A Chinese man’s daily driving habit has unexpectedly turned into a peculiar experiment in electric vehicle durability. So put away your established assumptions about battery lifespan under scrutiny.
Mr. Feng, the proud owner of a Xiaomi SU7 Pro, has driven over 265,000 kilometers in just 18 months, and his car’s battery still retains 94.5% of its original capacity. Too good to be true?
Mr. Feng, a driver from China, has racked up 265,000 kilometers in just a year and a half, driving his beloved Xiaomi SU7 Pro. That’s the end of the line for many a car, but what’s caught everyone’s attention, however, isn’t the distance; it’s what hasn’t happened.
Despite the brutal usage, the battery’s health reportedly kept 94.5% of its capacity. Such a figure reinforces belief in battery technology, which treats degradation as its main enemy.
Above expectations
EV batteries have long been regarded with suspicion by both consumers and experts. Most manufacturers set conservative warranty limits, often around 160,000 kilometers with an acceptable capacity drop of up to 30%.
The champion is BYD, which offers an extended warranty of 250.000 kilometers or eight years, which aligns with the performance of Mr. Feng and his Xiaomi SU7. However, BYD maintains a 70% capacity retention, while the SU7 has already exceeded that by 65%. Well above expectations.
Feng’s driving pattern is relentless: he averages roughly 600 kilometers a day. That’s from the North to the South of Belgium… and back. That distance translates to approximately 506 complete charging cycles on the vehicle’s 94.3 kWh battery pack. However, the actual number is likely much higher due to the partial-charging habits common among EV drivers.
The video post on Chinese Weibo that revealed Mr. Feng’s Olympic performance went viral and even caught the attention of Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. Feng has since become an unlikely symbol of EV endurance. And he’s far from finished. He now aims to drive his car for 600,000 kilometers over the next three years.
Facelift coming
The marathon run lands at a timely moment. Xiaomi is preparing to launch a facelifted version of the SU7 in March. The new model introduces a more advanced motor, upgraded battery platforms, and a host of safety and comfort features.
While the design changes are modest, the technical improvements should be notable: an 897-V charging system on the Max variant, dual-chamber air suspension, and LiDAR sensors standard across all trims. In terms of range, the Pro model now claims 902 kilometers (under CLTC standards).
But back to the storied SU7: this isn’t a full proof that Xiaomi’s SU7 is immune to battery degradation. One car is a data point, not a pattern. Battery longevity is influenced by dozens of factors: temperature, charging habits, usage patterns, and manufacturing variation.
Still, it’s an outlier that forces a rethink of what’s possible and what consumers might soon expect. The icing on the cake? Feng calculated that the SU7 saved him 1,000,000 yuan (13,000 euros) in fuel expenses compared to a combustion-engined model.
For a brand that is basically a tech company, not a carmaker, which only entered the EV market in 2024, the Feng case is a welcome pat on the back. With the updated SU7 rolling out soon, Xiaomi could be poised to position itself further as a serious contender in a maturing EV market. Whether Mr. Feng’s battery holds out to 600,000 kilometers or not, he’s already proven an interesting point.
