Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is most known for its smartphones, but it has other rather cool tech projects under its umbrella too. It’s got neat air-charging tech, an awesome electric scooter, and now has plans to get in on the action that is electric vehicles.
Xiaomi hits the streets
According to Reuters, the company is talking with Great Wall Motor Ltd, China’s largest SUV and pick-up truck producer, about using one of its plants to make its own EVs. Reuters‘s sources say Xiaomi intends to penetrate the mass market alongside its other electronic products. This is also in line with the company aiming to broaden its revenue sources, particularly because of the effect the global chip shortage is having on production costs.
The plan is another example of big tech and motor companies devoting more attention to sustainability, EVs in particular. Automakers such as Jeep, BMW, and VW have all made headway on broadening their EV offerings. Tesla continues to encourage EV usage, having recently lobbied to raise taxes on fossil fuels in the UK. Even Apple is rumored to be working on its own EV (though nothing is officially confirmed yet).
Reuters reports that Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun believes the company’s expertise in tech production should hasten production of its EVs, which are set to release some time in 2023. Additionally, as is the case with a lot of its products, the vehicles will launch capable of connecting to a range of other Xiaomi devices. What exactly this entails is uncertain for now, but it’s an exciting prospect nonetheless.