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

Chapter 325 There are ways to fight numerical monsters.
Since the era of gasoline-powered cars, racing has been a "testing ground" for civilian technologies.

The "direct injection," "turbocharging," "electronic control system," and even the three-point seat belts we wear every day, which are now commonly found on the market, all originated on the racetrack and were later adopted by family cars.

As an "emerging product" in the market, electric vehicles have already been accepted by many people for their new energy characteristics and technological concepts.

However, its actual market positioning has always remained in the realm of comfortable home use and novelty seeking.

It lacks persuasiveness in the global market.

From any perspective, the Nürburgring circuit, known as the "Green Hell" in the professional racing world, is a great stage for showing off.

“Mr. Xu, setting lap times at the Nürburgring is a systematic project. If you are interested in the track, why not try it out with the EP9 first?”

Thanks to the cooperation on the supercharging protocol and batteries, NIO's relationship with StarCraft has become increasingly close in the past six months.

There aren't many car companies in China with professional racing track experience, and NIO happens to be one of them.

When Li Bin learned of President Xu's intentions, his eyes lit up, and he took out his own EP9.

Only six EP9 vehicles were ever produced worldwide.

The funds are held by Li Bin and five early investors, including well-known and successful figures in the internet industry such as Lei Jun, Liu Qiangdong, and Jack Ma.

At the end of last year, in order to promote the global auto show and meet with certain investors, an additional 5 units were scheduled for production.

"Mr. Li, if I remember correctly, your EP9 is only given to investors..."

Xu Yi was surprised.

This thing is considered an exclusive vehicle for NIO investors, although few of the few who received it actually drive it themselves.

Lei Jun, the only one who seems to have some interest in driving, once praised the style of Ferrari and Lotus sports cars during a casual chat.

"One thing at a time, NIO values ​​its investment partners and is also grateful to StarCenter for sharing its supercharging patents as a partner."

Li Bin laughed and said, "If all else fails, we can use it as a discount for the U9. When the actual car is released, we can save the need for pre-ordering for the first batch of slots."

He was very interested in Stardust's all-electric sports car.

The buzz surrounding the brand "Brilliant" after its debut at the auto show continues to spread.

Online, people are not only comparing the Starry Night with pure electric sports cars from Porsche and Tesla, but also bringing up the domestically produced pure electric sports car, the EP9.

Instead of passively confronting each other in media press releases, it's better to do NIO a favor. For NIO, the value of the EP9 has already been largely realized, and the focus of publicity is rarely on the theme of the race.

"Okay, we will definitely guarantee the production volume of our new car."

Xu Yi chuckled to himself.

Their Brilliant Series is different from special edition cars like the EP9; they really intend to sell in the million-level market.

Although ep9 is also labeled as "mass-produced," its actual production volume is comparable to that of a paramecium.

The two have very different meanings.

The two chatted for a while about the details of setting lap times on the Nürburgring.

The Nürburgring racetrack has quite a few open days each year, at least 300 days excluding extreme weather and special circumstances.

But whether it's "Visitor Day" or "Track Day," the traffic volume is quite astonishing.

When automakers want to test new cars or obtain certified test results, they often need to book entire venues, which can cost around a million yuan per day.

Money is not a problem, but the only issue is that after filtering out the appointments from various car companies, there are not many available slots. Xingchen is actively securing slots for the second half of the year.

……

Sun Pengfei and Guo Chuan arrived at the office right after they finished making the call.

can be seen.

Both of them were in good spirits.

After all, this engineering vehicle is not only a major breakthrough in the core technologies of electric drive, battery, and motor, but also incorporates the achievements of Konghui Technology and many other parties in the supply chain in terms of chassis engineering.

This is completely different from the flimsy suspension engineering of passenger cars.

"Mr. Xu, all the data verification for the engineering vehicle has been completed. The specially tuned version of the three-electric system and four-wheel drive vector control system are also very stable. Even when the top speed approaches 300km/h, the heat dissipation and stability are quite excellent. I think there is still a possibility to raise the upper limit..."

Sun Pengfei stated frankly.

The U9's top speed is rated at 280 km/h, but it was originally designed with a limit of 300 km/h.

after all.

No new energy vehicle has ever been developed so quickly in China.

When the project was initiated, everyone was a conservative.

Now that we've actually put it into practice, we've found that the three core components (battery, motor, and electronic control system) and heat dissipation can withstand the pressure, so there's room to further unleash the potential of four-wheel motors, leading to increasingly aggressive development.

"Can it be raised even higher? How much higher exactly?"

Xu Yi was surprised by the progress made internally and was very concerned about it.

As we all know, new energy vehicles often have a disadvantage in lap times due to their weight; a high-horsepower electric car weighing over two tons often can't outrun a gasoline car weighing just over one ton.

This led to the classic saying, "Speed ​​is the only true speed when it's on a curve."

However, these are all based on the conventional understanding of "high horsepower" today.

When total horsepower exceeds an inhuman level, the laws may be distorted.

No matter how fast you go on a curve, there will always be a time when you're going straight, right?

...

"Based on total power, the four-wheel motors at full power can reach at least 1300 horsepower, and the top speed is at least 320 or 330 km/h."

Sun Pengfei presented a very simple, ordinary, yet incredibly powerful, brick-flying statistic that proved his point through sheer force.

Equipped with four motors and high-rate discharge lithium iron phosphate batteries, no matter how much weight reduction and modification is done, the overall vehicle weight will inevitably exceed 2.2 tons.

During this period, they racked their brains and devoted themselves to optimizing wind resistance and cornering efficiency.

However, when discussing the power release, specifically the hard-packed numerical values...

Suddenly, there's a kind of beauty in giving up thinking.

"it is good."

Xu Yi nodded, showing considerable approval and appreciation for the current plan.

There are specific ways to play numerical values.

The two men's nonchalant attitude confirmed the horsepower release of the mass-produced version.

The information contained therein is enough to make one's heart pound, reaching a level that would terrify even ordinary high-performance sports car enthusiasts!
After all, 18 years ago, which mass-produced car could reach 1300 horsepower?
Goodness…

One step and your soul will fly out!

To achieve this horsepower, a conventional gasoline-powered supercar would need a starting price of at least 20 million yuan in China!
-

Guo Chuan felt crazy.

That's 1300 horsepower, it sounds as casual as 130 horsepower.

He had a vague feeling that traditional gasoline-powered performance cars would be hit like never before.

This sounds absolutely insane!
"Ahem... I have a question. If we want to continue to increase horsepower and speed, we probably need to change the current tire configuration."

As a key participant in the entire chassis project, he is very clear about the current operating condition of the vehicle.

With the vehicle's top speed and horsepower increasing further, you also need to consider whether the tires can withstand it.

“Currently, our semi-slick tires use a multi-customized solution, which performs relatively stably in more than 95% of operating conditions. However, when the speed approaches or exceeds 300 km/h, I am afraid that the existing tire solution will not be able to withstand the pressure,” he said with a slight apprehension.

Xu Yi was taken aback. His first reaction was surprise.

"Can't custom-made slick tires withstand the pressure at 300km/h?"

While 1300 horsepower is an exaggeration, there are many sports cars that are faster and more powerful.

Their dedicated tires or racing hot-roller tires are directly supplied by manufacturers such as Michelin and Pirelli, and they can even run at a top speed of 400 km/h.

But Xu Yi quickly realized what was happening.

They are pure electric sports cars, or "tank-type" sports cars with lithium iron phosphate batteries and four motors, which are indeed quite different from traditional gasoline supercars on the market.

The tires of new energy vehicles wear out more than those of gasoline vehicles.

On the racetrack, the overall weight and unsprung mass of the car far exceed those of comparable gasoline-powered sports cars.

"The tire solutions provided by Michelin and Pirelli are mainly based on their experience with previous gasoline-powered sports cars, although some optimizations have been made in communication..."

Guo Chuan said, "According to actual tests, the wear rate is very fast, and the thermal management and grip at higher speeds still need to be improved. We have also communicated that to achieve perfection, we must at least make targeted changes to the formula and customize the strength and tread pattern. Now, these two tire giants have quoted prices, and the engineering cost has increased to more than 20 million yuan, and the customization cycle has doubled."

The team also put a lot of effort into this matter.

Technically speaking, there are only a handful of major manufacturers in the world capable of producing tires of this specification.

Xu Yi frowned slightly upon hearing the news that the customization period had doubled.

For projects like this, dealing with overseas teams is inevitable. With information going back and forth, it's not as convenient as having a local R&D center, which naturally slows down the efficiency.

The cost is secondary; if we can't meet the lap timer schedule, the subsequent promotional activities will also have to be postponed.

"However, it's not just Michelin and Pirelli. Giti Tire has a research and development center in Luzhou. I communicated with Giti's R&D director about our intentions last time. He was very positive, but from the perspective of track tires and technology, they are not as good as Michelin and Pirelli, so I didn't adopt his idea."

Sun Pengfei, recalling the attitude of Michelin's overseas team, couldn't help but think of this incident.

Giti Tire is also one of the suppliers for Xingchen Group, and its customized low rolling resistance tires are used in the Xingchen S7 in the 200,000 yuan price range.

The Starry Night L7, priced above 300,000 yuan, uses high-end Michelin and Pirelli street tires depending on the wheel style. Each tire costs around 1400 yuan. They offer good road feel, comfort, and quietness, truly living up to the price.

"Giti is Giti."

Xu Yi stated directly, "Having the technical foundation to supply Formula One racing and being willing to cooperate in research and development is enough."

to be honest.

Michelin and Pirelli are used to serving traditional luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi. Even though Xingchen Automotive has reached a certain scale, it doesn't receive much priority when it comes to domestic new energy vehicle manufacturers.

Moreover, tires for new energy vehicles have not yet become mainstream, and the technology developed in depth has little reusability, so it is only natural that they are not valued.

In comparison, having a partner willing to fully cooperate in research and development is all the more valuable.

Giti Tire, on the other hand, obviously did not expect to unexpectedly gain Xingchen's favor under such circumstances.

Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai.

In the office of the regional CEO, Chen Deyi soon received a phone call.

"What? Mr. Xu, you want to have Giti customize track slick tires for your own supercars?!"

The middle-aged man's breath hitched for a moment, then his expression shifted slightly.

I feel flattered and overwhelmed.

As an affordable brand, Giti also has an ambitious spirit, as evidenced by its active efforts to expand its market share and its participation in professional sporting events over the past two years.

However, it is obviously difficult for brands to squeeze into the high-end supply chain nowadays. Giti's core market is still economical family cars priced between 50,000 and 150,000 yuan, accounting for more than 80%. Apart from that, only some low-end joint venture cars priced between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan use Giti tires. Car owners often remove the original tires as soon as they take delivery of the car and replace them with aftermarket wheels and Michelin tires to upgrade the car's class.

In this situation, they can participate in the customization of the Stardust supercar.

Although it's just an engineering project...

"Yes, this requires collaboration between both teams. The engineering vehicle has a high top speed and high strength requirements, and the grip requirements for the front and rear wheels are different from those of a regular supercar. I'll have someone send over the plan now. If you think it's okay, let's finalize this as soon as possible."

Xu Yi spoke very politely.

There's no doubt about Giti's capabilities; after all, they're a legitimate racing supplier with their own patented formula for slick tires.

As supply chain partners, it is only natural for both parties to cooperate deeply.

Sun Pengfei just proposed a solution with equal width for the front and rear wheels, which differs from the conventional tire layout of supercars with narrower front and wider rear wheels. The four independent motors need to have completely consistent grip limits in order to perfectly utilize the entire vector control system.

If it can be developed sooner, its actual track performance can be further optimized.

Moreover, Giti is cheaper and doesn't require expensive customization fees!

"Okay, okay, I'll organize a meeting with the high-performance R&D team right away..."

Chen Deyi could barely suppress the urge to smile.

He then added, "We are honored to be able to participate in such an engineering project!"

In recent days, while browsing social media, the automotive world has been abuzz with news about the dazzling new energy concept sports car, the Starry Sky.

The two functions of turning around on the spot and summoning with a wave of the hand have saturated the data usage and attracted passersby like fish to lick the hook.

Although the actual performance and track lap times have not yet been announced, it is already extremely cool!

Now, Giti has actually managed to establish a deep connection with them and become deeply integrated.

When the time comes to announce it, won't there be red flags waving and drums beating everywhere?!

You should at least be looked up to by others.

Do not!
—Two eyes!!

……

Taking advantage of the buzz generated by the auto show, Tesla is actively sending signals to the outside world.

Whether it's the level of market discussion or the new orders for the Model 3 in China, these are all core data supporting Tesla's current factory construction.

Zhu Xiaotong was sitting in his office when his gaze swept over the national order data, and suddenly everything went black.

According to the official website, nearly 800 units have been cancelled in the past week.

This is the first time they have seen such a large number of customer cancellations since they started delivering Model 3 in China.

"Mr. Zhu, perhaps users feel that the price of the imported Model 3 is lower than market expectations. Perhaps we can further adjust the price to stabilize users..."

The marketing director, sweating profusely and feeling inexplicably stressed, said, "It's possible that the publicity for this auto show didn't meet expectations."

The Model 3 is currently available for pre-order in China and is still sold as an imported model. The long-range version is priced at 580,000 yuan, and the high-performance version is priced at 690,000 yuan. Even so, it still received more than 3,000 new orders in the first month, which shows that it is popular among a number of high-end consumers in China.

Logically, the hype surrounding the auto show should have led to another surge in orders.

However, the specific reasons why things didn't meet expectations are inextricably linked to this Mr. Zhu in front of us.

Some online commentators believe that Zhu Xiaotong's image was damaged and his performance was inappropriate at the auto show.

of course.

Many people were drawn to the concept sports car, Starry Night.

The high-end pure electric vehicle market originally had little competition, with the Model S dominating overseas markets. It had no competitors in the pure electric luxury high-end market, and its performance, intelligence, and range were all far ahead. The Model 3 indirectly inherited this advantage.

But now, authority is being challenged.

Zhu Xiaotong stared at the sharply declining number of orders, feeling a growing sense of crisis and a renewed resentment towards Xingchen Company.

He was the first to ignore his own problem:
"The domestic market audience still lacks awareness and education. High-end pure electric vehicles... can a company that makes electric cars for the elderly and range extenders really understand them? Tesla's sales dominance overseas is clearly evident!"

……

　Sigh... It's a bit unlucky for a corpse to rise from the dead during the Qingming Festival, but I thought about it and decided to post it anyway.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)