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

Chapter 125: Prototype Vehicle Rolls Off the Production Line!! (7200 words)
The next three months.

The traditional automotive industry continues to focus on steady development, with little overall change.

In recent years, the total sales volume of domestic cars has been increasing, and with the gradual improvement of the industrial chain, the stock prices and scale of traditional large manufacturers have been rising at a visible rate every year.

In the realm of gasoline-powered vehicles.

Due to both policy and emission guidelines, people no longer have a strong desire to invest heavily in engine and transmission technology.

On the one hand, it has no advantage in terms of patents.

Even if they manage to develop a self-made V6 or V8 model, it would be a thankless task.

The number of consumers who can afford this level of gasoline-powered vehicle and emissions tax is far too small.

In addition, the implementation of carbon credit policies.

Driven by the current environment, more and more traditional automakers are considering investing heavily in R&D in the new energy vehicle sector, whether it be pure electric, range-extended, or plug-in hybrid.

Or you could simply set up a sub-brand and do something.

then.

In the new energy vehicle manufacturing industry, the emergence of a "dark horse" has attracted everyone's attention.

November.

The Star Mini was the first to break through 25,000 units in delivery, shocking the entire industry with its extremely exaggerated and abstract sales figures!
As a follower in this market, Wuling Miniev, with its strong channel advantages, announced that its monthly sales have exceeded 10,000 units, further validating the popularity of the entry-level new energy vehicle market.

of course.

When interviewed by reporters, senior executives of Wuling Group repeatedly emphasized that they were the pioneers in the "pure electric Mini" race, only their launch was delayed!

December.

Several new energy mini cars, including the Chery eQ1, Changan Benben Mini EV, and Clever, have officially launched!
They are all touting slogans like "young people, low cost, and green travel".

It's worth mentioning that the appearance of these models has become more rounded and attractive to varying degrees. Compared to the first-generation new energy Mini that Xu Yi remembers, their appearance has improved significantly, and they are all equipped with large screens, which can be considered a butterfly effect.

With strong marketing and distribution capabilities, the market response has been quite enthusiastic.

For a while.

The entry-level new energy vehicle market is booming.

An industry insider stated.

In cities with license plate restrictions, the combination of a basic new energy Mini is simply a winning combination. If you factor in subsidies for scrapping and replacing old cars, you can get one of these new energy vehicles for as little as 28,000 yuan!
But soon.

A well-known economics expert publicly stated that excessive micro-new energy sources may crowd out transportation resources in first-tier cities, and suggested that the government introduce policies to regulate them.

As soon as these words came out.

They immediately became the target of public criticism, sparking a new round of verbal battles.

"You arrogant so-called experts can't stand to see ordinary people doing well, huh!"

"That's a good suggestion, please don't bring it up again in the future."

"Experts usually travel in luxury cars."

"You're so great, so aloof..."

"I'd eat this so-called expert if he were human!"

……

January.

Xingchen Motors Headquarters.

"Mr. Xu, our stores now cover more than 70 cities, and our nationwide sales network continues to expand. Sales volume was slightly lower last month, just reaching 21,000 units. Competitive products launched by our rivals have had some impact on us..."

The efforts in cities with license plate restrictions remain stable as always, but recent outrageous comments from online experts have angered young people.

Yu Nian's tone was slightly amused and exasperated.

These days, whenever there's a shift in the political climate, these so-called experts jump out to cause trouble and offer unsolicited advice.

"This statement is not outrageous; it might actually become a reality soon."

Xu Yi chuckled and said something uncharacteristically.

Yu Nian's expression tightened. "What?! No way! The new energy vehicle sector is just getting started. Does this mean the government won't be providing free license plates anymore?"

"No... new energy vehicle license plates will continue to be issued, but the bug in the pure electric Mini model has probably already attracted the attention of the higher-ups."

Xu Yi shook his head.

With the added subsidies, a car costing 20,000 to 30,000 yuan can get a license plate.

What a great thing!
It's like a pie falling from the sky.

It has a wide coverage area and almost no barriers to entry.

If government welfare programs like this can continue for a while, that's already quite good.

And it is indeed based on the contributions of gasoline car owners.

Without everyone's contribution of blue license plates, there would be no vehicle and vessel maintenance tax, no fuel costs, and no subsequent booming development of the new energy vehicle industry.

Energy transition necessitates trade-offs for development; keeping up with the major trends is essential for growth.

no way--

It's going to be tougher for owners of gasoline-powered cars!
...

In his memory, after the pure electric mini became a huge hit, only a year or two later, cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen, which had license plate restrictions, announced that they would adjust the standards for vehicles that could enjoy green license plates, thus limiting the proliferation of some new energy microcars.

Later, they even publicly stated that they would no longer give away new energy vehicles with a length of less than 4 meters and a price of less than 6 yuan.

Although, according to the timeline, that would all be something that happens after 2020.

However, the implementation of macro-environmental policies is not calculated in this way.

Because transportation resources are limited.

Currently, cities with license plate restrictions, along with other first- and second-tier cities, have explicitly banned unlicensed mobility scooters used by the elderly in order to alleviate the problem of road resource shortages and traffic congestion.

For small cars, there should be a limit to the interior space.

If this limit is exceeded, it's not impossible for the relevant policies to be issued ahead of schedule.

After all, the government isn't giving away green license plates and subsidies for free just for microcars.

This thing has absolutely no technical content.

Being able to take such a big shortcut in a blank market early on is already a huge achievement.

The sudden emergence of such experts is more like a way of giving the relevant groups a heads-up and testing public opinion.

"It's not a big problem. Even if there are restrictions, the pure electric mini car market will remain popular for a long time."

Xu Yi waved his hand.

There will be at least a one-year grace period before the relevant policies are implemented.

Even without relying on cities with license plate restrictions, their vehicle sales can still be boosted in other cities, including rural areas, and stabilize at a top sales volume of 20,000 to 30,000 units.

As long as the Polestar battery is deployed.

With some minor modifications and upgrades to the Star Mini, plus a cage-like body design and more safety and collision protection features, it will become the safest leading microcar on the sinking track.

noon.

Xu Yi ate a meal at the company cafeteria.

As the company grew, the quality of the cafeteria underwent a major upgrade.

In addition to the upgraded home-style stir-fries, we've added donkey meat and beef offal hot pot, various dry pot dishes, grilled fish, fried chicken, dumplings, a wide variety of noodle and soup dishes, and complimentary drinks...

With a daily company meal allowance of 60 yuan, employees who usually enjoy good food are visibly gaining weight.

"It seems... it's time to put the construction of the company gym on the agenda."

Xu Yi stroked his chin and sighed.

While their company's current benefits package can't compare to those of major internet companies, it still exceeds the standards of traditional companies.

As employees' quality of life improves, their health also becomes a concern.

Excessive obesity is detrimental to long-term endeavors.

The body is the capital of the revolution!
"Mr. Xu..."

"Hello, Mr. Xu!"

As they walked out of the cafeteria, some newly hired young employees looked at the company's big boss with eyes full of longing.

"Oh, everything's fine."

Xu Yi responded with a smile.

in the afternoon.

Driven by his assistant Xiao Zhou, Xu Yi sat in the back seat and headed towards the Star F1 factory.

The massive infrastructure construction at the Xingchen F1 factory is finally nearing completion, and equipment procurement has commenced according to procedure.

The factory's conference room was filled with all the factory's top executives.

How is the equipment delivery progressing?

"Mr. Xu, the Schuler presses for the four stamping lines arrived last week and are currently in the installation phase. The 200 FANUC robots for welding are all in place, the electrophoresis line for painting has been debugged, the spraying robots are being programmed, and the final assembly line frame has just been set up. In general, we have reached the final completion stage. Once the debugging is completed by the end of the first quarter, we can officially enter mass production."

Zheng Tie gave a brief report.

The factory's purchasing manager compiled a very long list of core equipment and related expenses.

This time.

The budget for purchasing core equipment alone amounted to approximately 1.7 billion.

The suppliers are all top-tier in the industry. For the pressure lines, we purchase Schuler from Germany and Komatsu from Japan. For the flexible welding lines, we purchase FANUC and ABB. For the final assembly lines and testing equipment, the domestic options are quite mature, and we purchase from China Automotive Engineering Corporation and other domestic suppliers.

The first phase of the plant is planned to have a production capacity of 20 units, and the second phase can be expanded to a full capacity of 50 units.

Inside the factory, workers in various workshops are busy at work, while engineers from the supply chain are assisting with equipment debugging.

Subsequently.

Xu Yi then spoke with the representatives of the equipment suppliers who were stationed at the factory.

They were all foreigners, yet their Chinese was remarkably fluent.

Xu Yi couldn't say he fully understood the specific details; he just casually confirmed the equipment's precision, delivery, and the robot's debugging progress.

These factory facilities are now comparable to their Star Mini's final assembly plant.

Whether it's precision, manufacturing process, or efficiency, it's far ahead of the competition!
Taking the stamping process as an example, the top-of-the-line Schuler servo press can maintain a dynamic accuracy of ±0.01mm, and even after 10000 consecutive cycles, the accuracy fluctuation will not exceed 0.005mm.

In terms of coating, the coating process uses top-of-the-line imported equipment, resulting in virtually no errors. The precision of the electrophoretic film and paint film can be consistently maintained at ±1.4μm, and the color difference of the paint spraying is within 1.

……

The high product consistency, low rework rate, and significantly improved production efficiency brought about by top-of-the-line equipment go without saying.

It also means.

The cars produced at their Star F1 factory will have even higher precision in manufacturing processes.

On the consumer side, this translates to subtle changes such as "the gaps between parts in the car body are smaller," "the probability of problems due to tolerances in the later stages is lower," and "it feels more durable."

you could put it that way.

High-end cars are not necessarily high-precision, but high-precision cars are definitely high-end cars.

Achieving perfection in manufacturing processes is extremely costly.

……

After inspecting the factory, some coordination work was completed.

then.

Another week has passed.

Finally, the vehicle R&D center sent Xu Yi the good news he had been waiting for!
Starry Sky S7 —

The first batch of engineering prototype vehicles has officially rolled off the production line!

The open-air testing ground of the vehicle R&D center.

A brand-new engineering prototype slowly drove out of the trial production workshop.
The many R&D engineers present stared at the newly produced test vehicle, their eyes revealing a hint of excitement.

From R&D project initiation to technology verification, and now to the prototype rolling off the production line.

The days and nights and hardships I experienced during that time seem like they happened just yesterday.

Normally, it takes at least 1.5 to 3 years for a new car company to go from project initiation to manufacturing a car. Despite the well-developed domestic industry chain, few companies can break through this cycle (except for low-priced car-sharing).

New energy vehicles are, after all, a completely new field.

At Xingchen's R&D department, it took less than ten months from the project's inception to the prototype's rollout.

In addition to its extraordinary R&D efficiency.

This is also due to the accumulation of experience in the early stages.

The core battery and motor technologies had already been validated before the new car project was even launched.

Furthermore, they didn't have high requirements for the configuration of their first car.

They didn't start by using terms like "supercar power platform" or "luxury positioning"...

The technical verification and configuration components are not complicated.

As a new energy sedan positioned for family use, after solving the most critical issues of power, chassis, and infotainment system, everything else has been handled smoothly.

then.

That's why it was successfully launched today.

Xu Yi left the company building and arrived at the vehicle R&D center. When he quickly walked to the test track, he became relaxed.

Sun Pengfei and several engineers, including Wang Jingming, came forward with smiles on their faces.

Xu Yi glanced over and saw a nearly completed test vehicle sitting quietly there.

His face showed astonishment.

This is their first car, belonging to Starry Sky.

It is also a rare find on the market, with such a unique new energy design style.

Why do you say that?

Because in the current new energy vehicle market, apart from Tesla from abroad and a few emerging domestic companies, most of them still use the appearance of gasoline vehicles, or have gradually evolved from them.

After all, designing the appearance from scratch also takes a long time and is costly.

In addition, the "arms race" to address the pain point of battery life has only just begun, and the balance between refining the appearance with extreme aerodynamics and design is still being explored.

As you can see—

The overall appearance design of the "Starry Sky S7".

From the side, it is long, streamlined, and soft.

The car paint is the simplest obsidian black.

While it may not have the same high-quality feel as expensive metallic paint, its excellent design gives it a profound and tranquil quality.

In terms of aerodynamic drag, the R&D team invested quite a bit. Internally, they first used simulation software such as CFD to conduct virtual wind tunnel tests and optimized the parameters to a near-perfect state.

Then we rented the wind tunnel laboratory of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center and ran nearly 100 hours of professional wind resistance testing.

The wind noise inside the vehicle and the aerodynamic drag at different speeds were tested.

The original drag coefficient was optimized from 0.29Cd to 0.24Cd.

The research and development for this wind resistance test alone cost two million.

If we continue testing, spending four or five million on testing costs would be an easy task.

If you want to pursue the ultimate and achieve the optimal drag coefficient of a supercar, the cost will be astronomical.

However, Xu Yi believes that the cost of the wind tunnel test was well worth it.

on the one hand.

We have accumulated R&D experience in optimizing wind resistance.

on the other hand.

The biggest pain point for new energy vehicles at present is range.

The reduced drag coefficient gives the Starry Sky S7 a range increase of 35 kilometers.

If we sell tens of thousands of vehicles in the future, and each vehicle saves a little on battery costs, the total cost savings will be enormous.

It's definitely a very cost-effective investment.

...

"Mr. Xu, according to the previous plan, the configuration and battery life of the Star S7 are divided into two levels."

The standard version has a NEDC range of 400 kilometers and a total of 53 kWh of electricity.

The long-range version has a NEDC range of 520 kilometers and an electric power of 66 kWh.

The vehicle weighs 2.2 tons.

The actual driving range will be reduced somewhat, but it is still more than 100 kilometers longer than other new energy vehicles in the same class on the market.

In terms of power, it is equipped with our self-developed V4 motor, rear-wheel drive, and a maximum horsepower of 241 hp.

It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds!

......"

Sun Pengfei said.

To be honest, the internally developed V4 motor is really impressive.

The 3.0T inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine on the market at the same time only has 306 horsepower.

But the Starry Sky S7 is just too big and heavy.

A time of 7.3 seconds.

Meanwhile, the electric drive R&D team further optimized the low-twist wires of the motor by adjusting them to achieve the best possible balance between energy consumption and performance.

if not.

It accelerates in about 8 seconds right out of the factory.

"7-second acceleration isn't slow... Did you subtract the starting time?" Xu Yi stared at the curves of the Starry Sky S7's body.

“Uh—no, not at all!” Sun Pengfei was taken aback.

Subtract the starting time? What kind of logic is that!
"That's alright then. Although the test result is 7.3 seconds, if we subtract the starting time, the 0-100 km/h acceleration time will be 6.9 seconds!" Xu Yi smiled slightly.

This acceleration makes for a lot more buzzworthy in advertising!

At worst, we can just add a small note about it later.

Tesla and some other excellent manufacturers do just that!

and.

It can't really be considered commercial fraud.

Their internal 0-100 km/h acceleration test was conducted under half-load conditions.

That is, the weight of two people sitting in the car was measured in 7.3 seconds.

If there is only one person in the car, it is not a problem to get a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 7.1 seconds.

It's normal for consumer testing to have errors at that time.

Many car companies are really "cheating" in this regard!
They took advantage of the fact that consumers lacked the means to conduct precise testing.

Some cars advertise their 0-100 km/h acceleration times at launch events, but the actual 0-100 km/h acceleration times measured by car owners can be as much as 0.5 or 0.8 seconds slower when unloaded!
In contrast.

Xingchen Motors is already incredibly conscientious!
...

After a brief discussion of the car's power, appearance, and aerodynamics.

Open the car door.

The interior is also basically complete.

It adopts a minimalist style, with seats and trim made of imitation leather.

It comes standard with heated seats, a heated steering wheel, thirteen speakers tuned by domestic midstream suppliers, and a very eye-catching "13-inch high-tech entertainment screen"!
"We've made some adjustments to the exterior and interior details..."

The paint colors are Obsidian Black, Deep Blue, Snow White, and Racing Gray.

The interior colors are available in black, dark brown, and white.

...

"The exterior colors, Obsidian Black and Deep Blue, have an older-money feel, while the interior colors, including Dark Brown and Black, are more appealing to mature men aged 30-40 and above."

Snow White and Racing Gray, paired with a white interior, would appeal to a younger aesthetic.

This design allows people of different ages to find a style that suits their aesthetic preferences.

In addition, we offer piano lacquer and chrome-plated options.

If you're a fan of painted and chrome-plated parts, this selection will give you a more mature, old-money style!

Wang Jingming spoke up from the side, smiling.

The appearance of the Starry Sky S7 has indeed been very youthful since the project was first conceived, coupled with its unique front face and star-ring headlights.

They also considered internally that being too appealing to young people might not be a good thing for those who prefer a more mature demographic.

then.

More detailed exterior adjustments, a more sophisticated paint finish, and an interior design scheme have also been presented!

From the outside, this car still looks youthful and attractive, but the combination of black paint and black interior adds a touch of composure and depth.

...

"Regarding the in-vehicle infotainment system, the first version has already been installed, including basic navigation, music playback, reversing camera, weather information, range display and charging control, power modes, etc. All functions have been tested."

Including voice functionality, now you can simply call out "Stars" to wake up the car's infotainment system for navigation and music playback. Basic inquiries about the weather, time, and location are also possible!

Wang Jingming continued.

The first version of the in-vehicle infotainment system was jointly developed and rolled off the production line by the Xingchen Intelligent In-vehicle Infotainment R&D team and the Zu Technology team.

The chip uses a quad-core Cortex-A9 from a domestic traditional manufacturer, which can support 1080p decoding and in-vehicle media entertainment functions.

It also features OTA (Over-The-Air) functionality, enabling OTA upgrades for navigation maps and software.

Currently, many traditional automakers have equipped their vehicles with Cortex-A9 chips, but their architecture and plans have not reserved any space for over-the-air (OTA) updates.

In this respect alone, it is already considered a leader in the current market.

Regarding the name of the vehicle's infotainment system and how to activate the voice assistant.

After some discussion and internal decision-making.

Xu Yi named it "Stars".

It is meant to represent a constellation of stars shining brightly.

Although—it's currently in "Stellaris 1.0" version.

It is relatively rudimentary, with only advantages such as a very smooth, simple and attractive UI.

The related ecosystem software is still under development.

However, the future potential for intelligentization is still vast.

The in-vehicle entertainment system is now like a star that has just been lit but is still dim.

However, with the progress of the industry and the improvement of computing power.

It is foreseeable that the StarStar in-vehicle infotainment system will become more intelligent and AI-enabled.

Once sufficient computing power is available, the system will continue to be updated.

"Stars" will then naturally develop into a symbol of Star Technology's high level of intelligence and artificial intelligence.

……

"Let's go straight to road testing!"

Xu Yi spoke up, and without saying a word, he got in. The interior of the new car wafted towards him.

But it doesn't have a pungent smell.

After all, this time they chose a mature domestic interior supplier, and the materials and environmental protection are comparable to those of gasoline cars in the 200,000 yuan price range.

Not much to say.

Track Mode - Activated!!

In reality, this car wouldn't have a track mode.

All Xu Yi could do was switch the driving mode to sport, fasten his seatbelt, and floor the accelerator!
The seat naturally enveloped him, and a distinct feeling of being pushed back came through.

Because of the characteristics of new energy vehicles, they can always deliver full torque at any power output level.

Therefore, even with the same acceleration, the perceived acceleration will be more noticeable in a gasoline car.

Xu Yi wanted to test mainly the chassis feel, as well as the cornering handling and body roll.

The wheels sped across the road surface.

The road surface was uneven and bumpy.

It brings a soft and soothing feeling.

It was not much different from what Xu Yi had expected.

As long as it's positioned as a family car, you can't go wrong by tuning the chassis to be softer!

Most consumers can't tell whether a car's chassis is high-end or not!
But as long as it's soft enough.

If the surface is soft and gentle, it will feel very comfortable and luxurious to them!
But softness has its drawbacks.

For chassis suspension, overly soft damping tuning makes it difficult to suppress body roll and wheel bounce.

The so-called tilting and wheel bounce.

This refers to sharp turns and large ditches and bumps.

When making a sharp turn, the body roll is too great, the car's center of gravity becomes unstable, and people sitting in the car will feel like they are being thrown off.

Vehicles with poor roll control, especially SUVs, are at risk of rollover at high speeds.

There was absolutely no manipulation involved.

soon.

The car drove into an area with a series of sharp bends.

Xu Yi released the accelerator to slow down, and the car body passed through the inner curves in a good posture, turning into a black line as it shuttled continuously on the test track.

"The moose test can reach at least 70km/h..."

Xu Yi glanced at the cornering speed and made a quick estimate in his mind.

The industry generally considers 60km/h as the passing grade.

Sedans have a significant advantage in this regard. Being able to maintain such a soft and comfortable chassis at a speed of 70 km/h while achieving a moose-like level of comfort is truly excellent.

Most consumers would be satisfied with this level of chassis quality.

As for even higher achievements, that falls into the realm of performance cars and sports cars.

They ran two full laps on the test track.

Xu Yi got out of the car, satisfied.

"I'm very satisfied with the car's performance; it basically met my expectations. Thank you all for your hard work during this time!"

He didn't say anything like "exceeded expectations," because his expectations were already quite high, and the initial plan was very advanced.

It's already a miracle that it's been able to be implemented perfectly!
"Mr. Xu, you're too kind... We're all striving for our dreams!" Sun Pengfei said with emotion.

“We did encounter many problems during the R&D process, but whenever we hit a bottleneck, I would tell my colleagues one thing: ‘Work hard, Xingchen will never let you down!’” Wang Jingming laughed.

As an old man who has walked through the stars, he has a deep understanding of this.

Moreover, Xu Yi values ​​research and development very much.

Anyone in a research and development position has some degree of profit-sharing rights, and those who make breakthroughs and contributions will receive substantial bonuses.

Upon hearing this, the dozen or so engineers present also burst into laughter.

"We have already arranged road tests for the first batch of vehicles that rolled off the production line..."

Moreover, all of these processes are conducted simultaneously, meaning that all the data can be collected in as little as two months.

At that time, all preparations for mass production can be completed.

Wang Jingming continued.

All the prototype vehicles that rolled off the production line in the first batch have their own tasks and have completed closed-scenario testing.

The relevant applications and crash tests must be completed immediately.

Besides.

It's the most traditional "three highs test" process.

The so-called "three-high test" refers to the extreme environment test of a vehicle.

These are: high temperature (Turpan), high altitude and cold (Mohe), and high plateau (Golmud).

The high-temperature test is conducted at an temperature of 40-45℃ to test various performance and durability aspects of the vehicle.

The high-altitude cold weather test is conducted at temperatures ranging from -30°C to 25°C to test vehicle performance and durability.

The high-altitude test, conducted at an altitude of 4000 meters, assesses the power, performance, and durability.

These processes are all standard procedures that a qualified mass-produced car must go through.

Especially for products in the price range of tens or hundreds of thousands, high-temperature, high-altitude, and high-humidity tests as well as durability tests are extremely important. Only after all of them pass, and after data collection and adjustments are made, can they officially enter mass production.

Without this data to supplement it.

If something goes wrong in an extreme environment, that would be a huge disaster for the company that went public!
……

　Yesterday someone said that 7,000 words isn't considered a long chapter. So, what exactly constitutes a long chapter on Qidian?!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)