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

Chapter 148 High-level difficulty is as difficult as ascending to heaven!
October 4, Wednesday.

The hybrid R&D department, led by Chen Zhou, actively collaborated with Dong'an Power.

Although there are several range-extended electric vehicles on the market, they have all been disassembled.

But in Xu Yi's view, none of them can be considered true new energy range-extended vehicles.

The main differences are as follows:

The engine's thermal efficiency is too low. (It consumes too much fuel and electricity.)
The NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) noise reduction is poorly done.

The engine vibrates and jerks noticeably when it kicks in. (Poor driving experience)
……

If these problems are not resolved.

The current range-extended electric vehicles are actually worse to drive than gasoline-powered cars.

It is still far from the "quiet, seamless, and high-efficiency" high-end range-extended electric vehicle system he requested.

Several key, general requirements were put forward.

Xu Yi then let the R&D team do it.

—The thermal efficiency of the 1.5t engine has been optimized to over 39%.

—When the engine kicks in, the interior noise level is kept below 55 decibels. At 120 km/h with the engine running at full power, the noise level is kept below 70 decibels. (This noise level is lower than ambient noise at both low and high speeds.)
—The driving experience is guaranteed to be smooth without any jerking or noticeable vibration in the steering wheel, with the vibration amplitude being at least lower than that of a gasoline car in the 30 RMB price range.

...

Still the same old routine.

The project offers attractive bonuses, and there are additional dividends and equity distributions upon completion.

Such a clear and extreme requirement.

The newly integrated R&D team members stared wide-eyed, instantly donning masks of pain.

I once doubted whether I could complete it.

Optimizing the thermal efficiency of Dong'an Power's original engine from 37% to 39% is already a major project, no less difficult than redeveloping it from scratch.

If it truly reaches this value, it will basically surpass all current 1.5T engines from domestic independent automakers.

At the same time, it is also necessary to avoid knocking and take into account size and weight.

Even among joint venture brands, they are close to the top tier.

Although Chen Zhou had presented a preliminary plan, the other two requirements were truly outrageous!

When done simultaneously, the difficulty increases exponentially!

Believe in yourself!

"When you encounter bottlenecks and difficulties, just disassemble the engines of your joint venture partners; there's plenty of R&D funding!"

Xu Yi patted Chen Zhou's shoulder hard, offering a barrage of comfort and encouragement that left the other man stunned!

--Harmful.

It's only a 1.5T.

It's not like we're dealing with V8 and V12 engines.

Although the road to domestically produced engines is arduous, there is still great hope.

After all, the range-extended power system is fixed within a specific speed range.

Many domestic car companies don't invest in this research and development because they feel the return on investment is not high enough.

They're neglecting the development of plug-in hybrid and fuel system engines.

To independently develop a "range-extending engine" that is not recognized by the mainstream market?
Even if we develop it, we can't sell it.

The "refrigerator, color TV, and large sofa" marketing strategy didn't exist before the market exploded.

Range-extended electric vehicles are considered a garbage solution in the industry, far inferior to plug-in hybrids, and are purely superfluous.

This is beyond doubt.

If industry insiders knew about Xingchen Automotive's current R&D direction, they would be quite surprised.

Instead of pursuing plug-in hybrid and pure electric solutions, they've gone on to work on range extenders.

This is such a waste of money!!
Even without considering the battery, the research and development cost for the entire advanced range-extending power system required by Xu Yi would exceed 100 million yuan.

This does not yet involve other aspects of the vehicle's development.

Ultimately, the total cost of developing the entire vehicle will likely exceed two billion.

What if the product doesn't sell well after it's launched?
It's a big gamble.

……

conference hall.

"Mr. Xu, in accordance with your requirements, we will aim for a high-end positioning of over 300,000 yuan for our next SUV."

It features a six-seat layout, high intelligence, high configuration, and comes standard with L2 lane-level assisted driving.

Most importantly, it needs to have a large space, a large screen, large and soft seats, a large in-car refrigerator, and external power outlets.

……

So now, besides the power system, there are many other core issues that need to be addressed.

First, there's the issue of the seating for this large sofa.

Your requirement that both front seats have standard massage and ventilation features, and the rear seats have ventilation features, seems to be an excessively high cost.

Currently, the purchase price of ventilated massage chairs from domestic suppliers is approximately 6000 yuan per set. However, in terms of noise and comfort design, they lag far behind joint venture manufacturers. Without user data accumulation and ergonomic research, the fan noise is loud, making it difficult to meet your comfort requirements.

If we purchase seats from joint venture manufacturers, the cost of each set of seats will be over 8000 yuan.

Could we make the driver's seat ventilated and have it massaged as standard, while the other seats only have heating as standard seats? This would save a significant amount of money.

Product manager Zeng Daiyan said with a wry smile.

to be frank.

Xu Yi not only put a lot of pressure on the power research and development department.

Even the senior executives in the product planning department of the marketing department are under a lot of pressure.

He's practically a "human stress monster"!!

Listen to this configuration yourself and see if it's reliable.
One car, two sets of massage, ventilated and heated seats, and four sets of ventilated and heated seats.

The cost of purchasing the entire vehicle's seats alone amounted to 30,000 yuan.

The cost of a single seat exceeds six thousand.

……

Many people think that seat ventilation is just installing a few fans in the seat, right?
It's purely the car manufacturers who are arbitrarily raising prices.

But in fact.

"Ventilated seats" were a very expensive feature in the early days.

In high-end gasoline cars, just adding ventilated seats can cost five or six thousand yuan, and if you add a massage function, it will cost at least eight thousand yuan.

This is mainly because the core components of seat ventilation cannot currently be produced domestically.

The "fan, massage module, and ECU" all rely on imports, accounting for more than 60% of the total cost.

—The fan should be an imported "low-noise centrifugal fan".

—The massage module must use imported "airbag components".

—The seat ECU control unit must use an "adaptive algorithm" that is only available from joint venture manufacturers.

Other duct materials also have to be imported.

...Joint venture car manufacturers inherently carry a high premium.

Both sales volume and configuration justify the value of this type of seat.

But domestically produced cars are not an option.

Up to now.

Domestic independent car manufacturers' high-end models priced above 300,000 yuan only have annual sales of 10,000 to 20,000 units, accounting for about 5% of the entire market.

Most of the seats have to be sourced from joint ventures.

Therefore, Xu Yi's "refrigerator, color TV, and large sofa" plan.

I got stuck on the first item, "Sofa".

Because the current state of the industry is—

This involves the core configurations of cars priced above 300,000 yuan.

Even for seat components, China does not have the capability to produce them independently.

This is very embarrassing.

Why are domestically produced cars in the industry now almost completely excluded from the "high-end" category?
Because domestic car manufacturers cannot independently produce any configurations or technologies that involve the word "high-end".

Even a small ventilated seat has developed a serious "choke point" problem.

And the 300,000 level is just the entry-level for the high-end.

Further up the chain are hundreds of thousands, seven hundred thousand, millions, and tens of millions...

This is a level that domestic independent brand car manufacturers wouldn't even dare to dream of.

……

Under the conflicted gazes of everyone.

Xu Yi nodded and shared his opinion:
"The cost of sourcing from joint ventures is indeed too high, which is unacceptable."

"In that case—why don't we just develop it ourselves?!"

The words fell.

The entire audience was stunned!

Xu Yi continued, "This is easy to calculate. If our next high-end family SUV achieves annual sales of 50,000 units, then the investment in seat R&D will be recouped. Beyond that, we'll make a killing."

in fact.

At the current stage, developing seats in-house is indeed very uneconomical, requiring more investment than purchasing them, and high-end cars don't sell in large quantities.

However, if we think about it differently, in the future, most domestically produced cars priced between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan will be equipped with ventilated and massaging seats.

As the first domestic manufacturer to mass-produce and supply self-developed ventilated massage chairs, the return will be tens or even hundreds of times greater if the cost can be reduced.

"I think it's feasible. Considering cost factors, our Star S7 doesn't come with seat ventilation components, and it's not even an optional extra..."

If we develop our own low-cost seat ventilation components, reducing the cost to below 3,000 yuan, and then upgrade the Star S7 by adding a 4,000 yuan ventilation option, I believe many consumers would be willing to choose it, thus reducing R&D costs.

Yu Nian expressed his opinion.

According to market trends, cars priced around 200,000 yuan do not offer ventilated seats as standard equipment.

Ventilation is an optional feature only available on some higher-spec models.

Do users need "seat ventilation"?

The answer is that not only is it needed, but in many regions, "seat ventilation" is a necessity!
Offline user feedback and the Starry Sky Community indicate that people are already discussing this issue.

It's just due to production cycle and cost considerations.

The first-generation Star S7 obviously couldn't offer the "seat ventilation" option.

and.

The Starry Sky S7 "gains too much" in other aspects, and the slight dissatisfaction was suppressed.

Take Tesla as an example.

It took a full five years after the product was domestically produced and launched on the market before the option of seat ventilation was offered.

This is also based on the production logic of "simplified configuration, maximum production capacity" and "cost control".

……

"We must firmly adhere to the path of independent research and development across all domains!"

"No matter how great the difficulties or how high the costs are, these will all become cost-effective once the localization is achieved and sales reach 50,000 or 100,000 units."

Low cost allows for high configuration and high-specification experience, which will encourage more users to choose new energy vehicles and buy domestic cars.

Even something as simple as a chair, if the cost is too high, we have to develop it ourselves!

Xu Yi presented the core ideas.

Those who buy joint venture cars and high-end gasoline cars are very "savvy".

How can domestically produced cars sell in large quantities without "low price and high configuration"?

Only by offering lower prices than joint venture vehicles, while providing them with more features and a better experience, can the core customer base of high-end gasoline vehicles be shaken!
The idea behind "refrigerator, color TV, and large sofa" is exactly that.

Don't be fooled by the fact that their cars are priced at over 300,000 yuan.

In contrast, other joint venture vehicles, such as luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, are also represented.

Even if you spend four or five hundred thousand, you still can't buy a "refrigerator, color TV, and large sofa".

...

"Yes, Mr. Xu, I completely agree with what you said!"
If domestic cars want to become high-end, the only way is to develop their own products and technologies. They will never be able to compete with joint venture brands by relying on imports from joint venture factories.

If our self-developed seats are more comfortable than those of joint venture manufacturers and cheaper, then we can truly achieve phenomenal sales!

Wang Jingming wholeheartedly agreed.

This path has been proven by the industry.

Even if you use the same engine platform and have the exact same configuration, but sell it for a lower price, luxury brand customers will still ignore you.

It must have its own unique elements, something completely different, coupled with an experience that transcends its level!
...

A few words later.

Everyone's hearts are burning with excitement!
That's right! We absolutely must develop it ourselves!!
And they're aggressively pursuing independent research and development!
Just now.

Someone poured cold water on the idea.

"However, the new car will be equipped with an L2 driving assistance system that includes 'ACC adaptive cruise control' and 'LCC lane centering assist'..."

Are we also going to do full-domain self-development?

"Mr. Xu, isn't this a bit too extreme?"

"I'm a little confused," asked Zhao Yang, director of the Intelligent Business Unit.

His previous work experience included not only the development of in-vehicle intelligent systems, but also the software and hardware adaptation of driver assistance modules, so he is quite knowledgeable in this area.

This thing.

It's also exclusive to high-end joint ventures, and it's only just starting out in the domestic market.

Developing the entire L2 driver assistance system from scratch, including both hardware and software, would be quite a daunting task.

It's probably worth billions.

Do they, Xingchen Motors, have that much money?

……

(End of this chapter)