PART 1 Carbon Fiber &Alcantara: The ultimate application from exterior to interior
The Mi SU7 Ultra is made of 5.5 square meters of carbon fiber, an area rarely seen in production cars. And standard 24K gold carbon fiber logo; Carbon fiber material is not only used for the exterior parts of the body, such as the logo, the tail wing, etc., but also into the interior design, such as the sports steering wheel, the sub-instrument table area, the door panel trim and other positions. Its carbon fiber roof covers an area of up to 1.7 square meters and uses an autoclave molding process to reduce weight by about 12 kilograms, while improving the rigidity and torsion-resistance of the roof, providing a better handling experience for the driver. Its carbon fiber dual duct front hatchcover optimizes the aerodynamic design, increases the cooling area by 10%, and supports the full range of options. With a wingspan of 1560 mm and a string length of 240 mm, its large carbon fibre fixed tail is one of the largest permitted by regulations, providing 285 kg of downforce and significantly improving stability at high speeds.
In addition, the track-level cooling system and carbon ceramic brakes are also standard, so that the new car can be directly off the track to show its excellent performance.
In addition to carbon fiber, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra uses up to 5 square meters of Alcantara material in the seats, dashboard and other positions. Alcantara is made from polyester and polyurethane (polyurethane) fibers through a special weaving and chemical treatment process. This material combines the characteristics of a variety of fibers, has a unique texture and performance, with its anti-slip wear, easy to clean and durable characteristics, has become one of the preferred materials for luxury automotive interior. It not only enhances the sense of luxury inside the car, but also provides a comfortable touch and ride experience for drivers and passengers.
In addition to the application of carbon fiber, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra has many other highlights. It is equipped with a three-motor all-wheel drive system with a total power of 1548Ps, making the zero acceleration time only 1.98s. The battery pack adopts the second generation Kirin high-power battery pack of Ningde Times, which supports the discharge rate of up to 16C and the maximum output power is 1330kW. These performance parameters are undoubtedly at the top of the line. In terms of interior design, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra has also made great efforts. Continue to be equipped with 7.1 inch full LCD instrument and 16.1 inch central control suspension screen; Features such as the integrated seat, active wing support and headrest sound further enhance the driver's handling pleasure and comfort. The Millet SU7 Ultra was released 10 minutes after the large quantity of more than 6,900 units, the market heat is particularly high. This achievement not only shows that Xiaomi's popularity in the domestic market has far exceeded that of other new car-making forces, but also reflects consumers' recognition and love for Xiaomi SU7 Ultra.
PART 2: The road of industry exploration: the application practice of carbon fiber by automobile companies
The successful listing of Xiaomi SU7 Ultra not only brought more market attention and sales for Xiaomi cars, but also promoted the application and development of composite materials such as carbon fiber in the automotive industry. The use of composite materials, especially carbon fiber composite materials, brings more possibilities for automotive design.
Carbon fiber can be woven and molded into a variety of complex shapes. Designers can take advantage of this plasticity to create more futuristic and technological car shapes. At the same time, its processing flexibility also allows automobile manufacturers to realize the mass production of design concepts more quickly, and promote the innovative development of automobile design.
Before Xiaomi Automobile, many car companies have explored and practiced the application of carbon fiber composite materials. In the manufacture of structural parts such as car body and chassis, the use of carbon fiber composite materials can reduce the weight of the body and chassis by more than 1 times, and the weight reduction of some models can even reach 68%.
For example, the mass production of the BMW i3 all-carbon fiber body electric vehicle is a landmark event for the large-scale application of carbon fiber composite materials in the field of automotive body manufacturing. Carbon fiber wheels also have obvious advantages, lighter than traditional metal wheels, can reduce wheel inertia, improve vehicle acceleration and braking performance. The carbon fiber wheels used in Ford's next-generation Mustang Shelby GT350R and Koenigsegg Agera models are typical examples of this application.
In terms of brake pad manufacturing, the high wear resistance and high temperature stability of carbon fiber materials make it an ideal choice for manufacturing high-performance brake pads. The carbon fiber composite brake disc used by Ferrari Enzo model can withstand high temperature, effectively improve braking performance, shorten braking distance and ensure driving safety. The carbon fiber composite drive shaft can reduce the weight of the traditional metal drive shaft by more than 60%, which can significantly improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle, and the Toyota 86 and Lamborghini Sixth Element concept car design.
The application of carbon fiber composite materials in the interior and exterior decoration of automobiles is also increasingly extensive, and Weilai Automobile uses key structural parts such as carbon fiber roof and rear trunk lid in its high-end models. As the first mass-produced pure electric sports car with large-scale application of carbon fiber composite materials in China, the future K50 focuses on "lightweight + high performance". Its body adopts all-aluminum alloy frame structure, large-scale application of carbon fiber composite material covering parts, a total of 29 carbon fiber parts, the total weight of only 46.7kg, compared with the traditional steel weight of more than 40%. Although it faced challenges in the mass production process, it accumulated experience for the subsequent application of carbon fiber in the automotive field. However, the application of carbon fiber also faces some obstacles.
On the one hand, the high manufacturing cost of carbon fiber limits its popularity in the automotive field; On the other hand, the processing and molding technology of carbon fiber is more difficult, requiring high-precision equipment and professional technical teams.
PART 3 Xiaomi's breakthrough: Leading the new trend of carbon fiber application
Nevertheless, the superior performance of carbon fiber is still attracting the attention of many automobile manufacturers.
In recent years, with the advancement of technology and the reduction of costs, carbon fiber began to be applied in production models. The launch of Xiaomi cars has made it a leader in this trend. Xiaomi Automobile, with its strong brand influence and innovation ability, has brought new breakthroughs to the application of carbon fiber composite materials in the automotive field.
On the one hand, Xiaomi applied a large number of carbon fiber components to SU7 Ultra models with Internet-style "stacking logic", attracting the attention of many consumers and industries, and improving the awareness and acceptance of carbon fiber materials in the automotive field.
On the other hand, Xiaomi is actively cooperating with suppliers to optimize the production process of carbon fiber composite materials and explore ways to reduce costs. For example, Xiaomi Automobile has made significant progress in its carbon fiber laser-wound rotor technology project. According to reports, the technology uses carbon fiber laser winding process, through the laser in-situ curing technology, the carbon fiber winding rotor yield is higher and the preload is better. The coverage and technical depth of its carbon fiber components have been close to the previous level of 200-300 million yuan of supercars.
Xiaomi's extreme application of carbon fiber components has stimulated the innovation vitality of the entire industry chain, prompted upstream and downstream enterprises to increase research and development investment, and promoted carbon fiber production technology innovation and industrial chain improvement. In the future, with the continuous efforts and exploration of Xiaomi Automobile, it is believed that more high-performance and high-quality composite materials will be applied to cars, bringing consumers a better driving experience and car enjoyment.