. Judging from the information obtained from various aspects, its capital structure and financial status look relatively reassuring.

Third, of course, after I drove this car, I feel that at least from the perspective of product design logic, its understanding of usage scenarios is very good. It's quite mature and a huge, huge leap forward from the previous product. Relatively mature in terms of product logic and understanding of usage scenarios. And in terms of product capabilities, it is also at the forefront of the times.

You may have said that at this price, Model 3, Xpeng P7, BYD Han, and even Polestar are all sinking into the 300,000 range. Maybe I'm still a little patriotic. Xiaopeng is a new force, and it is China’s own brand, as is BYD (some friends know that I ordered Hanban at first, but due to production cycle problems, I don’t want to wait anymore.) These large technology companies have developed well, and behind the scenes will have a positive impact on the development of our country's industrial structure.

So overall, Xpeng P7 is worthy of its own use, and it can also support the country's economic development. Now that I have the opportunity to vote with my money, of course I have to do it.

Of course, Xpeng P7 is recognized as the best in the industry in terms of cars and computers, and I heard at the time that Xpeng was about to launch NGP functionality, so I finally put it together. Based on my needs, I chose the rear-wheel drive long-range Zhizun version of P7.

2. Waiting for delivery

One more word here, the 20,000 yuan deposit for Xpeng P7 is refundable Yes, but the 20,000 yuan deposit can only be refunded 70%. I placed my final order on November 21st, and then waited for about 6 weeks for delivery. While waiting, I would like to praise Xpeng's official APP for its excellent work, which has functions such as car booking, social networking, promotion, delivery, and car use.

After paying the deposit, there will be dedicated service personnel who will serve us remotely through WeChat.

Starting from the earnest money, to the deposit, car purchase agreement, car allocation, transportation and delivery, the entire process can be viewed in the APP (similar to online shopping and other express delivery). Compared with some traditional car companies at this stage, they either have to pick up the car now or wait indefinitely. At least Xpeng users can see the status of their car.

3. What have I chosen?

(1) The first thing is the tires. Because the Xpeng P7 rear-wheel drive version has Maxxis tires by default, so I directly spent 5,000 yuan to upgrade the wheels, and the 18-inch wheels became 19 inches, the rims are also specially designed, and the tires are upgraded to Michelin PS4. I highly recommend this configuration. Michelin PS4’s dedicated pure electric tires have a huge contribution to the vehicle’s handling performance and silent performance.

(2) The key point is the XPILOT 3.0 system optionally installed on the Hua2W Dayang. In fact, my car itself is equipped with autonomous driving hardware. This 2W is the price of opening software permissions, it is very worth it! Although Tesla's Autopilot comes as a gift with the car, the FSD with similar functions to NGP costs 64,000.

Many Tesla owners do not choose FSD, firstly because the price is too expensive, and secondly because the functions are not rich enough, and most of the functions are futures. In contrast, it only costs 20,000 yuan to directly install the XPLIOT 3.0 software on the P7, and it costs 36,000 yuan to install it after buying the car, so it must be done in one step.

Moreover, I have always believed that a car that only relies on cameras to achieve self-driving would not be able to drive in snowy, rainy, dark, backlit, or tunnel environments. to improve driving safety. Therefore, judging from the hardware architecture of Xiaopeng NGP, the P7 is equipped with 14 cameras, 5 millimeter wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars at the perception layer. It also uses centimeter-level high-precision positioning + decimeter-level high-definition high-precision maps. The computing layer is equipped with NVIDIA Xavier-driven computing units. This is almost the first 360-degree dual perception fusion system in the industry to achieve deep fusion of visual perception system + millimeter wave radar on a mass-produced model.

Of course, back to the Xpeng P7 car itself, the price-performance ratio is actually quite good, with frameless doors and 18-speaker Dynaudio audio . I also equipped it with a separate car microphone, so I can turn it on and sing songs at any time. The microphone is a single configuration, mainly to make the children at home happy.

4. Delivery experience

After placing the order, I waited less than 6 weeks. After Christmas, the service specialist in the group informed me that the car had arrived at the store. Because I have been on a business trip out of town, I postponed it until January 6th, and I happily picked up the car. A fixed part of picking up the Xpeng P7 is to provide one-on-one explanations to the car owner. He very patiently introduced every function on the car, from the use of buttons, to adjusting the rearview mirror, to audio and video entertainment, charging settings, and even the use of tire sealant. It was so detailed!

The small gifts that come with the car, including a travel suit and a bouquet of flowers, are light on gifts but heavy on affection.

I give Xiaopeng 95 points for the entire delivery process. It is efficient, not cold, and not flattering. This level of control is very suitable for new customers. The positioning of power and the preferences of young people. The entire delivery process took about two hours, of which one hour was spent explaining the new car, going through the formalities, paying insurance, getting the license plate, and picking up the car. The whole process was not a waste of time at all.

Finally, to summarize:

I was anxious to wait, but the delivery was great. In the future, I will also conduct detailed experiences and share about the vehicle's battery life and charging, human-computer interaction, Internet of Vehicles, etc., including of course some of the advantages and pain points of P7 that outsiders don't know about. Currently, the Model 3, BYD Han, and Xpeng P7 dominate the world of pure electric cars priced between RMB 200,000 and RMB 300,000, and I have one of them all.

I also welcome Model 3 or Han car enthusiasts in Beijing to contact me via private message. Let’s have a battery life competition among car owners. It’s fun just thinking about it!