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

Chapter 174 Xu Yi Unleashes His Ultimate Skill at Close Range (Bonus Chapter 2 for Alliance Leader 'Qianqiu Diyi')

What does "using a big move at face-to-face" mean?
This is called using your ultimate skill at face-to-face!
Just as Xu Yi was commenting on the EP9, NIO's team arrived.

The two sentences, "If more modifiers are added, it can also be considered the first of its kind in China," were heard by both teams word for word.

Everyone's expressions were strange.

In contrast, both CEOs appeared completely at ease.

"Oh, it's Mr. Li. I watched the London launch event. The world's fastest electric car truly lives up to its name."

Xu Yi immediately straightened his face and shook hands with the other party.

“Just call me Li Bin. I watched the Star Auto launch event, and it was really inspiring. It’s a role model for us new-age entrepreneurs, so I bought a Star S7. Strictly speaking… I’m also a Star user.” Li Bin gave a sincere smile.

"That would be an honor. Once NIO's mass-produced cars are released, I will definitely buy one to support them," Xu Yi said with a chuckle.

In fact, NIO's service philosophy is quite good.

……

“Our EP9 is a mass-produced car, but it’s a mass-produced car that’s prioritized for sale to investors, since production capacity is limited right now,” Li Bin laughed again.

"Mr. Xu, I remember you mentioned at the press conference that the biggest obstacle for new energy vehicles is charging. Therefore, Xingchen Motors has also launched corresponding charging technology and self-operated charging stations... I wonder if you have any knowledge about the battery swapping system?"
I think that for pure electric vehicles, relying solely on one charging method will always have some shortcomings, as charging electric vehicles is not like charging gasoline vehicles.

The words are not finished yet.

Xu Yi interjected, "Yes, so our Star Auto has two ways to recharge."

"Well--?"

"What I mean is that our Star Auto can be charged with either a single charging gun or a dual charging gun."

"..."

Li Bin paused for a second, clearly not expecting the conversation to unfold in this way.

but.

This did not prevent him from continuing to explain his entrepreneurial philosophy.

"Okay, I was referring to the rechargeable and swappable energy replenishment route. Charging stations transmit electrical energy, while battery swapping stations store it. From a broader perspective, storing electrical energy undoubtedly places a lighter burden on the power grid and also eliminates car owners' anxiety about battery life..."

To achieve this, all that's needed is to spend a little more on chassis development.

The future is not only an era of diversified energy replenishment, but also an era of pursuing efficiency. Judging from Xingchen Motors' style, Mr. Xu, you must be a person who highly values ​​efficiency.

A very sincere tone.

This face is brimming with sincerity from every angle.

The founders of new energy vehicle companies are all young and lack the old-fashioned air of CEOs from established car companies. At the same time, new energy vehicles represent a completely new endeavor for this era.

Xu Yi's expression gradually became strange.

Good guy.

Is this an attempt to get me into the battery swapping alliance?
"That's not entirely wrong, but I don't think battery swapping is a very efficient thing," Xu Yi said frankly.

"Mr. Xu, I don't understand what you mean. Our battery swapping only takes four minutes, which is as fast as refueling. If users are used to refueling their cars with gasoline, they will be able to switch to battery swapping mode seamlessly. On the contrary, charging a regular electric car takes more than an hour, which is quite long."

Of course, there may be relatively few battery swapping stations in the initial stage, but within one to two years, we will be able to cover 1,000 battery swapping stations nationwide, meeting the battery swapping needs of more than 90% of car owners. Our current funds can also support NIO to do this.

"At that time, even more users will purchase it, and charging will only be the option when there are no battery swapping stations available."

Li Bin added.

They are clearly very confident in their model.

He meant it from the bottom of his heart.

An entrepreneur who doesn't firmly believe in their own ideas and business model would not be able to secure so much investment.

Xu Yi smiled and said, "Efficiency actually has many aspects. Mr. Li, you are concerned about the efficiency of consumers, but in my opinion, this may not be a highly efficient thing for car companies."

Let's assume that NIO currently has a group of regular car owners.

An average battery swapping station needs to house six or even eight batteries. With thousands of battery swapping stations across the country, this means that for every 10,000 NIO vehicles sold, it will consume twice as many batteries as other new energy vehicle companies.

Furthermore, these batteries remain idle unless they are replaced, which I don't think is an efficient thing for the company.

For society and the industry as a whole, the additional consumption of precious metals and lithium will also be a burden. This is not a way to save resources, and it even exceeds the benefits of energy storage to the power grid.

If everyone starts building battery swapping stations, international lithium and cobalt prices could skyrocket.

As soon as these words came out.

The NIO executives present all froze for a moment.

Even Li Bin himself was taken aback.

He hadn't expected that the CEO of Xingchen Motors would have such profound insights into battery swapping systems.

In the past, many investors were convinced on the spot after he said just the first two paragraphs.

After all, "efficiency" and "diversified energy replenishment" are undeniable advantages for the future of new energy vehicles.

However, Xu Yi offered a different perspective from a different, more unconventional, and realistic angle.

More realistic.

This subtly impacted his goal of building battery swapping stations nationwide. "But users often only care about their own efficiency, so naturally they'll buy whichever car has the highest charging efficiency, and the same logic applies to new energy vehicles."

For companies with the money and capability to do this, it should ultimately be a one-time, permanent solution.

Li Bin thought about it.

He presented his own set of views, and this time he spoke with more confidence.

Car manufacturers are in it to make money, and users will naturally vote with their actions to choose the most convenient mode. No matter how you look at it, battery swapping is faster than charging.

—The advantage lies with me!

“Okay, assuming everything goes according to the ideal scenario, what if battery technology is updated and iterated?” Xu Yi laughed again.

"This problem is too simple. We can launch a second-generation battery with the same specifications," Li Bin said easily.

"What if battery technology continues to evolve?"

"We can launch the third generation."

"What if battery technology continues to iterate steadily at an average rate of two years? Including 800V, 1000V, 1200V, ternary lithium, lithium iron phosphate, sodium batteries, semi-solid-state batteries, and solid-state batteries?"

"I……"

Li Bin was dumbfounded!
I never expected Xu Yi's logic to be so simple and blunt.

No.

Why are they even playing with nesting dolls now?

This guy is definitely here to cause trouble!

For some reason, this sentence popped into my mind.

"Battery technology upgrades shouldn't happen that quickly," Li Bin said, shaking his head with certainty.

It has taken a long time for China's power battery industry to develop to this level.

“Mr. Li, you are a very good entrepreneur, but you probably don’t understand battery technology and the energy industry. If you did, you wouldn’t think this is so fast,” Xu Yi said meaningfully.

Li Bin fell silent.

As the founder, he doesn't really know much about car manufacturing and battery technology, which is his weakness.

Although he didn't agree with Xu Yi's words, he couldn't say anything he wasn't sure about.

The CEO of Xingchen Motors and the company itself have far greater expertise in batteries than other emerging electric vehicle manufacturers.

"So, Mr. Xu, you think NIO won't be able to make money in the future?" Li Bin threw the question back at him.

NIO has attracted so much investment, with top capital from around the world, including domestic and foreign investors. So many top investors are optimistic about it, but you, Xu Yi, just don't think so.
"Not exactly," Xu Yi denied.

While battery swapping has significant limitations, it is undeniable that in first- and second-tier cities, it is a convenient and competitive energy replenishment method. Furthermore, the number of battery swaps can be utilized very efficiently, and it does indeed play a role in regulating the power grid.

Therefore, battery swapping mode, like range extender and plug-in hybrid modes, can coexist, but they are applicable to different scenarios.

Just like some roads are suitable for sedans, while other places are suitable for off-road vehicles.

It's not about one side having to completely kill the other to end the game.

"It seems that President Xu still has good expectations for NIO's development." Li Bin not only breathed a sigh of relief, but also showed a sincere smile again.

“Since you believe NIO can make money, you must also believe that investing in NIO will yield returns. In that case, Mr. Xu, would you like to invest as well? We are currently looking for owners of the EP9 who share the same vision and philosophy,” Li Bin said.

"..."

Xu Yi's lips twitched uncontrollably.

Absolutely did not expect ah.

After chatting for so long, this guy still hadn't given up on trying to get him to "join the group."

A word involuntarily came to his mind:

—A "financing genius"!!

……

"Mr. Li, we just talked about the number of batteries. I don't deny NIO's model, but do you have any concerns about batteries?" Xu Yi changed the subject.

Li Bin was immediately taken aback, his attention drawn to the issue. He sighed and said, "This is a very practical problem. Our initial battery production will be very large."

Have you considered purchasing batteries from our Star Technology?

"Uh... but the batteries we plan to use in our mass production are all ternary lithium batteries."

"Of course, this is just the initial stage and the first model. What if NIO launches more models and larger battery packs? Using lithium iron phosphate batteries can save at least one-third of the cost, wouldn't that be more cost-effective?"

"—Oh, this."

Li Bin suddenly realized he had been tricked.

This proposal is quite appealing.

……

(End of this chapter)