(Yicai) Dec. 26 -- Xiaomi Auto, a newcomer to China's electric vehicle market, is linking arms with Nio, Xpeng Motors, and Li Auto to give its car owners access to a network of over 29,000 charging stations across the country.

Xiaomi drivers will be able to juice up their vehicles at more than 14,000 Nio charging stations, 9,000 Xpeng stations, and 6,000 Li Auto stations, the carmaking unit of the consumer electronics giant said yesterday. The sites will be added to the map in Xiaomi Auto’s app that pinpoints charging station locations.

Xiaomi Auto’s sales have been strong since the delivery of its first car, the Xiaomi SU7, in early April, but because the electric vehicle maker entered the market relatively late, it has yet to build a large-scale proprietary charging network.

The company is expected to sell more than 120,000 cars this year, creating a need for accessible and convenient charging infrastructure for its rapidly growing user base.

Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun said in August that the Beijing-based firm has no plans for the large-scale construction of supercharging stations, noting that its main mission is to produce good vehicles and make the SU7 compatible with public charging piles. He had said in April that Xiaomi was preparing to build stations, with the first slated for Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.

Other carmakers, including Changan Automobile, Geely Holdings, SAIC-GM, a joint venture of China's SAIC Group and US' General Motors, and IM Motors, have also chosen to partner with new EV makers so that their vehicle owners can use the charging and battery swapping facilities of those companies.

There were about 3.5 million charging piles nationwide as of Nov. 30, according to the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev