Xiaomi, the Chinese consumer electronics company that makes everything from smartphones to electric scooters and household appliances, is moving forward with its plan of manufacturing an all-electric passenger vehicle, and according to a leaked photo published on FixMyGuide, it should have an above-average driving range.
As per the source, Xiaomi’s upcoming EV – known as the MS11 – appears to be equipped with a 101-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that’s rated at 726.7 volts and 139 amp-hours. With a weight of 1,415 pounds (642 kilograms), it bears the A1310C model name and has the manufacturing code f47832.
Technicalities aside, the battery label indicates that the Chinese company’s first electric car could be able to fast charge at 800V, which should translate into shorter charging sessions compared to 400V packs from competitors.
The driving range is still unknown, but we can make an educated guess based on what we know from the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan, which comes with a 108.4-kWh battery pack and has an estimated range between 277 miles (446 kilometers) and 350 miles (563 km), depending on the power level and whether or not it’s rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
We first wrote about Xiaomi’s foray into the automotive industry back in 2021, when there were discussions about a possible partnership between the Chinese electronics company and an actual carmaker, like Great Wall Motors, but the latter declined the information saying that it was false. Then, another rumor surfaced that said Xiaomi Automotive was in talks with BAIC Group, which makes cars under the Arcfox, Beijing, Foton, and Changhe brands. However, this is yet to be confirmed.
Fast-forward to March 2023 and Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun held a meeting during which he said that the company’s car business is progressing “beyond expectations” and that multiple prototypes have completed winter testing, with mass production set to begin as early as the first half of next year.
According to Chinese media, the firm’s first adventure into the passenger EV world will have a starting price of around $43,000 (300,000 RMB) when it goes on sale in 2024, which would make it one of the most expensive products in its vast portfolio of laptops, smartphones, appliances, electric scooters, and electric go-karts, among other things.
As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.
