Chinese EV Maker Unveils Bizarre 'Road Rage Reliever' Feature

In a surprising move, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng has introduced a novel feature aimed at curbing driver anger on the roads. Called the 'Road Rage Reliever', the system allows Xpeng P7 saloon owners to virtually 'throw' emojis and other animated objects at other motorists who have angered them.

The feature, unveiled earlier this month, utilizes Xpeng's advanced augmented reality head-up display (AR HUD) to project these digital items onto the road in front of the driver. When a driver feels frustrated by another vehicle cutting them off or driving recklessly, they can press a button on the steering wheel to launch a virtual emoji or object that appears to collide with the offending car.

Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng has described the Road Rage Reliever as a 'technology-driven emotion' that will provide an outlet for 'civilised frustration' rather than dangerous road rage behaviors. However, the feature is likely to raise concerns about driver distraction, especially as Xpeng plans to launch the P7 in Europe and the UK in the coming years.

The AR HUD system powering the Road Rage Reliever is highly advanced, using three microchips to process 2,250 trillion operations per second and accurately map the virtual objects onto the real-world road. Xpeng claims it can even predict the movements of other vehicles by 0.3 seconds, allowing the digital items to 'hit' their targets.

While the concept of virtually 'attacking' other drivers may seem unusual, Xpeng believes it could provide a safer alternative to the aggressive behaviors often seen in road rage incidents. However, the effectiveness of this approach remains to be seen, and regulators may have concerns about the potential for further distraction on the roads.