From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 119 Xu Yi: Do you have a dream?

"Forget it, there's no point in overthinking. We'll find out soon enough."

Zhao Yang shook his head.

Today he is here to meet with the person in charge of Xingchen Motors. Compared with WM Motor, not only do the conditions offered here seem more sincere, but the attitude is also more proactive.

but.

This is what Zhao Yang was thinking.

Whether or not to consider Xingchen Motors depends on whether they can offer something more concrete.

For example, deeper technological foundation, or some trump card, and whether it can attract a major capital backer in the future.

Otherwise, a new energy vehicle company with no future prospects might not survive five years in such a competitive domestic environment and could easily go bankrupt.

In comparison, he still felt that WM Motor was more reliable.

Not a moment.

A figure walked into the coffee shop.

After glancing around, he walked to the seat opposite him and sat down first. He had a young face with sharp features and calm, bright eyes.

The other person was smiling and had a very approachable attitude.

At the same time, he extended his hand in greeting and said something that left a deep impression on Zhao Yang:
"I am Xu Yi, and this should be our first meeting... We have already discussed the relevant information beforehand. Before we can have a more in-depth conversation, I would like to ask you one question privately—Engineer Zhao, do you have a dream?"

...

As soon as these words came out.

This startled Zhao Yang.

what……

What does it mean to have a dream?
What kind of opening is this? Is this some kind of random appearance by The Voice of China?

"Mr. Xu, I don't quite understand what you mean by that." He spoke carefully.

Xu Yi looked at him and stated a clear concept: "I mean, a genuine commitment to the electrification and intelligentization of automobiles. How long do you think it will take for new energy vehicles to be able to compete on equal footing with gasoline vehicles? Or how long will it take for them to surpass gasoline vehicles in penetration rate?"

……

This question really stumped Zhao Yang!

I couldn't answer that right away.

hiss--

How long will it take for new energy vehicles in China to rival gasoline vehicles?
Starting with this topic and narrating it right away seems a bit too grandiose.
Is this just a grandstanding pie in the sky?
But looking into Xu Yi's sincere and calm eyes, he felt that it didn't quite seem like it.

So I subconsciously started to think about it.

Even with such strong national policies and energy transition efforts, no one dares to make this prediction.

ten years?

Fifteen years?
Zhao Yang was a little hesitant to speak.

Because, based on his more than ten years of professional experience, he has subconsciously welded a certain viewpoint to his mind.

That means gasoline-powered cars are always the most reliable.

With 140 years of experience in foreign car manufacturing, how long will it take for China to catch up with the high-end market, even if it strives to catch up?
Moreover, it's in the entirely new energy sector.

...

People are often confused before the reality arrives.

Even the most cutting-edge technical personnel experience this sense of confusion.

For example, Zhao Yang sometimes wonders whether the big concepts of pure electric driving, intelligent vehicle systems, and intelligent driving are actually feasible.
Leaving aside the current issues of energy replenishment, range, and safety of new energy vehicles.

As an engineer specializing in vehicle infotainment systems, he couldn't be sure whether continued research and development of intelligent vehicle infotainment systems would allow them to shine in the industry.

Ultimately, is this "smart screen" something that people actually need?
Even now, many people still believe that a car only needs a dashboard.

and.

The path taken by gasoline-powered cars has been proven: mechanical quality, handling, and commuting attributes, ease of driving, and durability are the true core of automobiles.

"At least... eight to ten years, but I think with the development of industry, intelligentization will definitely be the future trend, making the choice of high-end cars more diversified." Zhao Yang gave an ambiguous answer.

Overall, the stance is still positive.

Just kidding, he works in this field himself, he can't possibly deny his own profession.

Currently, there are two prevailing views in the industry: intelligentization is the general trend and will become a symbol of high-end cars.

"My views are largely the same as yours, but there are slight differences in the details."

After listening, Xu Yi uttered another shocking statement that stunned Zhao Yang.

"I believe that in four to five years at most, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles will reach more than 30%, and they will be able to compete with the entire fuel vehicle system."

More than five years from now, fully intelligent new energy vehicles, priced below 500,000 yuan, will completely surpass traditional luxury gasoline vehicles.

Zhao Yang smiled in surprise:
"Mr. Xu, I must say that your views are the most confident I have ever seen in the industry."

This idea is frightening.

To this day, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China is still less than 5%.

This is still under the impetus of various policies, and many new energy vehicles are mainly converted from gasoline cars and are small cars with an average price of less than 200,000 yuan.

According to Xu Yi, if the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China reaches 30% within five years, wouldn't that mean that nearly eight million new energy vehicles will be sold every year?
He had never heard of such a huge pie in front of the HRs and founders of various emerging companies.

The only one who can be compared to him is Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, who claimed that he would achieve self-driving in 19, but as far as Zhao Yang knows, that is simply impossible.

"If we follow the data you provided, the market size of new energy vehicles will increase exponentially in the next few years. But what is the basis for this theory?" Zhao Yang couldn't help but ask.

...

"It's very simple. Once people get used to something convenient, they can't go back to it."

The hardware costs, powertrain costs, and luxury interior costs of high-end gasoline vehicles are difficult to reduce and are hard to pass down.

However, intelligent vehicle systems are different from autonomous driving systems. The cost of implementing them is very low, and they are not limited to any particular vehicle model or platform.

When people get used to Bluetooth keys and proximity keys, they won't want to use button keys anymore; when they get used to remotely controlling their cars, they won't want to walk over to open the door and turn on the air conditioning.

Of course, this is just the most basic level; let's not even talk about the level of fully autonomous driving.

Take the currently advanced ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) driver assistance system, which is mainly used on highways. It automatically follows the vehicle in front and keeps in the lane, which can greatly reduce fatigue during long-distance driving.

If such technology were to be implemented in new energy vehicles costing tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan in the future, coupled with fully intelligent in-vehicle entertainment systems and electronic smart cockpits... these are all features that gasoline vehicles do not possess.

What do you think people will choose?

What Xu Yi listed are the most terrifying aspects of new energy vehicles a few years from now.

Deploying intelligent systems and algorithms doesn't come at a high cost.

Moreover, with the increasingly developed scale of the entire domestic industry chain, it has advantages that traditional foreign automakers do not possess.

Moreover, in terms of intelligence, gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class simply cannot keep up.

This involves issues related to the overall vehicle architecture and power consumption.

Complete intelligent driving and intelligent vehicle cockpit require the power consumption of LiDAR, cameras, chips, and vehicle systems, which is beyond the capabilities of the small batteries in gasoline-powered vehicles.

Furthermore, when it comes to intelligent driving, achieving zero-latency underlying power control also requires the support of a pure electric powertrain architecture. It is almost impossible to apply the precise vector control standards for motors to engines.

This is why many pure electric vehicles have started to operate autonomous driving in urban areas.

Meanwhile, gasoline-powered cars in the same class are still equipped with ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) systems from ten years ago. It's not that they don't want to keep up, but rather that the architecture of traditional gasoline-powered cars doesn't support this feature.

……

hiss--

Zhao Yang took a breath.

That's a very insightful point!
To be honest, the prevailing view is that only expensive "high-end cars" deserve to be equipped with highly intelligent features.

For example, traditional luxury car manufacturers would sell an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) system as an optional extra for 30,000 yuan, while their smart car infotainment system is not standard on entry-level models.

that is--

Traditional car manufacturers will definitely try to completely block you from using something that is so convenient to use.

The optional extras are priced very high, which is to highlight the high-end and luxury aspect.

However, according to Xu Yi's view, this is contrary to this point. He wants to popularize intelligent technology and all convenient things, and develop them towards universal access.

"But currently, new energy vehicles are not exactly convenient in terms of battery packs and refueling."

Of course, I am not questioning the strength of our country's efforts to promote related energy replenishment facilities and industries.

Only those automakers that can achieve a breakthrough in efficiency first will become trendsetters.

Zhao Yang thought for a moment and then said.

Xu Yi smiled and said, "Speaking of this, we have to mention two key technologies that we are currently developing internally and that will soon be implemented..."

……

The two talked for more than two hours in the coffee shop.

The discussion started with the development of intelligent technology and the prospects of the industry, followed by a clear and concise exchange on the relevant technological reserves.

They quickly reached a consensus on their views.

Finally, Zhao Yang's eyes were filled with amazement!
Before meeting Xu Yi.

He truly hadn't expected that the founder of a company that started with electric vehicles for the elderly would have such profound insights into the future development of the new energy vehicle sector and the current state of the automotive industry.

Some of his insights on the big picture were enlightening, even for a seasoned professional like him.

Most importantly, she is very confident and has a captivating and infectious charm.

The technological expertise the other party possessed was a trump card that he couldn't refuse.

"Intelligent vehicles for all," "Autonomous driving algorithm moat," "Top global energy replenishment network"...

hiss--! ! !
Just inexplicably, images of pancakes were crammed into his mind!

The kind that's unreasonable.

But Xu Yi's words sounded reasonable and credible, as if they were a future that could really be seen with one's own eyes!

Zhao Yang admitted that he was impressed.

...

Xu Yi smiled but remained silent.

Nonsense! He's talking about the industry's current state four or five years from now. Every possible development path for the industry is clearly visible. It would be strange if it were unfounded!

Both parties reached an agreement.

Xu Yi offered his final terms: the position of CEO of the Intelligent Vehicle Business Unit, an annual salary of 1 million yuan, and some stock options, which were slightly higher than the industry average. He would be responsible for developing the Xingchen vehicle system from scratch and leading the company's intelligent team in research and development.

They have their own in-vehicle intelligent system team as a foundation.

Therefore, the next step was to find a mobile phone manufacturer to collaborate with a team to develop and launch the first generation of intelligent vehicle system as quickly as possible.

……

Aside from the aspect of intelligent technology.

Recently.

The vehicle engineering R&D department is extremely busy.

The workshop for vehicle development.

Wang Jingming and Cheng Li, along with several engineers, are currently developing the powertrain and chassis architecture for the "Starry Sky S7".

The development of the power system is actually quite simple.

Because new energy pure electric vehicles, whether two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, have a fairly simple power structure.

As for their overall vehicle configuration, the first generation did not consider four-wheel drive at all, and the power system was mainly based on a single motor and high power rear-wheel drive.

This is both to save costs and to take energy consumption into consideration.

While dual-motor four-wheel drive sounds exciting, it's not very practical for family sedans and taxis that are positioned for long-range driving.

Besides.

The most complex part is the development and tuning of the chassis structure.

Chassis tuning, as an important means of improving vehicle performance, has always been a weakness of domestic cars.

Especially for newly established car startups, it is extremely difficult to make a car chassis feel good. Imported car companies have decades of experience in chassis tuning, and have conducted more than a million kilometers of road tests and optimized suspension systems for a single model.

To expect to accomplish, or even catch up with, this in just a year and a half is wishful thinking.

A good chassis determines whether a car is easy to drive and whether it gives you confidence and a sense of luxury.

Xu Yi has very strict requirements in this regard. He doesn't expect the car to completely surpass the standards, but at least it should reach the level of traditional luxury cars, with a chassis comfort and premium feel comparable to cars in the 20 RMB price range and above.

In order to achieve this "hard target".

The entire R&D team had to resort to the "ancestral methods" they had brought from major companies.

A large-scale reverse engineering project was carried out.

can be seen.

The vast venue was filled with traditional luxury cars priced between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan, including five or six popular long-wheelbase luxury sedans such as the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4L, and Volvo S60.

Several units have already undergone extensive disassembly.

The benefits of reverse engineering are self-evident: it saves a lot of development time and allows you to obtain technical parameters from competitors at the lowest cost and in the shortest time.

Even traditional domestic manufacturers will find a luxury car company's car to benchmark against before launching a new model. In this case, they will definitely try to disassemble and compare the other car.

Otherwise, how can you accurately benchmark if you don't even know what materials and structure the other party uses?

not to mention.

They don't reverse engineer just one car; they reverse engineer several cars simultaneously.

Disassembling a single car does indeed raise suspicions of malicious comparison, but disassembling and studying all relevant models on the market would be considered as combining the strengths of various manufacturers!

Wang Jingming originally thought that even with reverse engineering, it would be difficult to quickly come up with a core solution to complete such an intense research and development task in such a short time.

Sometimes, even copying chassis tuning data verbatim doesn't guarantee a good result.

But when the whole team started working, everything seemed to be going very smoothly.

"Is it just my imagination? The chassis structure development and overall research and development are going too smoothly, it's almost unbelievable."

Wang Jingming couldn't help but mutter to himself.

……

(End of this chapter)