In China, a Xiaomi electric car started itself and drove away from its owner
A Xiaomi SU7 in Shandong activated its remote parking function without driver intervention. No one was in the car when it started moving.
According to CCTV footage provided by the owner, the car was parked near his home while he and his wife were in the living room. The video shows the car starting and driving away, the woman screaming, and the owner attempting to stop the "runaway" car.
The owner reported contacting Xiaomi customer support immediately after the incident. He said the support staff initially suggested the remote start function might have been inadvertently activated by a mobile phone. The owner denied this, claiming he wasn't using his phone at the time and providing the full CCTV footage to support his theory.
However, it was later revealed that, according to internal logs, an Apple device linked to the owner's account sent a remote parking (RPA) command to the car during the incident.
This feature allows the car to automatically enter and exit a parking space when activated via a smartphone app. However, critics argue that the system should include safeguards to prevent movement when the driver is unoccupied.
The incident in China has sparked debate among industry experts about the safety and reliability of remote control features in smart cars. Experts note that while remote control features enhance convenience, maintaining user trust requires precise fail-safe mechanisms and transparent data disclosure.
The owner demanded that Xiaomi provide complete original operating logs, not partial excerpts. As of October 3, Xiaomi has not published an official investigation report. The incident did not result in injuries or property damage, but it has intensified the debate about whether modern safety systems in smart electric vehicles are sufficiently reliable.
