Xiaomi SU7 Incident Continues to Escalate: Reports of Self-Assembled Battery Packs

Recently, a Xiaommi SU7 caught fire and burned after crashing into the median guardrail on the G0321 De Shang Highway in Germany. The incident has escalated as questions arise regarding which domestic battery company was installed in the crashed vehicle, with Xiaomi, BYD, and CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd.) each providing their own explanations.

On March 29, around 23:00, the Xiaommi SU7 collided with the guardrail on the Chizhou section of the De Shang Highway and subsequently caught fire. Following the incident, the family of the victims took to the internet, questioning why the Xiaommi SU7 caught fire after the collision and the reason for the doors being locked.

According to Xiaommi Automotive’s response on the night of April 1, regarding the front collision avoidance assistance function, the standard version of the Xiaommi SU7 is equipped with Collision Warning (FCW) and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), which only target vehicles, pedestrians, and two-wheelers.

In their response, Xiaomi emphasized that their AEB operates at speeds between 8 and 135 kilometers per hour, stating that “this function is similar to the AEB functions of the same configuration in the industry and currently does not respond to obstacles such as cones, water horses, rocks, or animals.”

Additionally, there has been public concern regarding the supplier of the battery for the standard version of the Xiaommi SU7. According to the official introduction of the standard version of the Xiaommi SU7, the vehicle uses a 73.6kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. The suppliers are CATL and BYD Vuldil.

The Xiaommi SU7 was launched in March 2024, and at that time, the information released by Xiaomi indicated that among the three versions of the SU7, the standard version used the BYD lithium iron phosphate blade battery, the Pro version used the CATL lithium iron phosphate Shenhang battery Ultimate Edition, and the Max version used the CATL ternary Kirin battery.

In May 2024, Xiaomi Automotive added CATL batteries to increase production capacity for the standard version of the SU7. Xiaomi Automotive stated that starting from May 25, the standard version of the SU7 would be randomly equipped with Vuldil or CATL batteries.

Following the car accident, Xiaomi Automotive officially responded on April 1, speculating that the fire of the accident vehicle was caused by a severe impact on the cement pile of the isolation belt, resulting in extensive damage to the entire vehicle system.

On the morning of April 2, CATL responded to investors through the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s interactive platform, stating that the battery used in the crashed Xiaommi SU7 vehicle was not supplied by CATL.

According to Caixin’s report, Xiaomi only purchases battery cells from CATL and Vuldil; system integration and module design are independently carried out by Xiaomi.

Reported by Jiangxi TV’s “City Scene,” an internal source from BYD mentioned, “We only supply battery cells, and Xiaomi assembles the battery packs themselves. The specific reasons still need to await Xiaomi’s investigation results.”

Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun previously stated on Weibo, “The accident is still under investigation, and we have not had access to the accident vehicle. Many questions cannot be answered at this time.”

According to Tencent’s “Prism” report, preventing battery cell damage during collisions is a key focus of car manufacturers. On March 22, Lei Jun shared a video on his personal social media account, demonstrating a watermelon coated with “bulletproof coating” being dropped from the 6th floor of the Xiaomi factory without damage.

Lei Jun explained that this coating is used on the bottom of the battery pack of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra to prevent cell damage in bottoming accidents. However, this coating was not used on the standard version of the SU7.

Regarding the explosion and fire accident of the Xiaommi SU7, an article from Ifeng.com commented that all the “smart driving myths” on the market currently are like a mirage in the capital market – boasting functionalities like Steve Jobs and discussing responsibility like Jia Yueting. An article from Huxiu.com stated that various discussions are leading Xiaomi Automotive into its most severe crisis of trust since its establishment.

Following the exposure of the accident, Xiaomi Group’s stock price suffered a heavy blow on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. After trading began on the afternoon of April 1, the stock price quickly plummeted, closing at 46.5 Hong Kong dollars, a decrease of 5.5%, resulting in a market value loss of nearly 70 billion Hong Kong dollars in a single day.