#TechPH - Xiaomi Unveils Five Core EV Technologies and Debuts Xiaomi SU7, Completing the Human x Car x Home Smart Ecosystem
At the Xiaomi EV Technology Launch, the company formally unveiled the five key technologies of the Xiaomi EV: the E-Motor, Battery, Die-Casting, Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving, and Smart Cabin. Xiaomi wants to revolutionize automobile technology by starting with the development of fundamental core technologies.
The much awaited Xiaomi SU7, the first product from Xiaomi EV, has been "pre-launched," making its debut globally in terms of design, performance, range, safety, and other aspects. The Xiaomi SU7, positioned as a "full-size high-performance eco-technology sedan," seeks to push the boundaries of mobile smart space, ecosystem, and performance.
Quoting a sentence from Chinese poetry, "With firm strides, we are crossing its summit." Lei Jun, founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, stated that Xiaomi's entry into the automotive industry marks a significant leap from the smartphone industry and a crucial step toward closing the loop of the Human x Car x Home smart ecosystem. Lei Jun further expressed that the century-old automotive industry offers little room for maneuvering today: "Xiaomi has decided to invest tenfold, starting from the development of fundamental core technologies, committing to constructing an outstanding vehicle. Through 15 to 20 years of effort, Xiaomi aims to become one of the top five global automakers."
Redefining the technology stack of the automotive industry
Smart electric vehicles are trending towards integration of the automotive industry with consumer electronics and intelligent ecosystems. Integrating full-stack technologies is a necessary step for the industry's evolution. Lei Jun stated that by integrating industrial manufacturing, smart software, and AI, Xiaomi EV will completely redefine the automotive industry, marking a significant leap in its technological landscape.
Xiaomi EV is committed to a bottom-up approach, starting from developing foundational core technologies and in-depth independent research in key technology sectors. With a commitment to "tenfold investment, conscientiously building a great car," Xiaomi EV has invested over 10 billion CNY in the initial research and development phase. The R&D team comprises over 3,400 engineers and over a thousand technical experts in critical domains both in China and abroad. This conference unveiled breakthroughs in the development of Xiaomi EV's five core technologies. In key sectors such as E-Motor, Battery, Xiaomi Die-Casting, Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving, and Smart Cabin, numerous Xiaomi EV's self-developed technologies have become first-of-kind globally or domestically. This showcases Xiaomi's 13 years of comprehensive technological accumulation since its inception.
E-motor
At the conference, Xiaomi showcased its independently developed and manufactured E-motors, HyperEngine V6/V6s, and HyperEngine V8s. The three E-motors, employing innovative technologies such as Bidirectional Full Oil Cooling Technology, S-shaped oil circuit design, and staggered silicon steel laminations design, rival the performance of traditional large V8 and V6 powertrains from the era of internal combustion engines, pushing the industry's performance boundaries to new heights.
Notably, HyperEngine V8s, with a maximum speed of 27,200 rpm, 425kW output, and 635N·m peak torque, sets a global record for E-motors. To enable the industry-exceeding standard of 27,200 rpm, HyperEngine V8s employs the industry's first ultra-high-strength silicon steel plate with a tensile strength of 960MPa, boasting strength that surpasses mainstream industry offerings by more than two times.
For cooling design, HyperEngine V8s adopts a Bidirectional Full Oil Cooling Technology and an S-shaped oil circuit design. For the stator, a dual-cycle oil circuit is employed, increasing the heat dissipation area by 100% and achieving a cooling effect of up to 20°C. Meanwhile, the rotor section utilizes a patented S-shaped oil circuit, increasing the heat dissipation area by 50% and achieving a cooling effect of up to 30°C. Additionally, the stator silicon steel laminations feature a "step-like" staggered design, further increasing the effective heat dissipation area by an additional 7%.
HyperEngine V8s is in development and set to be mass-produced and implemented in Xiaomi EVs in 2025.
Xiaomi's self-developed HyperEngine V6/V6s E-motors boast an industry-leading rotational speed of 21,000rpm, surpassing the most powerful mass-produced electric motor globally. Among them, the HyperEngine V6 super motor has a maximum power of 299PS and a maximum torque of 400N·m, while the HyperEngine V6s super motor achieves a maximum power of 374PS and a maximum torque of 500N·m.
Battery
Xiaomi has also self-developed CTB Integrated Battery Technology through innovative Inverted Cell Technology, multifunctional elastic interlayer, and a minimalistic wiring system; it features a battery integration efficiency of 77.8%, the highest of CTB batteries worldwide, a 24.4% overall performance improvement, and a height reduction of 17mm, with a maximum battery capacity of up to 150 kWh and theoretical CLTC recharge range exceeding 1200 km.
To ensure stable performance during long-range travel, Xiaomi employs industry-leading safety design standards. The downward-facing pressure relief valve swiftly releases energy in extreme situations, maximizing passenger cabin safety. A 14-layer robust physical protection system includes three layers of top support, three layers of side protection, and eight layers of bottom protection.
In terms of heat dissipation, a dual-side water cooling solution implements heat dissipation plates on both long sides of the battery cells, achieving a cooling area of 7.8m²—four times the industry average. The sides of the battery cells feature 165 pieces of aerogel insulation material, capable of resisting temperatures up to 1000°C.
Xiaomi EV is equipped with a self-developed Battery Management System (BMS) with ASIL-D, the highest functional safety level. This BMS includes three independent thermal runaway monitors and alarms, along with an around-the-clock early warning system. Each Xiaomi battery boasts industry-leading reliability and undergoes the most stringent battery safety tests, including 1050+ safety verifications and 96 times the international standard of durability testing duration.
Xiaomi Die-Casting
Xiaomi has unveiled its self-developed Xiaomi Die-Casting T9100 cluster and proprietary die-casting alloy material, Xiaomi Titans Metal, making it the only domestic automaker simultaneously self-researching both large die-casting and materials.
Xiaomi Die-Casting T9100 covers an area of 840m², with a total weight of 1050t and a locking force reaching 9100t. Xiaomi has developed a foundation model quality judgment system that can complete inspections of individual pieces within 2 seconds, offering an efficiency ten times higher than manual inspection. The application of this cluster enables a remarkable achievement for the Xiaomi EV, with the rear underbody integrating 72 components into one, reducing welded joints by 840, decreasing overall car weight by 17%, and significantly reducing production hours by 45%.
In material research and development, Xiaomi has developed Xiaomi Titans Metal, a high-strength, high-resilience, heat-treated die-casting material. Xiaomi's self-developed "Multi-Material Performance Simulation System" selects the optimal alloy formula from 10.16 million possibilities, ensuring a perfect combination of strength, resilience, and stability.
While the industry focuses on the tonnage of die-casting clamping pressure, Xiaomi is steadfastly pursuing a full-stack self-researched path. From materials and equipment clusters to finished castings, Xiaomi has completed nearly all aspects of the large die-casting industrial chain.
Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving
In the field of intelligent software technology, Xiaomi has showcased its unique advantage as a global technology leader, driving the integration of the automotive and consumer electronics industries with intelligent ecosystems. In terms of autonomous driving, Xiaomi has pioneered three key technologies: Adaptive BEV Technology, Road-Mapping Foundational Model, and Super-Res Occupancy Network Technology.
Adaptive BEV Technology is an industry-leading innovation that invokes different perception algorithms based on scenarios. The perception grid has a minimum granularity of 5cm and a maximum of 20cm, with a recognition range extending from 5cm to 250m. This technology ensures wider visibility in urban scenarios, extended vision in high-speed scenarios, and more precision in parking scenarios.
Road-Mapping Foundational Model revolutionizes traditional methods of perceiving road conditions. This model not only recognizes them in real-time and intelligently switches to a more reasonable driving trajectory but can also navigate smoothly in complex intersections without relying on high-definition maps thanks to learning from complex intersection scenarios and experienced driver habits.
In terms of obstacle recognition, Xiaomi's Super-Res Occupancy Network Technology achieves unlimited categories of recognition for irregular obstacles. Compared to traditional networks that interpret obstacles as blocks, Xiaomi's innovative vector algorithm simulates all visible objects as continuous curved surfaces. This improves recognition accuracy to as low as 0.1m. Additionally, Xiaomi's self-developed one-click noise reduction feature eliminates the impact of rain and snow on recognition, significantly reducing the probability of misidentification.
In addition to the Road-Mapping Foundational Model, Xiaomi has also independently developed the world's first production-ready "End-to-End Sensing and Decision-Making AI Model" for automated parking. This model allows for real-time observation and dynamic adjustment when parking in challenging scenarios, such as parking facilities that include elevators.
On the hardware front, the system is equipped with top-of-the-line configurations, including two NVIDIA Orin high-performance chips with a combined computing power of 508TOPS. Perception hardware includes one LiDAR, eleven high-definition cameras, three millimeter-wave radars, and twelve ultrasonic radars on the Xiaomi SU7 Max model. With top-tier configurations and full-stack in-house research, Xiaomi's intelligent Autonomous Driving system is set to join the industry's top echelon by 2024.
Smart Cabin
Xiaomi EV Smart Cabin adopts a "human-centric" interaction architecture and features a 16.1-inch 3K central console, a 56-inch HUD head-up display, a 7.1-inch rotating dashboard, and two seat-back extension mounts that allow for the mounting of two tablet devices. It is equipped with the Snapdragon 8295 in-car chip with AI computing power of up to 30 TOPS, enabling an ultimate interactive experience with the linking of five different screens.
The interactive experience of Xiaomi Smart Cabin is similar to tablets, allowing users to quickly adapt without the need for a learning curve. The system operates exceptionally smoothly, with the vehicle OS launching in a rapid 1.49 seconds after the door is unlocked. Additionally, it offers seamless cross-device connection between smartphones and the EV. For example, when the phone is brought into the cabin, the console automatically displays an icon, enabling easy access to the phone's interface with a single touch.
The in-car OS seamlessly integrates mainstream applications, including the whole Xiaomi tablet application ecosystem, with gradual adaptation to over 5000 applications. Smartphone applications can be conveniently pinned to the car console, instantly transforming them into in-car applications. In terms of hardware integration, Xiaomi SU7 supports over 1000 Xiaomi smart home devices for effortless integration with the vehicle, enabling automatic discovery, password-free access, and the ability to set up automation scenarios, creating a robust CarIoT ecosystem. The car interior also has dedicated pin-point expansion connections, supporting plug-and-play functionality for a wide range of devices. To meet the needs of users, the Xiaomi EV fully supports CarPlay, the mounting of iPads and iPad accessories, and applications on the rear extension mount.
"Technology x Ecosystem" leads the evolution of EVs towards smart mobile spaces
During the presentation, Lei Jun shared Xiaomi's automotive goal: to craft a dream car for the new era of the automotive industry – a vehicle that is aesthetically pleasing, enjoyable to drive, comfortable, smart, and safe.
Representing the epitome of technology, experience, and aesthetics, the "trinity" dream car, Xiaomi SU7, is positioned as a "full-size high-performance eco-technology sedan," It aims to achieve high performance, eco-technology capabilities, and a comprehensive mobile smart space experience.
Xiaomi SU7 emerges as a pinnacle of performance with cutting-edge technology and advanced driving experiences. With a self-developed E-motor - HyperEngine, CTB Integrated Battery Technology, and a series of challenging technological innovations, such as the body structure manufactured from the Xiaomi Die-Casting T9100 die-casting cluster, Xiaomi SU7 Max achieves a zero-to-hundred acceleration in an impressive 2.78 seconds, firmly placing itself in the "sub-2-second supercar" club, while being capable of reaching an astonishing top speed of 265 km/h.
Xiaomi SU7 is also a truly versatile performer. With a fully self-developed Xiaomi Smart Chassis control algorithm, it possesses two major capabilities: Smart Multidimensional Sensing and Global Synchronized Control. This allows for millisecond-level adaptive dynamic chassis control across all scenarios, providing a stable handling experience while delivering an almost “bump-free" driving experience.
More importantly, Xiaomi SU7 incorporates three major ecosystem empowerments by integrating applications, hardware, and third-party CarIoT ecosystems, providing an unprecedented smart mobile space experience. The Xiaomi CarIoT ecosystem is fully open to third parties, featuring standardized interfaces, extensive communication protocol standards, and lightweight retrofit solutions for existing devices.
Lei Jun stated that the ultimate realm of smart electric vehicles is the fusion of technological breakthroughs and the seamless integration of user needs and their vehicles, where driving becomes intuitive.
Completing the "Human x Car x Home" smart ecosystem
At the end of October this year, Xiaomi announced a comprehensive upgrade of its group strategy, transitioning from "Smartphone x AIoT" to the "Human x Car x Home" smart ecosystem, with automobiles becoming a crucial component of Xiaomi's strategic focus.
The "Human x Car x Home" smart ecosystem is a comprehensive integration of scenarios involving people, cars, and homes, facilitating seamless connectivity of hardware devices, real-time coordination, and driving collaboration among industry partners. Lei Jun announced during this conference that with the addition of Xiaomi EV, the "Human x Car x Home" smart ecosystem has officially been completed.
The ecosystem enables mutual collaboration and evolution among individuals, devices, and intelligent services within the ecosystem. Leveraging HyperConnect cross-device connectivity, Xiaomi HyperOS seamlessly integrates over 200 product categories, including Xiaomi EV. The ecosystem coverage extends to over 95% of users' daily scenarios, allowing intelligence to intricately serve each individual. Simultaneously, with AI empowerment, Xiaomi HyperMind serves as the center for intelligent reasoning and can perceive and learn from usage, providing automated, proactive solutions.
Additionally, the "Human x Car x Home" smart ecosystem achieves mutual empowerment among products, technologies, and industries, maintaining an open platform; Xiaomi adheres to the principle of "continuous R&D in foundational technology, continuous and long-term investment." Over the past 13 years, Xiaomi has strategically positioned itself in 12 technology domains and 99 sectors. Guided by the principle of "further integration of software and hardware, and fully harnessing AI capability," Xiaomi has developed a "converged technology stack," continually empowering product research and development as well as manufacturing
Simultaneously, Xiaomi collaborates with industry partners, including developers, supply chain, and manufacturing to harness the full potential of the entire industry, making Xiaomi HyperOS a more open platform and ensuring that "Human x Car x Home" becomes more inclusive and human-centered, capable of enabling a multitude of possibilities.
Lei Jun stated that Xiaomi's entry into the automotive industry marks a significant leap. This represents a long-term commitment and deep investment in foundational core technologies, a coming-of-age moment for Xiaomi's modern industrial intelligent manufacturing capabilities, and most importantly, a crucial step in completing the "Human x Car x Home" smart ecosystem. Lei Jun emphasized, "Xiaomi's entry into the automotive industry signifies a new beginning for Xiaomi, I believe that one day, Xiaomi EVs will be a familiar sight on roads around the world".
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