Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has unveiled its first electric car, a sharp-looking sedan called the SU7.
It is expected to launch in China next year, another move into the increasingly crowded electric vehicle market. It’s also another attempt in a software-obsessed world to match the technology people find in their phones with what’s inside their cars.
Xiaomi may have a chance. That’s because the car will run Xiaomi’s “HyperOS,” a new architecture the company has been working on for more than six years that should be dynamic enough to power everything from phones to smart home systems to cars. All equipment within is powered. Our goal is to provide a more seamless experience where your apps and preferences are always available no matter where you are.
This is not a new idea by any means. It’s the same pitch Faraday Future’s founder used years ago to promote his original electric car project in China as part of the Faraday Future Technology Group.
That effort failed, but in the years since then there have been many different attempts to get closer to a world where in-car software is similar to the phones in our pockets. Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto both have similar versions that mirror your phone’s software to the in-car screen. Google has also developed a version of Android that powers a car’s entire infotainment system and is working with several automakers. Apple is doing something similar, although it’s far behind and just announced its first two customers last week.
However, efforts to bring everything in-house often become complicated. Apple has been working on its own car project for years, but has repeatedly adjusted and shifted focus. Volkswagen has struggled to build its own strong in-vehicle software team. Tesla has developed a robust in-car software experience for its vehicles, even as it resists CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of maintaining control of its screens.
Then Xiaomi stands out. Thanks to the proliferation of China’s dominant EV supply chain, coupled with the rapid advancement (and falling costs) of EV technology, it’s now possible for a company with deep pockets like Xiaomi to try to do things like build an off-the-shelf car for its software. It’s not alone, as Huawei is also backing its own electric vehicle startups in China. But Xiaomi is the most comprehensive integration effort yet.
As for the specs, they look impressive on paper. The company claims a range of up to 800 kilometers on a full charge, just under 500 miles, although that’s on an optimistic test cycle in China. This is on the high-end model, which uses a 101kWh battery pack from Chinese giant CATL. The base model, which has a capacity of just 73.6kWh, is said to have a range of nearly 668 kilometers or 415 miles on a charge. They charge quickly (220 kilometers of range in 5 minutes) and are fast (0-100 km/h in 2.78 seconds). Pricing will be announced at a later date.
Still, Xiaomi’s biggest challenge is the same as any new car maker: Designing and building reliable and safe cars at scale is an extremely difficult task, regardless of the underlying technology. With that in mind, making the in-car experience more seamless feels like a layup.
