Xiaomi SU7 is finally here: All you need to know

Leading smartphone and consumer electronics giant Xiaomi made the expected move by revealing its first electric vehicle to the public. Known as the SU7, this full-size, high-performance, eco-technology car integrates Xiaomi's five core electric vehicle technologies: the battery, the die-casting technique, the e-motor, the autonomous driving pilot, and the smart cabin. 

These in-house core technologies represent the result of 13 years of carefully selected research and development work involving 3,400 engineers from both China and beyond. Xiaomi spent around CNY 10 billion (USD 1.41 billion or INR 11,700 crores) on this large-scale initiative.

Features of Xiaomi SU7

In the automotive business, Xiaomi's in-house designed electric motors appear to have drawn a lot of attention. The HyperEngine V6, HyperEngine V6 S, and HyperEngine V8 S are the three electric motors fitted in the EV. Using ultra-high-strength silicon steel and an S-shaped oil circuitry with cutting-edge oil cooling technology, the EV offers a best-in-class heat dissipation system. The V6 and V6 S electric motors have an industry-best rotating speed of 21,000 RPM, while the even more insane 27,200 RPM is boasted by the V8 S motor, which is still under development. According to performance measures, the V6 motor has 299 PS and 400 Nm, while the V6 S has 374 PS and 500 NM. With about 580 PS and 635 Nm, the performance of the V8 S is a step forward.

Xiaomi has achieved 77.8% battery integration efficiency, 24.4% performance gain, and a 17mm reduction in battery height above industry standards by using CTB-integrated battery technology. The platform can handle up to 150 kWh of capacity, meaning that a 1,200 km theoretical range is possible. The company says that while constructing batteries, they took full occupant safety into account. A variety of components, including dual-side water cooling and 165 aerogel insulation, make up the heat dissipation system. In addition to ASIL-D, Xiaomi's in-house BMS has three separate thermal runaway monitoring. Additionally, the business boasts 1,050+ safety verifications.

In terms of production, Xiaomi is going all out by creating its own materials and big die-casting. To begin with, the business created Xiaomi Titans Metal, a brand-new heat-treated die-casting material with exceptional resistance and strength. Based on 10.16 million permutations, the company's Multi-Material Performance Simulation System chooses an alloy formula on demand.

With an area of 840m², Xiaomi's new T9100 die-casting cluster has a combined weight of 1,050t and a locking force of up to 9,100t. A new quality judging system that can evaluate individual components in two seconds was also announced by the corporation. By combining 72 rear underbody components into one, the new T9100 cluster reduces 840 weld joints, which results in a 17% reduction in weight and a 45% reduction in manufacturing hours.

In support of employing human resources, India's Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has discouraged autonomous driving. Justifiably so. However, there has been a surge in demand for AI-based autonomous driving in international markets. With SU7, Xiaomi has integrated three essential technologies: Super-Res Occupancy Network Technology, Road-Mapping Foundational Model, and Adaptive BEV Technology.

For automated parking and autonomous driving, the company has invested in an "End-to-End Sensing and Decision-Making AI Model." This AI model is trained to have minimum granularity, extended recognition range, vectorization technology for irregular object recognition, and advanced noise reduction features. Among the hardware on the SU7 that allows for autonomous driving are two NVIDIA Orin processors, a LiDAR, eleven high-definition cameras, three-millimetre wave radars, and twelve ultrasonic radars.

The in-cabin experience has been a major factor in the car industry recently. Following suit, the Xiaomi SU7 comes equipped with the brand's Smart Cabin technology, which includes a 16.3-inch centre display with 3K resolution, a massive 56-inch head-up display, a 7.1-inch rotating dashboard, and two tablet mounts for the rear seats.

The goal of Xiaomi's solution is to lower the learning curve by quickly introducing the car operating system and enabling one-touch cross-device connectivity with the user's smartphone. Up to 5,000 smartphone apps are integrated, and SU7 is compatible with more than 1,000 Xiaomi smart home appliances, resulting in a straightforward CarloT ecosystem.

The Xiaomi EV SU7 is positioned as a full-size high-performance eco-technology sedan. It can reach a peak speed of 265 km/h and complete a 0-100 km/h sprint in under 2.78 seconds. Additionally, the vehicle incorporates Xiaomi Smart Chassis Control, which promises pleasant driving and dynamic handling.

The CEO, Chairman, and Founder of Xiaomi Group, Lei Jun, quotes a verse from Chinese poetry "With firm strides, we are crossing its summit". He further said that Xiaomi's foray into the automobile sector represents a substantial departure from the smartphone sector and an essential step in completing the loop on the Human x Car x Home smart ecosystem. Lei Jun went on to say that there isn't much room for manoeuvring in the century-old automobile business these days, saying, "Xiaomi has decided to invest tenfold, starting from the development of fundamental core technologies, committing to constructing an outstanding vehicle." Xiaomi wants to rank among the top five automobile companies in the world after 15 to 20 years of work.