XPENG names its robotaxi YOYO and opens trials to users with invitation codes
XPENG has named its robotaxi service XPENG YOYO and opened a website and a mini-program app for invited users. Public trials run on invitation codes, and the service is not yet open to everyone in a city. The GX-based vehicle follows employee trials in July and approval for driverless testing on designated Guangzhou roads in August. XPENG says it will supply vehicle hardware and service software while local operators run the service.
Artificial Intelligence··Midday
XPENG puts a name on its robotaxi and opens trials to invited users
XPENG, the Chinese carmaker, announced on October 8 that its robotaxi service will be called XPENG YOYO. The Chinese name is Xiao Peng You You. The company opened a dedicated website and a lightweight mini-program app, and public trials run through invitation codes. XPENG did not announce unrestricted commercial service, so YOYO is open to invited users rather than to anyone who wants a ride.[1], [2]
The vehicle is built on XPENG’s GX model. The October step follows three earlier stages: production in May, employee trials in July and, in August, approval for driverless testing on designated roads in Guangzhou, a city in southern China. What changes now is the name and the opening of invitation-based testing to the public.[1]
XPENG plans to supply the technology while local operators run the rides
Chief executive He Xiaopeng describes a division of labor in which XPENG supplies vehicle hardware and service software, and local operating partners deliver the service itself. That is the company’s stated plan. XPENG has not listed all service areas or set a separate timetable for a commercial opening.[1]
XPENG names its Turing processors and its in-house VLA 2.0 model as parts of the system. The company also says its approach does not require high-definition maps or lidar, a laser-based distance sensor. These are XPENG’s own statements, and no independent safety result across road conditions accompanies them.[1]
The invitation code decides who rides, and the app also sets cabin preferences
Users are admitted to the YOYO trials through a booking mini-program, and access requires an invitation code. That step does not turn the service into unrestricted driverless passenger transport open to everyone in a city.[2], [1]
Before a ride, passengers can adjust some cabin preferences in the mini-program, including temperature and fragrance. Rides paid for during internal testing do not show that outside users get the same terms, and the conditions for broader access remain unstated.[1]
