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

Chapter 327 High-End Competition
Jia Yueting's obsession with Xingchen even surpasses that with Tesla.

The clash between the two new energy vehicle manufacturers stems from a struggle for high-end discourse power, and sooner or later they will clash in terms of concepts and technological approaches.

LeEco's FF91 was more like a mascot or a mere decoration. It was ruthlessly sacrificed the moment the Starry Sky concept car was unveiled, not only stealing the spotlight from the domestic supercar but also making subsequent fundraising efforts extremely difficult.

On Evergrande's side, Xia Haijun indirectly changed his attitude, closely inquiring about the actual vehicle's functions.

"The Stardust's U-turn on the spot is really cool, can FF91 do that?"

"And this summoning function looks like a prototype of advanced intelligent driving. I think it's quite interesting... Maybe it can be implemented at the next press conference?"

Evergrande urgently needs to produce something to prove the legitimacy of its funding in its current situation. New energy vehicles are an excellent concept. After half a year of hype and factory construction, it needs to produce something tangible, even if it's just a prototype.

Jia Yueting was completely baffled by the question.

I subconsciously wanted to find the word "ability" in it!
Realizing something was wrong, they immediately withdrew.

You son of a bitch!

All he can do is draw PowerPoint presentations!

No, the PPTs were all made by the product department staff; he's just good at bragging.

He still doesn't understand the technical principles behind the Starry Sky car's functions, such as how it can turn around on the spot and summon by raising a hand.

"President Xia, the FF91 is a supercar that focuses on science fiction and the future. It takes a different path from flashy and impractical products like the Starry Sky. Take turning around on the spot, for example. This function is of no use except for being shown at the press conference - it's very damaging to the tires!"
Even if it's made, customers won't use it; it's definitely flashy but impractical!
What summoning function? That's even more impractical. I could have driven two miles by now.

The FF91 aims for high efficiency and a higher level of intelligent driving. As long as the algorithm supports it, we strive to achieve Level 3 autonomous driving upon deployment!

Jia Yueting brought out his long-buried "burning tire theory," relentlessly belittling Xingchen with such conviction that he almost believed it himself.

Xia Haijun frowned slightly. Even though he didn't have a deep understanding of new energy vehicles, he could sense the oddities and exaggerations involved. Everyone knew that Jia Yueting was exaggerating, but what he cared about was whether he could still support the promise of this grand scheme after thoroughly investigating the matter.

Ugh—I can't have my belly full of water, can I?

"Wait, didn't you say before that you wanted to achieve L4 autonomous driving?" Xia Haijun asked. His memory was good; Jia Yueting's statement last year clearly referred to the concept of L4 autonomous driving. How come even the PowerPoint presentation was scaled back after his trip abroad?

"That's our ultimate goal. In order to achieve the fastest implementation speed and practicality, Level 3 assisted driving has more commercial potential at present," Jia Yueting changed his tune and said.

Since Xingchen proposed the new L2+ level autonomous driving standard at the China 100 Conference and demonstrated a high-speed navigation intelligent driving demonstration with product implementation, the stock prices of Baidu and other companies engaged in intelligent driving have fluctuated, and they have revised their PPTs overnight.

China is still in the stage where even Level 2 assisted driving is not yet fully perfected. Many standards are being developed through trial and error. We should also take a look at what other countries have implemented.

Previously, the concepts of Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving were relatively vague and mixed up.

Now, under the guidance of Xingchen, things are gradually becoming clearer, and this chaotic yet sophisticated concept has been given detailed indicators one after another.

Especially after actual product features were implemented, several companies that had been hyping up concepts got together and were completely dumbfounded!

It was discovered that even a practical L2+ level function couldn't be refined in a short time, let alone the higher L3 level. Anyone with eyes could see what was going on.

The regulations for Level 3 autonomous driving are being finalized, taking into account many of Xingchen's opinions. The information gap is gradually being closed, and everyone is forced to talk about the concept of Level 3 autonomous driving without prior agreement, while secretly harboring resentment towards Xingchen.

Everyone was just making empty promises and boasting, and then suddenly someone who actually does things shows up. Aren't you just causing trouble?
Xu Yi was unaware that he had unwittingly attracted a lot of hatred, but this situation did have a historical parallel.

The financing meeting focused on refining L4, internal presentations aimed to implement L3, and the press conference urgently adjusted L2.9999... The actual vehicle was put on the road to enable L2.5 experience. In the event of an accident, we strictly enforce L2 level assisted driving standards. For details, please refer to the Traffic Safety Law!

Xia Haijun didn't want to waste time on conceptual stuff, so he asked bluntly, "What can FF91 offer? I want something real that I can see with my own eyes, even if it's just fancy stuff!"

Jia Yueting: "Yes, yes, some of the functions on the Starry Sky car can be easily implemented in our FF91."

Xia Haijun's spirits lifted: "What function?"

"A light show!" Jia Yueting said shamelessly, "Not only can we make it happen, we can make it even cooler and more dazzling than the stars!"

After watching the auto show press conference, he said that the design of the starlight lighting was too conservative. If he were in charge, he could come up with at least eight different RGB lighting effect schemes.

If that doesn't work, add more LED chips to increase the brightness!

"What the hell—"

Xia Haijun's cerebellum activity abruptly stopped.

……

The discussion is still going strong online!

Although there were many comments about Jia Yueting's sudden outburst, they did not garner much support, with many netizens simply spitting at him before leaving.

But this storm has been completely stirred up.

— The Starry Sky's path to high-end status has been thwarted, and the Brilliant Series supercars have been criticized as mere showpieces.

—Is lithium iron phosphate batteries excluded from the high-end market? Following the fuel tank theory, another outrageous statement emerges. Is Xingchen a company adept at taking shortcuts?
—Tesla officially declares war on StarCraft?

There's also movement in the car review media circle. Seeing the huge traffic, Xia Dong, the former editor-in-chief of Auto Friend, invited Han Lu, Yang Li and other well-known industry figures to launch a talk show called "Car Talk Afternoon Tea" in cooperation with Tencent's platform traffic.

June 20th, 6 PM.

After the host, Xia Dong, made a few opening remarks, he allowed the people in the audience to speak freely.

"We've all met old friends here today, so let's skip the formalities and talk about some of the hot topics that have been trending online these past few days. We've picked a few trending topics for the show to discuss together."

He smiled and pulled out a stack of question cards.

The first topic was very pointed.

Is range extender a backward technology in the new energy vehicle industry?

As a company that focuses on product configuration and technology promotion, Xingchen is now facing a siege of "technical controversies" in recent days.

The technology of range extenders has been questioned since its inception, and now it has been brought up again.

The fact that it trended on social media shows that consumers care about this issue. When you spend money, you want to get the best. If something is labeled as "low-end" or "outdated technology," even if there are no problems with the experience, it will still make you feel uncomfortable.

Chen Zhen spoke first, saying, "Let me clarify my point of view first. In terms of technical complexity, range extenders are indeed much simpler than plug-in hybrids. The engine only generates electricity and does not drive the vehicle, eliminating the need for a complex transmission and power coupling system. This can at least be considered a kind of design shortcut. For new players, who have no prior experience in developing transmissions, the path of range extenders is obviously much easier. If a car company has the expertise in this area, it will definitely prioritize plug-in hybrids. For example, the main hybrid models of established domestic brands are all plug-in hybrids."

“Simplicity doesn’t mean being backward. The key is which company makes the car. For example, some self-developed engines have very low thermal efficiency, and the efficiency of the three electric components is also very low. Coupled with short range, it’s a combination of the disadvantages of hybrid vehicles. If thermal efficiency and range can be done well, isn’t that precisely a reflection of technological strength?” Yang Li retorted.

Neither of them named names, but the subject of their discussion was obvious.

"That's a matter of opinion. If the engine thermal efficiency of a plug-in hybrid system is as high as that of a range extender, then the overall efficiency of a plug-in hybrid will definitely be higher. Of course, I'm someone who prefers pure electric vehicles. I drive either pure gasoline or pure electric cars. Hybrids are more like a compromise product for a certain scenario. Personally, I don't find this kind of product very appealing."

Chen Zhenyi shrugged.

So you're not popular just because you didn't receive a recharge notification, huh?

Yang Li muttered to himself, "Starry Sky hasn't had any cooperation with Chen Zhen in terms of recharge, so there's no reason to make trouble. This roundabout way of saying it is quite appropriate."

of course.

If this statement gets out, it will definitely be taken as truth by many people, and there are indeed many people on the internet who think this way now.

The group chatted briefly about the technical approach.

"Next, which car do you think best represents high-end new energy vehicles?"

Xia Dong changed the question card: "This question is actually very interesting. We all know that the sales volume of high-end luxury cars is far less than that of affordable models, but their discussion and brand enhancement are extremely significant. Netizens voted for a total of several cars."

The big screen refreshed, and models like the NIO EP9, the Brilliant U9, the Porsche Mission E, and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid were all projected.

After a pause, the car reviewers at the scene made their choices.

"I think it's Models. First of all, there's no doubt about its sales figures. It's a new energy vehicle with millions of units sold both domestically and internationally, and it has already captured a significant market share. Other cars either haven't reached the stage of market competition yet, or they are niche concept cars, so there's not much to compare them to."

Chen Zhen spoke again, this time with an even clearer stance.

Xia Dong laughed and said, "It seems that our Tesla owners have spoken out first."

It's worth noting that Chen Zhen himself owns a Model S and frequently shares his car-related experiences on Weibo. Rumors also suggest that he has purchased Tesla stock.

"Tesla is leading in terms of sales share, but if we're talking about the most influential new energy vehicle in China, or the high-end new energy vehicle in my mind, I think I should vote for the Starry Sky." Yang Li decisively cast his vote for the Brilliant U9.

Chen Zhen looked at him and said, "Your bias is too obvious. It's not that I don't have a good view of domestic new energy vehicle manufacturing, but Xingchen hasn't made much progress in the high-end field yet, and it hasn't even started mass production."

Yang Li blinked his beady eyes: "Aren't we talking about influence? Market sales are one kind of influence, but so are discussion and industry influence. The hype surrounding the Brilliant U9's debut is unprecedented. You can tell just by looking at the trending topics. In the past two weeks, no car has generated more discussion than this one. Furthermore, as a leading brand of new energy vehicles in China, Xingchen has essentially perfected the standards for charging and assisted driving. You can say that other cars are niche or concept cars, but whether this car is better or worse than the Model S is still up for debate."

The implication is that he's definitely on this team today.

The reasons are somewhat valid. The online popularity of Xingchen is quite bizarre. Take the auto show for example. It's one thing to be popular in the automotive industry, but the Weibo hot search list is basically dominated by entertainment gossip circles. A bunch of popular celebrities spend money to queue up and create hype, but they still couldn't push Xingchen's entry out of the top three. This is really outrageous.

Chen Zhen felt a bit annoyed. Today he was going to put down Xingchen. Last time, Xingchen not only invited Yang Li to do the publicity for the L7, but also Han Lu to do the first promotion. Although it was a selection process, he was not invited. The car review circle has a very clear division of sides.

"Teacher Yang, I believe that for a car to represent high-end, in addition to sales volume, it should at least have a high-end image. Take Tesla for example, it has the characteristics of high performance and high intelligence. So I don't really agree with your point of view. Otherwise, if I just spend money to buy any car to be on the trending topics for a week, does that mean it has high influence? Can you accept that?"

Chen Zhen chuckled and retorted sarcastically.

Yang Li: "What you're saying is, turning around on the spot and summoning with a wave of the hand isn't considered intelligent? Is there anything more intelligent than that?"

"I'm talking about real performance. Take the information Tesla has disclosed about its updated model, which can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. That's a very high-performance vehicle in the world. In contrast, the Starlight uses a lithium iron phosphate battery pack, which makes it much heavier, and its acceleration performance is still unknown."

Chen Zhen cited the content of an interview with NetEase as evidence.

There's a view circulating online that the actual performance of the Brilliant U9 might be quite poor.

After all, using lithium iron phosphate battery packs makes the vehicle significantly heavier than ternary lithium batteries, which inevitably affects performance.

Some industry insiders, who wished to remain anonymous, even published articles stating that high-rate discharge of lithium iron phosphate batteries is a major issue for high-performance vehicles. They also publicly listed detailed comparisons of the properties and discharge curves of conventional lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries on the market.

This kind of technical and educational comparison has indeed influenced many passersby.

“Yeah, Xingchen hasn’t even announced it yet, how do you know its acceleration performance is bad?” Yang Li retorted without caring what the other party said.

—Regarding the recharge bonus system.

Chen Zhen's expression hardened: "So you mean the Starry Sky is faster than the Model S?"

Yang Li: "I didn't say that."

"Okay, this conversation is impossible now."

Chen Zhenqi laughed.

……

The show's popularity surged again after it aired.

"666, they're arguing, this isn't staged, is it?"

"What are you acting for? This is a car review program, not some kind of variety show. Chen Zhen has been at odds with the others for a long time. Not paying the manufacturers is the original sin, but paying their mortal enemy is an even bigger sin."

"You can't say that. I support Chen Zhen. The sales and performance of Models are beyond doubt. Now, the technical details of the Brilliant U9 are not well received in the industry, and its performance has been delayed. Doesn't that just show that there is a problem?"

"I work in energy storage. Most lithium iron phosphate batteries are terrible; they're just not easy to catch fire. Ternary lithium batteries charge and discharge much faster, and have a larger capacity!"

"I make my own power banks and have handled a lot of discarded batteries. The guy above is right, lithium iron phosphate batteries really don't work at high discharge rates. I hope Xingchen can listen to the advice and switch to ternary lithium batteries for mass production."

Many knowledgeable people shared their experiences.

"Tesla's newly announced power is terrifying! 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds, which is roughly the same as the 0-100 mph acceleration in China. It's simply incredible!!"

"If this doesn't sell out quickly, when will domestic cars ever be this fast?!"

Meanwhile, high-performance car enthusiasts are excitedly discussing something else.

It's important to understand that we're not in an era where electric vehicles are so cheap they're practically overflowing.

The powertrains of gasoline-powered cars are extremely expensive. Sporty models that can achieve 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 4 seconds, such as the BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG E 63, Jaguar F-TYPE SVR 5.0T V8, and Audi RS 6, can easily reach a price of at least 1.5 million RMB, or even a terrifying 2 million RMB, when combined with channel fees and import taxes. In comparison, Tesla has become the most cost-effective high-performance car at present.

　I accidentally fainted last night.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)