EVs are one of the symbols of the future. But there is nothing particularly futuristic about getting out of the car and manhandling a charging cable every time you need to charge it. Wireless charging sounds like the futuristic solution, but let’s be real, nothing beats wired charging when it comes to fast, consistent power delivery.
Enter the Xiaomi EV Home Charging Robotic Arm. It is a home charging robotic arm designed to be installed in a parking lot. It will not come to you like Volkswagen’s EV mobile charging robot. It is also certainly less creepy than Tesla’s now-abandoned metal charging snake.
Mechanical charging arms like this are commonplace in China, but they are typically reserved for commercial installations rather than home use. However, YouTuber Simone Giertz proved that the concept can work, so one would expect it to work flawlessly when developed by a giant corporation like Xiaomi.
Anyhoo, not a lot is known about this sleek charging device. For now, it remains little more than a teaser. What we do know is that it is designed with Chinese users in mind, which makes sense considering many EV owners live in apartment developments with purchased parking spaces.
The Xiaomi EV Home Charging Robotic Arm is just 152 mm wide, making it narrow enough to be installed along the inside edge of a personal parking lot. The charging robot can detect when your Xiaomi EV is low on charge and automatically initiate the charging sequence. It will also automatically unplug itself once charging is complete.
The charging nozzle features AI-powered visual positioning that claims sub-millimeter alignment precision. A companion app lets users monitor charging status and remotely intervene if so desired. It also sends push notifications when charging is complete.
The Xiaomi EV Home Charging Robotic Arm is destined to become part of Xiaomi’s ecosystem that connects the user, the user’s vehicle, and the user’s home in what Xiaomi refers to as its Human × Car × Home smart ecosystem.
Images: Xiaomi.