- Automatic connection, disconnection and remote control
- Xiaomi Auto is reported to be the first to bring the technology to the market
- It will only be compatible with Xiaomi electric vehicles
In 2014, Elon Musk took to Twitter to claim that the company was working on a robotic EV charging solution that “automatically comes out of the wall and connects like a solid metal snake.”
A year later, Tesla showed a working prototype (the video is still on YouTube), but the project did not materialize.
Despite not being officially dead, there’s a good chance that Tesla’s sliding metal snake charger is too complicated, too expensive, and perhaps too “extended” to bring to market.
The company also scrapped its plans to introduce a wireless charging solution for Tesla at home.
However, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is looking at an automated robotic charging system for (presumably) wealthy SU7 and YU7 owners in China, as it has just introduced a unit that is compact enough to reside in a residential garage and that literally takes the drudgery out of charging.
Look
According to its manufacturer, the robotic loading arm starts charging automatically. Owners can simply park and drive away without issuing any commands or performing manual operations, Car News China reports.
Once the charging session is completed, the robot will automatically disconnect the charging connector and store it neatly in its own storage unit.
There is also the option for users to initiate a charge via smartphone, as long as the vehicle is parked within reach of the telescopic arm. This eliminates the need for owners to be physically close to a vehicle.
There is currently no information on pricing, although the short promotional video released by Xiaomi appeared to show a “production-ready” product in a real-world environment, meaning the technology will likely go on sale in China in a matter of months.
Analysis: Are unwieldy cables about to disappear?
Look
Recently, Porsche announced its wireless charging pad for the electric Cayenne, allowing owners to drive on it and charge the vehicle seamlessly without the need to touch often dirty and heavy electric vehicle cables that spend their lives outdoors.
In China, it seems that several companies are already working on solutions that allow customers to not have to get their hands dirty, as Aito last year introduced its purely electric version Aito M8 that uses a robotic arm for charging.
Chinese automaker Li Auto also stated last year that it was working on robotic charging arms, although its solution is designed to make its public charging network more convenient to use.
Since modern electric vehicles are already equipped with the sensors and technology necessary to communicate with a robotic charging arm, it seems logical that this could be the next step towards futuristic, seamless charging.
The ability to simply pull up to a charging station and walk away from the car while the cutting-edge technology takes care of the rest would be another unique, admittedly very expensive and complex, selling point for electric propulsion in general.
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