A Chinese company specializing mainly in technology known for its phoneswould like to join the world of electric cars. Unfortunately for her, the road there is not a long smooth river, and aside from the announcements and investments, the first car is slow to arrive.

On paper, she likes everything

In 2021 Xiaomi announced its intention to enter the electric vehicle market through its new company Xiaomi Auto Co Ltdpledging an initial investment of US$1.5 billion, later increased to US$10 billion, of which 500 million only on autopilot. In addition, 500 people work full-time on this feature, the centerpiece a manufacturer that wants to become China’s Teslaas well as 140 cars that are being tested on the country’s roads.

Since Xiaomi entered the electric vehicle industry 500 days ago, our autonomous driving team has gathered more than 500 members, planned to invest 3.3 billion yuan in the first phase of research and development, and committed to independently develop complete algorithms. We aim to be the industry leader in 2024. pic.twitter.com/sRaRJ6t0uk

— leijun (@leijun) August 11, 2022

The manufacturer’s promise, in addition to the price, which is undoubtedly very successful, will also offer record autonomy in its best version. Indeed, the first model of the brand will offer 2 separate batteries according to the needs of the buyer and his finances, of course.

The entry level version will come withLFP battery (Lithium Iron Phosphate) as in the Tesla Model Y. This battery called “Blade” will be provided by the manufacturer BYD.

The top-class version, for its part, will be supplied by CATL with an NMC (Lithium-Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt) battery. This technology has a better energy density for it, which allows you to either display much more kW for the same battery weight, or reduce the weight of the battery. Another advantage is that this technology is considered less expensive, but on the other hand, it is also considered dangerous. It needs to be better controlled due to some chemical instability. However, according to China’s CLTC cycle, which is more optimistic than our WLTP, it could travel up to 1,000 km on a single charge or charge from 10 to 80% in just 10 minutes.

Problems with the authorities

New companies entering China’s automotive space must submit documents proving their financial and technological capabilities. This verification process often takes several months, and in some cases the government completely rejects these demands. Although Xiaomi has yet to receive the necessary approvals for its car project, that doesn’t seem to have slowed down its development.

However, the Chinese authorities seem to be in no rush to see the additional mark arrive and are back more difficult to get a license following the entry of many companies into the electric vehicle sector seeking to get their hands on tax breaks and government subsidies. Instead of developing startups with dubious sales forecasts, Beijing wants companies to buy others or team up to develop electric cars. As a result, Xiaomi may soon join the manufacturer BAIC.