Recently, Xiaomi Auto has been questioned for "cutting corners" for using aluminum wires on new cars. In the face of netizens' questions, Xiaomi Auto responded directly to this.
Xiaomi Auto said that at present, the charging cables of most new energy vehicle manufacturers use aluminum conductor scheme, and there is no difference between aluminum conductor and copper conductor in conductivity and safety performance, and aluminum conductor has more advantages than copper conductor. This response has attracted widespread attention.
Aluminum wires have no intrinsic safety risks
In its response, Xiaomi Auto pointed out that aluminum wires are consistent with copper wires in terms of conductivity and safety performance. As a high-quality conductor material, aluminum is widely used in the electronics industry and the automotive industry. Compared to copper, aluminum has a lighter mass, which is only one-third of copper. When used as a charging cable, aluminum wire can also conduct current efficiently, and will not cause safety hazards such as short circuit or overheating in extremely harsh environments.
In fact, at this stage, new energy vehicles widely use aluminum wires, such as Tesla Model 3 uses all-aluminum wires. Domestic competitors such as BYD and Yinglang also use aluminum as the conductor material for their charging cables. This is enough to prove that from the perspective of technical performance and safety, aluminum wire is not worse than copper wire at all. The argument put forward by the skeptics that "the safety of aluminum wire cannot be guaranteed" is simply not true.
Reduces vehicle weight and boosts range
The main advantage of aluminum wire over copper wire is its lower weight. Xiaomi Auto says aluminum wire is nearly 30% lighter than copper wire. In pursuit of a longer cruising range for new energy vehicles, it is essential to significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle. The use of aluminum wires instead of copper wires can effectively reduce the overall mass of the car body, thereby expanding the range of a single charge.
Nowadays, cruising range has become one of the important reference criteria for consumers to buy a car. Compared with safety, the improvement in cruising range is more directly reflected in the user experience. The optimisation of aluminium wires will help upgrade the consumption of new energy vehicles and promote the experience of electric vehicle travel. With the popularization of new energy vehicles, this trend will become increasingly obvious.
Netizens are hotly discussed
Some netizens said: Tesla can use aluminum wire, Wenjie can use aluminum wire, Xiaomi cannot
Some netizens said: I heard that copper wire has no disadvantages except for being expensive
Some netizens insisted: Copper to aluminum is cutting corners, have you heard of which fuel vehicle uses aluminum wire
The direction of industry development
Xiaomi Auto said that the use of aluminum wires instead of copper wires has become a general trend in the new energy vehicle industry. Many domestic and foreign counterparts use aluminum wire in new cars, which is consistent with the pace of international industrial development. As a pioneer, Xiaomi Auto should keep up with international advanced technologies to optimize its products and services while adapting to the changes of the times.
Some skeptics have accused Xiaomi of "cutting corners", a claim that clearly fails to address the problem. The green and sustainable development of new energy vehicles has become a mainstream trend, and the application of new materials and technologies is an effective way to promote this trend. The use of aluminum wires in Xiaomi cars meets international advanced standards, which is not so much about reducing materials as about improving quality.
The Xiaomi car's response with aluminum wires is tenable. The challenge is based on subjective assumptions and fails to make a fair assessment of the issue from an open and comprehensive perspective. As new energy vehicles become more and more "light" in the future, aluminum wires will become the mainstream choice. This move by Xiaomi Auto will be conducive to the development of the industry and the upgrading of consumption.