Xiaomi Auto no longer worries about energy replenishment

Author | Wang Xiaojuan

Editor | Chai Xuchen

The energy replenishment issue that has always worried Xiaomi car owners has now been somewhat resolved.

On December 25th, Xiaomi Automobile announced that it has officially started a charging network cooperation with the three major new forces: Nio, XPeng, and Li Auto. This means that a total of about 30,000 charging piles from these three companies will officially join the Xiaomi charging network.

In the new energy vehicle industry, Xiaomi Automobile has always been synonymous with demonstrating latecomer advantages. After entering the car manufacturing sector, it can quickly make up for its shortcomings in energy replenishment by leveraging the replenishment systems established by earlier players, further promoting sales.

In the first half of this year, after the release of the SU7, the surge in sales quickly made the industry stop discussing whether Xiaomi would struggle to sell cars. However, its lag in energy replenishment has still been criticized.

Although Xiaomi has its own supercharging piles for sale, it does not have a complete energy replenishment system. This year, over 120,000 units of the SU7 have been delivered, with more than 100,000 units still awaiting delivery. Additionally, the Xiaomi YU7, which will be launched next year, is also a pure electric model, so the energy replenishment issue must be considered.

Even if the cars are not struggling to sell, providing car owners with a convenient energy replenishment experience is also an important measure for Xiaomi to ensure subsequent sales. Xiaomi Automobile previously announced that it would use 600kW liquid-cooled supercharging technology to build its own supercharging network, but not much has been constructed so far. Lei Jun hopes to solve this problem by utilizing existing resources.

Now, collaborating with these three major new forces is a measure to make reasonable use of existing resources.

Interestingly, when the Xiaomi SU7 was launched, it was also the last time the founders of Nio, XPeng, and Li Auto appeared together after a long time. Currently, the situations of each company have diverged significantly, and it seems that only Lei Jun can bring a few people together.

The energy replenishment issue has long been one of the persistent problems in the development of new energy vehicles.

China, having developed new energy earlier, has the most complete energy replenishment system in the world. However, with technological advancements and changes in user needs, the energy replenishment system faces issues such as regional imbalances and the difficulty of matching new equipment with outdated charging piles.

Currently, many new cars promote 800V high-voltage fast charging as a selling point, but on one hand, the charging piles that support 800V fast charging are relatively limited, and the compatibility between different brands continues to trouble consumers, making it difficult to eliminate energy replenishment anxiety.

When new energy vehicles are no longer just a technological experience for a few early adopters but are instead flooding the market, they will still make more conservative choices. For example, due to the convenience of energy replenishment, they are more inclined to purchase hybrid models and extended-range models, while pure electric vehicles have not sold well this year.

Therefore, car companies collaborating on energy replenishment can effectively promote the rational use of resources across the industry and further increase the overall penetration rate of new energy.

This time, Xiaomi's simultaneous partnership with Nio, XPeng, and Li Auto is also a form of industry solidarity; moreover, improving efficiency through collaboration is more evident in the area of energy replenishment.

Coincidentally, this year, BMW and Mercedes-Benz also joined forces to establish a joint venture to operate a supercharging network in the Chinese market. After all, having its own energy replenishment system is crucial for alleviating consumers' concerns, especially for brands positioned at the high end In the construction of the energy supplement system, Nio, which has always emphasized a user-centered approach, is the most aggressive. Whether it's supercharging stations or battery swap stations, Nio's energy supplement system not only provides convenience for Nio owners but also benefits many owners of other brands. Since last year, major automakers such as Changan, Geely, Chery, Jianghuai, and GAC have joined Nio's battery swap system.

Since the beginning of this year, increasingly fierce competition has stimulated a series of alliances in the industry, with cooperation extending from basic aspects like energy supplementation to all aspects of vehicle manufacturing.

Traditional automakers, primarily focused on the "four realms," have chosen to closely align with Huawei, making their collaboration with Huawei a key selling point; within large groups, measures to integrate resources, reduce costs, and improve efficiency are also increasing; many international automakers are frequently partnering with domestic companies, ushering in the era of joint ventures 2.0.

Looking at the century-old automakers around the world, many are the result of alliances. The year-end promotions already indicate the intensity of the industry next year. In the coming year, not only will some industry players be eliminated, but there will also be more stories of alliances forming to combat industry risks