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

Chapter 141 The Refrigerator, Color TV, and Big Sofa Project—Launch!

After eating mala tang (a spicy hot pot dish).

Lin Hao was getting ready to go home.

If he delayed any longer, he was afraid he would want to drive more than ten kilometers away to wash his feet before going home.

However, as soon as he got on the bus...

Then I noticed a message indicating that the remaining battery level was less than 30%.

The dashboard displays the estimated remaining mileage: 110km.

"I need to charge my phone. Are there any charging stations nearby?!"

A kind of anxiety, completely different from that of driving a gasoline-powered car, arose in his mind.

Lin Hao immediately took out his phone and started searching.

You know, gas stations are everywhere.

However, the coverage of charging stations in urban areas is not yet that dense.

It would be a real pain if it couldn't charge later.

Fortunately.

After a quick search, he discovered a State Grid charging station located 3 kilometers away.

The home charging station provided by Xingchen requires an application for a dedicated electricity meter, and installation will be completed next week.

Now he can only find a way to charge his phone outside.

Upon arriving at the charging station, there were four charging stations. On the far right, a BYD was parked and charging.

Lin Hao picked up his phone, scanned the QR code on the charging station, fiddled with it for a while, and then deposited fifty yuan into it.

He picked up the gun and poked it into the charging port, then paused slightly when he saw the markings on the charging station.

"By the way, this charging station only has a power output of 60kW, but can it use the dual-gun charging function?!"

At this stage.

While the overall coverage of charging stations in Chinese cities is not low, it only ensures that people have access to charging equipment.

As for the actual charging quality, I can't really guarantee that.

Most of them are 60kW DC charging piles.

It will be another year or two before 120kW charging piles are widely available.

In many other places, there are only 30kW or 12kW AC charging stations, and it takes half a day to charge a car.

Take this charging station as an example. If you plug in one gun with a power of 60kw, it will take an hour and a half to charge to 90%. If you plug in two guns, it will only take 30-40 minutes at most.

Without saying a word, Lin Hao ran to another available charging station and started scanning the code to unplug the charging gun.

His every move was being watched by those around him.

The middle-aged car owner, who was sitting in the BYD waiting to charge, immediately looked uneasy.

"Hey kid, what are you doing? One tap on the charging station is enough, why are you pulling it out twice? Are you trying to vandalize it?!"

The BYD car owner is a taxi driver who often charges his car here.

In the past year or two, the growth of new energy vehicles in China has been rapid, but charging stations are not like gas stations, and are completely unmanaged.

Many people throw the charging station on the ground after charging, and some even vandalize it maliciously.

This has caused these public piles to wear out severely, and they occasionally need to be shut down for repairs.

If all the charging stations are broken, it will be inconvenient for drivers like him who frequently come to charge their vehicles.

Seeing this, he couldn't hold back anymore!
but.

Just as he shouted, he saw that the car with its unique design and a charging gun plugged into its left side had its right cover pop up, revealing a familiar DC charging port.

Snap!

Lin Hao rammed the gun into it.

The middle-aged driver was completely dumbfounded!

"Fuck!"

What the hell is this thing?!
"What's wrong, brother? What's the matter?" Lin Hao then turned around.

"No, how come you can... fit two guns in this? What kind of car is this?" The middle-aged driver was shocked, as if he was seeing this world for the first time.

before this.

He had never seen that new energy vehicle before, the one that could hold two guns.

"What's the use of sticking two guns in there? Will it double the charging efficiency?" he couldn't help but ask again, his eyes looking as bewildered as a curious child as a new energy vehicle owner.

“Yes, one gun is 60kw, two guns are 120kw, which is reasonable.” Lin Hao nodded.

"My car is a Star S7, a newly launched new energy vehicle. This dual-gun charging is a unique cutting-edge technology."

Lin Hao chuckled, a sense of pride welling up inside him.

It even has a sense of pretentiousness, like someone showing off in front of others.

He had seen people online boasting that the Xingchen S7 is the only model in the current new energy vehicle market with dual-gun charging.

This is definitely cutting-edge charging technology!

"Holy crap... that's really impressive." The middle-aged taxi driver stared blankly.

As a BYD car owner, he also has his own "pride" when it comes to charging. Take this Qin E300 for example, the manufacturer advertises its self-developed three-electric design, and according to the experience of their car owners, the charging efficiency is excellent.

Charging under the same charging station can be much faster than other new energy vehicles.

It even led to a phenomenon of "power grabbing".

For commercial vehicles, charging efficiency is equivalent to earning efficiency.

Moreover, this car doesn't have a long range, and charging it usually takes a lot of time.

And now.

This hidden sense of pride was shattered by the sudden dual-gun charging!

No, isn't it said online that BYD's electric drive system is the strongest?
What is the range of your car?

"520."

"520?!"

"what."

"how much is it?"

"21.6."

"It's not expensive at all!!"

……

A conversation.

The middle-aged taxi driver was dumbfounded.

His Qin e300 cost over 17 yuan after subsidies, and as a productivity tool, its efficiency is much higher than that of a gasoline taxi.

The two biggest pain points are slow charging speed and short battery life, which leads to frequent charging.

The range is only 300 kilometers, but in reality, it only travels a little over 200 kilometers. You have to charge it after only a few trips.

I usually spend three or four hours a day charging it.

And now.

What did he see?
A car with a range of up to 520km that can completely eliminate charging anxiety!

Watching the decimal point of the charging percentage on the other car's infotainment screen rise rapidly at a visible speed.

This is simply a "natural talent for ride-hailing services"!!

...

"With rapid technological advancements, you can't just focus on established companies when buying a car. While emerging car companies may lack the experience and foundation, they are willing to invest heavily in R&D for new energy technologies and the three core electric components (battery, motor, and electronic control system), making them stronger in this area. Xingchen Automotive is a prime example among them..."

Seeing the other person's shocked expression, Lin Hao felt incredibly satisfied!

I casually recited a passage I saw on an online forum.

After the press conference, Xingchen Auto gained many new fans.

Most importantly, Xingchen Motors really has the technology.

Therefore, even as a new force in electric vehicle companies, they are often considered to lack "foundation".

Some people even stood up to defend him!

"This car...it's really amazing, it's packed with cutting-edge technology!!"

The middle-aged taxi driver said with some admiration.

His eyes were fixed on the Starry Sky S7, as if he were about to suck it in.

Such cars are incredibly attractive to people in their profession.

Just like how owners of gasoline-powered cars talk to each other about fuel consumption, engines, and transmissions.

Owners of new energy vehicles also have their own topics and circles.

At this moment, a loyal BYD pure electric vehicle owner felt a deep sense of unease!
……

the other side.

Xingchen Automotive R&D Center.

The booming production and sales sectors continue, but at this crucial juncture, Xu Yi can finally step back and be a hands-off manager.

For him, early marketing and market buzz can only determine temporary success.

For a car to remain popular in the long term, it also depends on its offline performance, the long-term reputation of car owners, the gradual increase in the car owner community, and the spread of its word to other passersby and car owners.

Xu Yi was quite confident about this.

The Starry Sky S7 is their masterpiece.

Whether it's the in-vehicle infotainment system, the battery, or the charging technology, they are all cutting-edge technologies on the market.

Every time a car owner shares information, it has the potential to uncover a new group of potential car buyers.

Its market potential could easily be multiplied several times over.

...

"Mr. Xu, our second-generation Polaris battery has officially commenced production."

The primary goal of the second-generation Polestar battery is to increase energy density by another 10%, improve safety, reduce overall weight, and significantly improve discharge performance…

Cao Yang, the battery R&D director, explained briefly.

Currently, Xingchen Automotive has a large R&D staff and a very tight internal R&D pace.

After the first generation of Polestar batteries was successfully tested and implemented, the second generation was immediately initiated internally.

There is still a lot of room for growth in the current battery technology industry.

With dedicated research and development, the energy density can be further improved.

of course.

What determines the key factors is energy density.

Other key indicators include safety, weight, and discharge performance.

"In terms of safety, the next generation aims to achieve a system where four to six steel needles can be inserted simultaneously without causing a fire."

In addition, in preparation for the development of the next generation of vehicles, we will focus on optimizing discharge performance as a primary objective.

The first-generation Polestar battery has a continuous discharge rate of 2.5C and a peak discharge rate of up to 4C.

Our goal for the second-generation Polestar battery is to improve its continuous discharge performance to 3C, with a peak discharge rate of 7C+.

This allows for higher power output from the next-generation V6 motor, using a smaller battery capacity to achieve high-rate discharge and propel the heavier vehicle body.

……

That's right.

In addition to the second-generation Polestar battery.

The next-generation V6 motor is already in the initial stages of development.

all of these.

This is in preparation for Xu Yi's "Refrigerator, Color TV, and Large Sofa" project!
The next generation of Star Automotive models.

It will be a large SUV and will be powered by a range-extended powertrain platform.

Although there's no real technology involved in range extender structures, it depends on how you look at it.

Xu Yi's goal is to build a large SUV with a length of 5.1 meters and a full range of comfortable features for six seats!

It is equipped with a lithium iron phosphate battery and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about 5 seconds.

To meet the above requirements.

This SUV weighs at least 2.6 tons.

This means that at least two motors, one at the front and one at the rear, are needed to propel the car to have strong power.

The next-generation V6 motor, with its significantly increased output power, is designed to meet this need.

However, having a more powerful motor does not mean that the power problem is completely solved.

We also need batteries with higher discharge rates!
Otherwise, if the motor power is high but the battery discharge power is insufficient, it will be a waste.

It's important to know that the battery capacity of range-extended electric vehicles is often not as high as that of pure electric vehicles.

Based on a rough estimate.

To achieve a range of 150km, the first-generation extended-range vehicle required at least 40 kWh of electricity.

There is no fixed value for discharge power. The key factors are two core parameters of the battery: the larger the capacity, the larger the discharge current; and the higher the voltage, the higher the discharge power.

Therefore, even with the same 2.5C discharge rate, the discharge power of the 40 kWh range extender battery pack is much smaller than that of the 66 kWh battery pack in the Starry Sky S7.

On this basis, it is also necessary to achieve a high power peak output of over 300kW, pushing the 0-100km/h acceleration of large SUVs to the level of just over 5 seconds, achieving the effect of "powerful brick flying".

The discharge capacity of the first-generation Polestar battery certainly cannot achieve this.

This requires a peak discharge power of at least around 7C.

In short.

The technology chain and technological development path of the new energy industry are often interconnected; there is no single breakthrough that can lead to immediate takeoff.

All breakthroughs must be achieved before a phased takeoff can be realized!

...

"Yes, the battery is the core of the entire power system. If the overall performance of the battery is not up to par, the entire power system will fail. We owe this progress to you guys." Xu Yi then said, smiling and patting Cao Yang on the shoulder.

"Mr. Xu, you flatter me. We have sufficient R&D funding now. We just like to do some challenging things." Cao Yang shuddered, then replied with a smile.

Many of the R&D personnel present were experienced, but most of them were no more than forty years old, still in their prime!

Xingchen Motors not only provides them with generous benefits, but also offers ample resources to invest in research and development. Apart from setting project goals, they generally do not interfere with the progress. Even if research and development fails in the short term, they will not be held responsible.

This is already paradise for many researchers!

...

"Speaking of which, many competitors in the market are probably reverse engineering our current battery research and development achievements."

Sun Pengfei couldn't help but interject.

This kind of scene is obvious without even thinking about it.

That colleague was incredibly rude!!
“By the time our competitors have developed their own, our second-generation Polaris battery will probably already be on the market. Besides, they won’t be able to catch up in terms of energy density, cost, and structure in a short time,” Cao Yang chuckled.

With patent restrictions and self-developed expertise, Polestar Battery's leading position in lithium iron phosphate batteries is unshakeable in the short term.

Of course, Xingchen's patent applications mainly focus on its unique structure; the formula will not be filed for public disclosure.

Even if the energy density is up to par, the structure may not be as excellent, and the cost may not be as low.

Next, they will further optimize and reduce the cost of the first-generation Polestar battery.

Therefore, the advantage will always exist.

Even if it takes another year or so, and our competitors catch up, their second-generation Polestar batteries will have already been on the market.

"How is the development of the range-extended powertrain platform progressing?"

Xu Yi watched the two talking and smiled.

He is more concerned with the development of the new car's powertrain platform.

The hybrid range-extending system for new energy vehicles is a completely new field for them.

In industry terms—

There's no technology to speak of in this "range extender system" thing!

The power flow of a so-called range-extended vehicle is simply "engine → generator → battery → motor → wheels".

Any normal car manufacturer could easily create such a system if they wanted to.

Even amateur players can DIY their own set.

This statement is both right and wrong.

Because of its simple power structure, it does not require the coupling mechanisms such as clutches and planetary gears found in plug-in hybrids.

The engine only generates electricity and does not directly drive the wheels, so the control logic is very simple.

It can be said that low-end range-extended vehicles are the simplest and most mindless products at the industrial level.

However, making range-extended vehicles high-end is not as easy or simple as one might imagine.

-

The main features of high-end range-extended vehicles are as follows:

[Ultra-high thermal efficiency], [Ultra-low NVH control], [Near-imperceptible control coordination], [Extremely lightweight and cost-effective design]

One of these tasks alone would be enough to keep a research and development team working themselves to the bone.

to be honest.

It was very easy to develop this system.

However, achieving the ultimate in "high efficiency, quiet operation, and coordinated control" is extremely difficult!
……

(End of this chapter)