(Yicai) Oct. 10 -- Xiaomi Auto, the electric vehicle arm of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, has applied for multiple patents on wireless charging, according to corporate information platform Tianyancha, and one has already been granted.

Wireless charging offers a number of advantages such as being compact and able to charge multiple vehicles simultaneously, which can resolve some of the primary concerns over the practicality of electric vehicles. 

Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies, another Chinese tech giant that has diversified into the auto sector, unveiled a similar patent in May 2021.  

China is the world’s leading source of patents for new energy vehicles, with the number of applications accounting for 41 percent of the global total. Japan is second on 18.6 percent, while the United States and Germany rank third and fourth, respectively.  

Since saying in March 2021 that it would “invest USD10 billion within a decade” to make cars, Xiaomi has built an auto industrial chain that covers chips, power batteries, intelligent driving, smart cockpits, and other areas.

It also recently began hiring in cities nationwide, seeking engineers in design range extender systems and autonomous driving, as well as senior software engineers. 

Yicai visited Xiaomi’s car plant in Beijing last month, where staff said the factory had already begun internal operations. Xiaomi founder Lei Jun said mass production is expected to begin in the first half of next year. 

Editor: Tom Litting