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Transportation Technology

Xiaomi's First EV is the Freshest Take on a 'Smartphone on Wheels' (techcrunch.com) 32

Posted by msmash from the fast-forward dept.
Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has revealed its first electric car, a sharp-looking sedan called the SU7. Slated to roll out in China next year, it's another entry into an increasingly crowded market for EVs. It's also another attempt in this software-obsessed world to match up the technology people find in their phones to what goes on inside their car. From a report: Xiaomi might have a shot. 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's supposed to be dynamic enough to power everything including phones, smart home systems and cars. The goal is a more seamless experience, one where your apps and preferences are ready to go no matter where you are.

[...] As for the specs, they look impressive on paper. The company is claiming as much range on a full charge as 800 km, or just shy of 500 miles, though that's on China's rosy test cycle. That is on the higher-end model, which is built atop a 101kWh battery pack from Chinese giant CATL. A base model with just 73.6kWh of capacity will allegedly get closer to 668 km, or 415 miles, on a charge. They will charge fast (220 km in five minutes) and will be fast (0-100 km/h in just 2.78 seconds). Pricing will come at a later date.
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Xiaomi's First EV is the Freshest Take on a 'Smartphone on Wheels' More

Xiaomi's First EV is the Freshest Take on a 'Smartphone on Wheels'

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  • No, it is not a smartphone on wheels. (Score:4)

    by FaxeTheCat ( 1394763 ) on Thursday December 28, 2023 @11:55AM (#64112173)
    The problem for some people seems to be able to understand that an EV is just a car with a different drivetrain.
    It is NOT just a new gadget to deploy software on. The software is not the main component of the car.
    In real life it has been evident that the software is not the main selling point. Look at VW. Their software is considered to be pretty bad, but they are still one of the top selling EV manufacturers. Because the cars are really good cars.
    Then again, pelople will say "look at Tesla". Well, Tesla had the market to themselves for quite some time, so they could take their time learning how to build cars with little or no competition..

    • Dunno about anything else, I just want the magical 5.6 mi/kW-hr performance of the 74kW-hr version! That's crazy impressive if true over any kind of average driving (my EV lifetime average over 10k miles is about 4.0 mi/kW-hr).

      • That’s not hard to achieve on a lighter and smaller EV where you keep it under 30mph.

      • I just want the magical 5.6 mi/kW-hr performance of the 74kW-hr version!

        EV energy performance has a lot of factors but the largest one is hills.

        My 2015 Nissan LEAF, nearly 10 years old now, has lost about 20% of the original capacity but can still reliably get me about 120km in the summer and about 95km - 100km in the winter (depending on heating) - as long as the route it relatively flat. But, for example, there's an IKEA warehouse about 65km away from my house but the elevation drops from about 350m to 100m. Going has me arriving with about 40%-50% battery remaining, but re

    • And the goddamn door handles. Why? Why? They lack any ergonomic design, its like tugging on a broom handle.
      • I guess my vision is bad because I don't see broom handles. I see a recessed access to pull on an aerodynamically flush handle.

        Motorized handles are stupid and add another fail point.
        • It’s because if you stand behind the door to allow it to open then you are pulling axially on a thin rod instead of perpendicular on a handle. It requires more grip strength because you are relying on friction rather than pushing into a solid surface by gripping under and pulling. It’s not a matter of being flush, you could still have a flap with a solid lip that pops out but instead a need to make them different at the expense of optimal design makes them, well, stupid.

    • The problem for some people seems to be able to understand that an EV is just a car with a different drivetrain. It is NOT just a new gadget to deploy software on. The software is not the main component of the car.

      Cool story, bro. Wanna pass that message along to the manufacturers and the marketing departments? Engineering may need a copy of that message as well. They apparently haven't figured that out yet for themselves.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The drivetrain depends a lot on software for performance and feel. That means the driver can select different levels of performance and different feels for driving at the touch of a button. It's way beyond the minor changes that fossil drivetrains can make.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by _merlin ( 160982 )

        That means the driver can select different levels of performance and different feels for driving at the touch of a button. It's way beyond the minor changes that fossil drivetrains can make.

        Have you driven a Camry Hybrid? Switching between Eco, Normal and Sport modes completely changes the throttle response. Throttle-by-wire and dynamic ECU maps provide huge scope for changing the driving experience with an internal combustion motor.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          We don't have Camrys. The scope for EVs goes way beyond throttle response. The breaking is a blend of regen and friction, for example.

  • A *more* "seamless" integration between phones and cars.

    Car manufacturers need to understand that, while driving, physical buttons are better than touch screens, by a lot.

    • Re:Just what we all needed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Thursday December 28, 2023 @12:20PM (#64112253)

      Car manufacturers need to understand that, while driving, physical buttons are better than touch screens, by a lot.

      Interestingly 67 seconds into their promo video [youtu.be] it shows the interior with a closeup of rows of buttons, and the translation (from Chinese), "Instinct tells us our communication with machines should not be confined merely to a display. The most intuitive and natural interaction is through physical buttons."

      Thankfully, I think the peak "slab" era has passed.

      • In the same video they also show the screen on some motorized flippy-thing like it's an aftermarket stereo from the mid 2000s. I'm sure that won't break and be wildly expensive to fix, in comparison to just having a display in a fixed position.

        I thank them for using buttons and knobs, but I don't need the rest of the bad failure-prone designs from Pioneer, Alpine, and Kenwood.

        • Well, moving tactile mechanical things do have their downsides. I kept a late 90's Jetta too long and half the buttons and drawers and louvers were busted, you were afraid to touch anything let alone try to unsnap it for disassembly.

          • I kept a late 90's Jetta too long and half the buttons and drawers and louvers were busted, you were afraid to touch anything let alone try to unsnap it for disassembly.

            That's because it's a VW. All the plastics they use are terrible. My brother has a Golf convertible, and the insulation on the crank position sensor just disintegrated altogether. The wires to it were totally bare. He's had several similar issues with plastics that suffer embrittlement in that car. It isn't a universal problem, it's jus

        • but I don't need the rest of the bad failure-prone designs from Pioneer, Alpine, and Kenwood.

          Sounds the fancy sliding, hinged design 'feature' on yours broke just like it did on mine.

          A super cool design that turned out in the end to be a super shit design.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Xiaomi products tend to be very well designed. They are what Apple claims to be - actually good design - while also being fairly affordable. Not cheap, but not over-priced.

  • It looks like a European ICE vehicle. Why does an EV need such a large hood area?

    • Why does an EV need such a large hood area?

      Don't know what wheelbase is, do ya? Where do you think all those batteries go? Not to mention there is the crumple zone for accidents.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Junta ( 36770 )

      Crumple zone (accidents with other cars, obstacles, pedestrians and cyclists).

      Balance. Keeping the passengers more in the middle of the wheelbase is a good thing.

      The wheel wells need some oom anyway, so you can't park your passengers there anyway and have any hope of appropriately spaced cabin.

      There's still "stuff" that suggests the utility of a hood to access to service. It's not as harsh as an enginge compartment and needed less frequently, so it's more likely to offer up some storage space with covers

    • Looks like a Kia Stinger to me...

  • It wouldn't be entirely surprising(though, given some of the...interesting...choices you get on Chinese phone vendor android skins, hardly assured) if a phone vendor can do a car infotainment system that at least comes out of the gate not feeling a decade old and badly broken; unlike some of the primarily car guys; but that doesn't really seem like it's going to cut it unless the implied plan is to change the lifecycle pretty radically.

    It's a pretty major failure if a car doesn't last long enough that it

  • Oh yeah (Score:5, Insightful)

    by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Thursday December 28, 2023 @12:59PM (#64112361) Journal

    Yes, I really REALLY want to drive a 'Smartphone on Wheels', that's exactly what I dream of.

    Be still my heart, and by that I mean "just kill me now".

  • All fine and good until it burns down your house while you charge it. Chinese e-bikes have taught us to be cautious.

    • Aren't you confusing those with Korean batteries? ;P

      It's funny, the Chinese stuff I've bought in N. America has been cheaper & shittier than the Chinese stuff I've bought in the EU. It's almost as if the manufacturers adapt their products to meet consumers' expectations.
  • "Xiaomi's first Lithium-based pyrotechnics display/bomb can also drive places sometimes!"

  • Can't wait for the SU10, or SUX. (Score:3)

    by chas.williams ( 6256556 ) on Friday December 29, 2023 @08:46AM (#64114427)
    I wonder if Xiomai is aware of that movie.

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