I'm reborn and I'm an international student again?

"So what are your thoughts on current electric vehicles? And how do you evaluate the competition between domestic new energy vehicle companies and foreign automakers? Many people believe that once Tesla enters your market, it will deal a devastating blow to domestic cars. You see how fierce their words are, are they afraid of my arrival?" Musk posed the questions to Chen Xi with great interest.

This cunning fellow, instead of confronting me directly, is passing the buck and putting the problem on my shoulders!

Electric vehicles nowadays?

Of course it's garbage.

Although Lao Tzu sold electric vehicles in his previous life, he never drove them himself.

Chen Xi silently clenched his fist in his mind.

But facing numerous gazes, he could only suppress his emotions and say, "Electric vehicles? You just mentioned turning luxury goods into everyday consumer goods, but I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. Cars aren't like rice; not everyone needs to be able to afford them. Reasonable market competition is the foundation for the healthy development of the industry."

This statement contradicts half of his true thoughts, but it has to be said. The domestic policy of subsidizing new energy vehicles is partly aimed at overcoming foreign technological barriers and achieving a leapfrog development.

Although Chen Xi had doubts about overtaking on a curve, he knew very well that going against the policy would bring no benefit.

"Oh? Why do you say that? Shouldn't cars be everyday consumer goods?" Musk pressed.

"It's described as an everyday consumer product, but to me it's more like an electronic product. If everyone gets caught up in a price war, electric vehicles may eventually become fast-moving consumer goods. At that point, will we still be selling cars? I think we'll just be selling batteries."

"Shouldn't you be happier if this happens? That way you can sell more and more batteries." Musk hit the nail on the head, exposing his true colors.

"Ahem, battery technology is constantly evolving. Batteries produced now will inevitably be replaced by upgraded products in the future."

"Isn't this the profit model that many people dream of? Launch a car model A with a battery model A, and when battery models B and C come out, the vehicle will also need to be upgraded accordingly, thus continuously generating profits," Musk said sarcastically.

Indeed, this was the approach taken by most early electric vehicle companies. Electric vehicles iterate so rapidly that buying a car is like buying a phone; once a new feature appears, users feel the need to upgrade.

"Then it really becomes an electronic product. I think the electric vehicle industry should develop steadily. There's a saying about traditional gasoline cars: one car can be passed down for three generations. The person is gone, but the car is still there. But given the current state of electric vehicles in China, it will probably become a situation where one generation replaces three cars, and the debt is still unpaid even though the car is new."

"Hahaha!"

Everyone present was amused by Chen Xi's witty remarks, and many viewers who had bought electric vehicles could relate to this.

"That hits the nail on the head! I've been wanting to collaborate with you on battery technology. What do you think?" Musk's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Chen Xi smiled inwardly.

Sure enough, what is supposed to come will always come.

Why should I cooperate with you? What benefit would I get?

He had expected the other party to propose conditions such as technology exchange, but Musk's next words surprised him greatly.

Musk opened his arms as if to embrace the entire venue: "Mr. Chen, you ask me about the benefits? Look at this city outside the window. The rise of every skyscraper wasn't because the bricks were calculating how much cement they could get. The greatest tradition of this land beneath our feet is turning the impossible into the possible. When you cover in forty years what others take two hundred years to achieve, what supports it all isn't the numbers on the books, but a shared vision of a better future."

The internal combustion engine gave humanity legs, and we aim to give humanity wings. What does a breakthrough in battery technology mean? It means that herders on the plateau can use stoves in winter, and that factories will no longer be troubled by power outages.

The most moving sentence I've read in your country's development plan is: "To fulfill people's aspirations for a better life." And the fastest shortcut to achieving this goal is to break free from the shackles of energy. When the cost of one kilowatt-hour of electricity drops to the price of a bottle of mineral water, everyone can enjoy the quality of life that only the wealthy can currently afford.

The ideal world depicted in the writings of a certain ancient sage requires an extremely rich material foundation as its support. However, to achieve a state where everyone contributes according to their ability and receives according to their needs, only when technological advancements enable everyone to enjoy a prosperous life will the ideal of a world where everyone benefits truly arrive.

This is why I chose to build my factory here—not because of cost, but because here I can find like-minded partners who truly understand the weight of the word "future." We're not talking business; we're writing history for the next generation. And you, Mr. Chen, would you rather be a businessman preoccupied with petty profits, or a pioneer who creates an era?

My God, are you Musk or Max?

Chen Xi was so shocked by these words that he couldn't react for a moment.

Isn't this tactic of waving a big flag during business negotiations something that only domestic businesspeople excel at?

Why are Westerners doing this too?

Something is wrong!
But Wu Wanrong had made it clear that Musk needed to invest in Xinlu. At that moment, Chen Xi had no choice but to agree.

He immediately stood up and solemnly said to Musk, "For the advancement of science, for the common good, for all mankind!"

Musk grinned and shook hands with him firmly.

The next second, reporters around them raised their cameras to capture this symbolic moment forever.

Meanwhile, in the farmland of a northern province.

"Boss, watch your step, don't get muddy." Fan Hongyuan's forehead was beaded with sweat.

He carefully stayed by the side of a middle-aged man, watching the man's leather shoes sink into the mud, his expression of wanting to help but not daring to do so looked somewhat comical.

Given Fan Hongyuan's rank, he should be greeted with smiles by local leaders wherever he goes, yet he is now so cautiously accompanying someone on an inspection tour.

"What's there to be careful about? I've seen everything when I was working in the fields, and I almost got bitten by a snake." The man pushed up his glasses, nonchalantly stepped his leather shoes into the mud, and strode forward, unlike some leaders who put on airs and were afraid of getting their shoes dirty.

"Boss, please slow down, the ground is slippery." Fan Hongyuan didn't know what to say, so he could only hurry up and catch up.

"This agricultural project is doing quite well. I heard they're using high technology now, like drones, right? Think back to when we were farming, we didn't have any of these things. To increase productivity, just having more people isn't enough; we need technology!" the leader remarked, gazing at the distant farmland.

"Leader, our supply and marketing cooperative's cooperation with private capital this time has completely changed the traditional model and pushed agricultural production to a new level. In just a few years, we will have everything that Western countries have, and we will be far ahead of them!" Fan Hongyuan reported, seizing the opportunity.

Although he has indeed accomplished a lot, it is also necessary to appropriately showcase his achievements in front of higher-level leaders.

"There are about twenty acres of land over there, right? According to the policy, they should be able to get subsidies. Before the subsidies, most of these lands were abandoned. It seems that the policy has indeed motivated some people. But then again, if it weren't for your promotion of new agricultural tools and the support of financial instruments, farmers wouldn't have been able to cultivate all the land..." The leader pointed into the distance, and took the opportunity to affirm Fan Hongyuan's work.

Current agricultural subsidy policies vary by region, with differences depending on planting type, location, crop variety, acreage, and subsidy standards. Furthermore, people from other provinces who come to cultivate the land can also receive subsidies for agricultural implements.

"Let's go take a look. The wheat should be ripe and ready to be harvested by now!" The leader strode forward with great enthusiasm. Half an hour later...

"Is this the mess you Huatong has created? It's utterly ridiculous!" The leader pointed at the golden "wheat field" in front of him, his anger barely contained.

"Leader... this... this..." Fan Hongyuan's face turned red with embarrassment, unsure how to explain, because even he hadn't expected such a scene.

This seemingly bountiful golden "wheat field" reeks of pungent paint upon closer inspection. From afar, it appears auspicious; up close, however, it's nothing more than rows of plastic fakes stuck in the ground and sprayed with yellow paint!

"This is fraudulent subsidy claiming! Tell me, how many plots of land like this are there?" The leader was almost fainting with anger. Fan Hongyuan stepped forward to help him up, but was pushed away.

"Maybe...maybe it's just an isolated case...after all, subsidy policies are very popular now..." Fan Hongyuan explained reluctantly.

"You've sprayed paint all over this land, how are we supposed to farm it? Don't tell me your supply and marketing cooperative isn't responsible for buying the farmers' harvest from this land? What if they take the subsidies but can't deliver the grain? Are they planning to bribe you to get away with it?" The leader's voice was almost hoarse from shouting; he was clearly furious.

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly."

"You don't need to investigate! I'll send the relevant departments to get involved. I'll investigate you and Huahetong thoroughly!" The man pushed up his glasses, walked up from the field, and headed straight for his car.

Fan Hongyuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly jogged after him.

This entire twenty-acre plot is in the same condition. Farmers communicate with each other regularly, so it's safe to assume that this problem exists in many other farmlands in the surrounding area.

If it's just a localized phenomenon, that's fine, but if multiple provinces are experiencing subsidy fraud... Just think about the huge amount of subsidy funds invested every year. If everyone is taking advantage of loopholes to skim money, Fan Hongyuan simply doesn't dare to think any further.

However, he didn't know that today's painted wheat field was already outrageous enough, and even more absurd things were waiting for him.

Inside the World Manufacturing Convention Center.

After the interview, several new energy vehicle company executives gathered together. Li Buxiang couldn't help but ask Li Weibin, "Just who is this Mr. Chen? Musk actually wants to collaborate with him on battery development... I remember you often mentioned a Mr. Chen during our previous dinners."

"To tell you the truth, our future cars will use his batteries." Li Weibin had long wanted to find an opportunity to promote Chen Xi.

Because he had his own plans.

What will be the most attractive aspect of electric vehicles in the future?
Of course, it's battery swapping technology!
However, building battery swapping stations across various regions requires huge investments. Serving only a single vehicle model makes profitability extremely difficult. Therefore, Li Weibin's idea is to promote a unified battery standard across the entire industry, allowing his swapping stations to serve different brands of electric vehicles and generate revenue through charging fees.

To put it bluntly, Li Weibin wants all electric vehicles to adopt the battery swapping model.

"What? Didn't you purchase your batteries from JAC Motors?" He Dapeng asked, looking puzzled.

“Brother, what kind of cutting-edge products can a mixed-ownership enterprise that went from being wholly owned by Huayou to being controlled by Huayou produce? It’s obvious even to a fool! All those people know how to do is engage in formalism all day long.” Li Weibin slapped his forehead helplessly.

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

They had long found it strange. If an ordinary private enterprise had developed some groundbreaking technology, they might have believed it. But while JAC is adept at manufacturing trucks, the idea that it could develop advanced batteries suitable for passenger cars was like listening to magic.

It has to be said that the head office of JAC Motors is not very good in terms of income and benefits. After a difficult transformation, it finally started to get going, but then the higher-ups saw that things were improving and sent people to interfere with management, which resulted in it going back to the way it was before.

Everyone initially thought the battery claims for future cars were just hype, but now even Musk is actively seeking cooperation, which shows that these batteries are indeed extraordinary.

Currently, the battery standards for domestically produced new energy vehicles are chaotic. To achieve industry standardization, the only solution, as Chen Xi suggested, is to upgrade and replace the entire vehicle.

From the perspective of car company bosses, this is a good excuse to make money, but in the end, it is the early car buyers who suffer.

“I think we can also cooperate with Mr. Chen. We’re all on the same side, which is better than cooperating with foreigners.”

"Perhaps Tesla entering the Chinese market is not necessarily a bad thing."

The business owners were whispering among themselves.

Although they had different ideas, they all shared a common thought.

When launching new products in the future, Tesla can be used as a benchmark.

For example, Tesla uses a certain type of battery, and our car uses the same type.

What's the interior like in a Tesla? Our car is equipped with a refrigerator and a TV, making it more comfortable...

Li Weibin saw through their thoughts at a glance and pressed his advantage, saying, "Come, come, let me explain the advantages of this battery in detail..."

In the lounge.

"Heh, should I call you Musk or Max? What you just said doesn't sound like something a capitalist would say. You can even do something like responding to a call to action. I'm starting to wonder if you can recite the whole text from memory." Chen Xi crossed his legs and leisurely sipped his coffee.

"Those words weren't my own ideas; someone taught me. Including that time I publicly spoke in front of the camera, I still feel quite embarrassed thinking about it!" Musk explained, blushing.

"Oh? Who taught you that?"

"Jia Riting!"

"Holy crap! This guy ran off to America and isn't coming back, he's actually doing remote control?"

He said... he'll be going back to China next week.

"..."

“Let him talk to you himself,” Musk said, opening his laptop and quickly connecting to a video call.

In the video, Jia Riting is covering his mouth, muttering incoherently. Because he's laughing so hard, his words sound like gibberish.

Looking at Mr. Jia's wrinkled face, now streaked with gray, it was clear he had been under immense stress lately, and the fundraising process must have been extremely difficult. (End of Chapter)