The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 440 is blocked
Actually, the trunk of the car contained more than just cigarettes, alcohol, and nutritional supplements; it also contained seasonal clothes that his wife had bought for the children.

Liu Hua often invited these students to his home for meals. Over time, Liu Feifei became familiar with these students and would prepare clothes for them when the seasons changed.

There are only a few students, it doesn't cost much, and it gives you a good reputation, so why not?

This is why, in recent years, whenever students who have graduated come to the capital, they are willing to bring gifts to visit him. Besides his guidance, it is also due to the care he received from his teacher's wife.

While the students were moving their things, Liu Hua received a phone call from the Mechanical Engineering Department, asking him to come to their lab.

Although Liu Hua does not hold a position in the School of Mechanical Engineering, he still communicates with them quite frequently. After all, he is quite authoritative in this field, and sometimes the School of Mechanical Engineering even seeks his help when they encounter difficult problems.

Liu Hua leisurely made his way to the mechanical engineering lab. Before even entering, he said with a smile, "What kind of problem have you encountered this time? You can't just turn around and not help. You only come to me when you have a problem, and you don't even invite me over afterwards."

"Professor Liu, look at the amazing feat of our mechanical engineering students."

A professor from the Mechanical Engineering Department smiled and pulled Liu Hua into the laboratory: "This stuff is closely related to your company."

"And it's closely related to our company? Which company? Taiyi Heavy Industry, Taiyi New Energy, Taiyi New Materials?" Liu Hua said with a smile, "Or Dijun?"

"Dijun?" the mechanical engineering professor asked, puzzled. "You've started another new company? What's the main business of this Dijun company?"

Liu Hua chuckled: "Dijun's main business is military equipment."

The professor's eyes widened in surprise, and he said, "You can't just say that. Do you think a private company like yours would make military equipment?"

"It's not entirely private; the state also has a stake," Liu Hua said with a smile. "Let me see what amazing things the students have accomplished."

Once inside the lab, there was something in the middle covered with a cloth, making it seem a bit mysterious.

"What? Why are you making it so mysterious?"

The professor said to the student next to him, "Uncover it."

So the student waved his hand and pulled off the cloth covering Liu Hua. Liu Hua was dumbfounded; what he saw was a strange creature.

If I had to compare it to something, it would be like the electric bike that met the new national standard in the last generation, the kind with pedals, but it's completely in the style of a bicycle.

"This is an electric bicycle with a hub motor designed by our students."

Liu Hua blurted out, "What a coincidence!"

"What a coincidence!"

Liu Hua smiled and asked, "When did you design this electric bicycle?"

"It's been about half a year," the professor said confidently. "Actually, as early as 1983, Forever designed and mass-produced a two-wheeled electric bicycle, but it was not promoted due to technical and range issues. The electric bicycle we designed now, with the new energy batteries produced by your Taiyi New Energy Company, can already travel 20 kilometers."

Liu Hua smiled and nodded: "That's right, what kind of battery do you use?"

"Your Taiyi New Energy's lithium iron phosphate batteries."

Liu Hua gave a thumbs up: "Very good. This kind of battery is much safer than ordinary lithium-ion batteries."

"Oh, by the way, Professor Liu, what did you just say was a coincidence?"

Liu Hua said helplessly, "What a coincidence, I also got an electric scooter just a few days ago." "Really? Is it the same as ours?"

Liu Hua shook his head: "It's different, but I feel it should be better than yours."

The student was a little indignant, but he didn't say anything. He knew Liu Hua's academic standing, and it wasn't the time for him to interrupt.

"Different?" The professor said with a smile, "How about this, we'll send my electric bicycle to your factory, and then we'll compare our designs."

Liu Hua really didn't want to discourage them, but these guys were just too eager to try.

They proactively asked the logistics department for a small truck and happily arrived at Taiyi Heavy Industry.

When they saw Liu Hua's electric bicycle design, they were dumbfounded. The professor shook his head: "This is a motorcycle, not an electric bicycle."

“Your electric bicycles are designed like bicycles, while mine are designed like motorcycles,” Liu Hua explained. “Our designs are not products for the same track.”

"It makes sense."

Liu Hua laughed and said, "You still kept two pedals, are you afraid that if the power runs out, you can pedal back?"

The professor and his student nodded in agreement; that was indeed their initial design idea.

Do you know how much effort it takes to pedal that thing?

The professor nodded and said, "It's alright, although it takes a bit more effort than riding a regular bicycle."

“Your bicycle battery is dead, which means the journey isn’t far, at least ten kilometers.” Liu Hua retorted, “Do you know what it means to pedal more than ten kilometers on a bicycle?”

"Aren't you worried about the power going out?"

"Of course I'm scared," Liu Hua said matter-of-factly. "That's why I designed this thing based on a motorcycle frame, so that I can put in more batteries and increase the range of the electric bicycle. Currently, ours can run for 60 kilometers, which means it can meet your 30-kilometer round trip. If you want to go further, you can just take the bus or a taxi."

"What about in the countryside? There are few buses in the countryside, and even fewer taxis."

Liu Hua smiled and said, "You need to do some research and see how wide the range of activities is for ordinary people in rural areas. Thirty kilometers is enough to meet their daily needs."

There's a saying: "Comparing people will only lead to ruin, and comparing goods will only lead to discarding them."

Now, compared to Liu Hua's electric bicycle, their electric bicycles seem like a useless trifle.

The professor said reluctantly, "In other words, our product has absolutely no practical use."

"That's not quite right. Mine might be a bit heavy for a young girl. If you remove the pedal, make it a little bigger, put in more batteries, and design it to be prettier, it might be more suitable for customers like young girls."

After thinking it over, the professor nodded: "You really are a businessperson. You understand the market better than us. Compared to you, we are just like the idiom 'working behind closed doors'."

"You can also think about it again. Make the battery smaller. The main power for getting around is still pedaling. The electricity generated while pedaling the bicycle goes into the battery and then drives a small motor to assist riding. That should have a good market."

Seeing the professor deep in thought, Liu Hua was filled with emotion. He had to eliminate those pedal-powered electric bicycles at the source, so they wouldn't cause trouble for the people twenty or thirty years from now.

(End of this chapter)