BEIJING based car maker Xiaomi Auto has taken EV charging solutions to a futuristic next level, previewing a robotic arm that can plug itself into a vehicle’s charging port and initiate charging automatically.

 

Without input from the vehicle owner, the robotic arm – extending from a 152mm-wide case – uses AI technology to accurately insert a charger into the vehicle’s port and can unplug itself once the battery reaches full charge or a set level.

 

Charging can also be initiated by the owner remotely via a smartphone app.

 

However, this isn’t a novelty concept that will never see the production light of day as it’s slated for rollout in its home market in the fourth quarter of this year.

 

This isn’t the first time a robotic charging arm has been tried by an electric vehicle company. 

 

Back in 2015, Tesla previewed a prototype of a similar device, but while it has invested heavily in robotics technology – going as far to repurpose its ex-Model S and Model X factory in California to manufacture the humanoid Optimus robot – the charging arm never made it to full production.

 

Xiaomi also isn’t the Chinese automotive player to preview such technology, with Li Auto, Zeekr, and the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance among those to showcase their own robotic charging arms.

 

Another method of electric vehicle charging that is slowly becoming more mainstream is wireless vehicle charging.

 

In 2018, BMW became the first manufacturer to offer a wireless vehicle charger from the factory for its 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid. 

 

The technology has slowly started becoming more widespread.

 

For instance, in September of last year Porsche announced the release of a one-box plate – meaning it does not require a wallbox or control unit – 11kW inductive charger alongside the Cayenne Electric SUV.

 

Up until this point, Xiaomi has exclusively sold its vehicles in China but has still made international automotive headlines in recent times, particularly with its high-profile Nürburgring lap record attempts.

 

Those attempts saw the SU7 sedan and YU7 GT SUV claim the production EV sedan and the production SUV lap records respectively around the world-famous racetrack (until the former’s record was taken by the Manthey-kitted Porsche Taycan Turbo GT).

 

In its home market, Xiaomi’s products have launched to overwhelming receptions.

 

When the YU7 – its Tesla Model Y competitor – was launched in China last year, Xiaomi secured over 240,000 orders within 18 hours.

 

While official plans to bring its vehicles to Australia are yet to be confirmed by the Chinese brand, it has announced plans to launch in Europe during 2027.

EV drivers love skipping the traditional gas station, but those who charge at home still have to manually plug in their vehicles almost every night. It’s not a dealbreaker really, but consumer technology giant Xiaomi wants to eliminate that last bit of physical effort. The company demonstrated a new home charging robotic arm that automates the entire process. This device takes care of both plugging in and unplugging EVs without any human intervention. Xiaomi says it is ready to launch this automated accessory on the retail market in the fourth quarter of 2026, targeting the residential garages where most EV owners recharge.

Xiaomi fulfills an old promise that the wider automotive industry failed to deliver. More than ten years ago, Tesla chief Elon Musk promised a similar solution for electric cars, describing a metal snake charger that would automatically extend from a wall. Tesla even revealed a working prototype in 2015, but the project quietly disappeared into the corporate graveyard. Instead, Tesla shifted its focus toward wireless inductive charging for models like the Cybercab robotaxi. Xiaomi decided to stick to the physical plug concept and make it production-ready.

The physical design of the Xiaomi robotic arm is perfect for tight residential spaces. The housing measures exactly 6 inches wide, allowing it to fit easily next to vehicles in small home garages. The system uses advanced artificial intelligence vision recognition to guide the charging gun with sub-millimeter precision into the vehicle’s port. It also communicates directly with the car to trigger motorized charge port covers to open and close automatically. Owners can monitor and manage the system remotely through their smartphones, as the arm completely integrates into the brand’s existing smart home and vehicle ecosystem.

Automated mechanical arms solve a major technical issue that currently plagues wireless charging alternatives. Wireless pads remove the need for a physical cord, but they suffer from lower energy efficiency. Standard wireless inductive systems operate at an efficiency rate between 88 percent and 93 percent under perfect alignment. Direct physical plug-in systems operate at roughly 95 percent efficiency because they eliminate the air gap between the pad and the vehicle. On top of that, wireless charging under the common SAE J2954 standard generally tops out at 11 kW of power, whereas physical plugs can handle much higher rates.

Tesla prototype from 2015

For owners of modern EVs, these small percentages make a financial difference over time. Wasted energy transforms into heat and increases electricity bills over the years of daily use. A mechanical system preserves the full efficiency of a direct connection while offering the exact same convenience as a wireless system. Additionally, owners do not need to install heavy or expensive hardware inside their electric cars to make it work. The robotic arm functions perfectly with any standard charging port already built into the vehicle.

Xiaomi has not confirmed a final price for the new accessory, which will join its current lineup of 7 kW and 11 kW wallbox chargers. Price will decide whether home consumers adopt the technology. The company faces rising competition in the automated charging sector, particularly within the Chinese market. Other automakers are rushing to develop similar hands-free systems for their own premium electric cars – Li Auto announced ongoing tests for its own automatic charging robot during the launch of the Li Auto i8 electric SUV.

Similarly, the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA from Huawei) revealed an automated charging system for the Aito M8. That setup allows drivers to use an off-vehicle parking feature to send the car into a bay, where a robotic arm opens the port and inserts the plug automatically. Beyond automotive brands, independent infrastructure companies are entering the race. Star Charge introduced its own fully automatic robotic system called Armstrong – it achieves millimeter-level accuracy, connects in under 40 seconds, supports liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging, and uses a patented adapter ring to fit various global plug standards.

Chinese manufacturers focus heavily on residential solutions, and global automakers are exploring public applications for this technology. Hyundai has been testing its own automatic charging robots at Incheon International Airport to assist travelers. Other companies are testing ceiling-rail-mounted robots that slide across commercial parking garages to service multiple vehicles. Because roughly 80 percent of EV charging takes place at home, Xiaomi’s compact garage-ready arm could give the company a meaningful advantage if the retail price is reasonable.

Via

Xiaomi’s upcoming YU7 GT has just become the world’s fastest production SUV around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with a lap time of 7:34.931. The record was achieved with Xiaomi chief test driver Ren Zhoucan behind the wheel.

Previously, the record for the fastest production SUV was held by the Audi RS Q8 Performance with a lap time of 7:36.698. The second-best time prior to the YU7 GT taking the crown was achieved by the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT – 7:38.925.

Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun praised the YU7 GT’s achievement, stressing how the higher center of gravity in SUVs makes posting an ideal time on the famous circuit highly difficult.

Xiaomi will fully unveil the YU7 GT on May 21, but the company has already revealed that it has a dual-motor system delivering 738kW or 990hp. It has carbon-ceramic brake discs and was jointly developed by Chinese and European experts. It has a top speed of 186 mph and a range of up to 438 miles under the optimistic CLTC testing conditions.

The YU7 GT is expected to start at around CNY 400,000 (approximately £42,800 at the current exchange rates). The ‘vanilla’, non-GT YU7 model launched last June starting at CNY 253,500 (£27,100).

Xiaomi has already deployed YU7 GT display vehicles to 268 stores in 82 Chinese cities, and it’s recently introduced the striking Crimson Red colorway.

• Xiaomi will offer owners a free upgrade to fix the SU7 Ultra’s “fake” hood vents.
• The automaker was sued after owners who bought the $5,800 upgrade and found that the vents didn’t actually move air as expected.
• A three-hour upgrade adds electronically-actuated vanes to fix the airflow problem.

Not long ago, Xiaomi got blasted by owners for a rather expensive performance upgrade that proved to be all show and no go. That upgrade? A $5,800 carbon fiber hood with gigantic vents in the front marketed to provide “track-level cooling” to the flagship performance sedan.

It turns out those vents provided no actual airflow and it resulted in owners demanding refunds for the entire cost of the car. Almost a year after owners revolted, Xiaomi finally has a fix: an upgrade that turns those fake vents into real ones.

Photo by: Xiaomi

The change, as originally reported by Chinese news outlet IT Home, adds electronically-actuated vanes that can open and close to adjust the airflow (and as a result, the car’s downforce at highway speeds), sending air from the car’s front grille through the vents when the owner puts the car in track mode, or automatically at speeds above 93 mph.

Xiaomi says that owners could see a slight range dip at high speeds, but that low-speed driving should be unaffected.

This hood drama dates back to last May when owners first realized that the hood didn’t actually provide the aerodynamic upgrade that Xiaomi promised. Owners took the automaker to court over claims of false advertising where a court in Suzhou, China ruled against Xiaomi and ordered it to pay damages to some owners.

However, last month, Xiaomi scored a win in a separate local court in Changsha. That court ruled that marketing terms like “high-efficiency airflow” used by Xiaomi to describe the function of its hood didn’t actually constitute deliberate intent to mislead customers.

Even if the Xiaomi SU7’s hood vents took all of this drama to become functional, at least Xiaomi is offering an upgrade—especially one at no cost to owners. It’s unfortunate that it had to come to lawsuits and public shaming from owners, but seeing the automaker actually provide an upgrade that is technical in nature and not just adding a rivet or slapping on some adhesive is refreshing in 2026.

Xiaomi says that qualifying owners can schedule the complimentary service in its app to arrange the upgrade. The installation takes about three hours to complete.

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China’s Xiaomi has brought something special to the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. It’s a new Vision Gran Turismo concept that will soon feature in the Gran Turismo racing game on PlayStation.

Images of the electric supercar concept had recently surfaced online. The images revealed a sleek and radical design, with a low roofline and muscular fenders. The low-slung nose section features intricate vents, cooling ducts and a pair of nostrils on the bonnet. It has an aggressive front splitter, massive vents on the sides, and a large, fixed rear wing.

We know that Xiaomi can build a high-performance electric car. Last year, the SU7 Ultra went on to set a Nurburgring lap time of 7 min 04.957 seconds, becoming the fastest production EV to lap the legendary circuit.

The Xiaomi Vision GT concept will be officially unveiled at the Fira Gran Via exhibition centre in Barcelona on March 2, 2026.

Source: @drivegreen_livegreen