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Xiaomi EV Underwater Patents: Gimmick or Genuine Need?

Independent PanJul 142026/07/14 78 views

According to information from the China National Intellectual Property Administration, on July 10, 2025, Xiaomi Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. was granted a utility model patent for "Underwater Thrusters and Vehicles" (CN 224477061 U). This isn't an isolated case—in the first half of 2025 alone, publicly disclosed patents from Xiaomi Automotive exceeded 80, with water-related technologies accounting for about 12%. In an era where EV players are fiercely competing on range and smart driving, why would a smartphone manufacturer suddenly unveil an underwater thruster patent? Is it just hype, or have they genuinely spotted a scenario we've overlooked?

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Xu JunjieJul 17(edited)

[quote="pan_yuyan, post:1, topic:571"]

According to information from the China National Intellectual Property Administration, on July 10, 2025, Xiaomi Auto Technology Co., Ltd. was granted a utility model patent for "Underwater Propulsor and Vehicle" (CN 224477061 U). This isn't an isolated case—in just the first half of 2025, Xiaomi Auto disclosed over 80 patents, with water-related technologies accounting for about 12%. In an era where EV players are competing fiercely on range and smart driving, what does it mean when a phone manufacturer suddenly unveils an underwater propulsor patent? Is it just pie in the sky, or have they truly spotted a scenario we missed?

I spent an entire afternoon reading through the full patent text, and then went to…

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From the perspective of the Personal Information Protection Law and GDPR, if this underwater propulsor collects underwater driving data, it involves the processing of sensitive personal information. The patent layout is clever, but before implementation, you need to sort out waterproof rating certifications and product liability insurance frameworks. It still seems largely like pie in the sky.