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

Chapter 328 Who says lithium iron phosphate can't be used to build supercars?
Giti Tire has its largest R&D center in China located in Luzhou. To cooperate with Xingchen on project R&D, it has mobilized core personnel from its high-performance department for this project. Li Wei, as the director of the Luzhou R&D center, is also the project leader for high-performance tires and racing tires.

can be seen.

The 6000-square-meter test track includes simulated surfaces for all tests, including dry and wet braking, handling, durability, noise, and rolling resistance. A sleek and powerful engineering vehicle... no, its power is a bit exaggerated, is running laps for testing.

Li Wei felt a bit thirsty.

To know.

They and Xingchen connected the relevant parameters and indicators immediately, but looking at the parameters on paper and actually seeing the car speeding on the track are two completely different things.

The track surface of the Luzhou test track is almost 100% made of high-grade modified asphalt. It is a standard SMA structure with a dense aggregate skeleton, a large amount of asphalt, and a rough surface like sandpaper. When a performance car with a normal track configuration drives on it, it can provide grip like "double-sided tape".

Under these circumstances, when the car in front of him accelerated at full power after exiting the corner, he actually heard a screeching sound, and the tires were visibly becoming unstable, which was obviously a weakness in the car's performance due to poor grip.

He now understood why Starcraft had specially customized semi-slick tires, as traditional racing tires were almost impossible to meet the power requirements of this level.

Even if the grip is strong enough, the degree of wear and tear is a separate issue that needs to be considered, and the materials need to be reinforced.

"The power source of electric vehicles is different from that of traditional fuel-powered performance cars. The instantaneous and continuous high torque output is too large. Under high lateral acceleration conditions, the pressure shear stress concentration effect of the tire contact with the ground is very significant. The unstable conditions of the Michelin custom tires we tested before were mainly concentrated in the longitudinal slip window. This aspect needs to be improved separately."

Sun Pengfei talked to the other party's R&D team about the problems they had encountered in previous tests.

Whether in China or abroad, major tire manufacturers have accumulated a lot of experience in developing high-performance gasoline vehicles, but it's different for electric vehicles with extreme performance. There are only a few companies in the world doing this now; they are the pioneers.

Traditional gasoline-powered performance cars need to reach a specific speed range to output peak torque, usually above 3000 rpm, and there is also torque interruption and power buffering during gear shifting.

Electric vehicles are different. The drive motor outputs 100% of the rated peak torque at 0 RPM, almost instantaneously, with a torque response delay of less than 100ms and no transmission buffer.

Xingchen's after-sales service typically conducts a re-inspection every 8,000 kilometers, and rotates the front and rear tires once depending on the degree of wear. This is different from the rotation cycle of traditional fuel vehicles, which is usually over 10,000 kilometers.

Li Wei nodded: "There are indeed differences in the technical difficulties between the two. We are trying our best to adjust the tire tread structure and material aspects."

The technical team at StarCraft required that, while ensuring thermal performance, the Nürburgring Nordschleife track conditions also need to be designed to provide grip during long-term cornering and good drainage in wet conditions. At the very least, they needed to design an asymmetrical tread pattern specifically for electric cars.

Fortunately, they were not without experience. Li Wei had been in charge of the Asian F3 and Renault Formula cooperation projects for the past two years, which included many prototype car platforms tuned for high downforce and explosive power. As a result, they developed several prototype tires in the shortest possible time.

With close cooperation between the two teams, the dazzling U9 engineering vehicle finally underwent its first benchmark test under full power conditions.

the other side.

Xu Yi then took a break to make a phone call to Li Shufu, the CEO of Geely, who was in Hangzhou, to discuss resources related to motorsports.

When it comes to racing experience in China, Geely is the brand with the deepest foundation.

The Lynk & Co brand actively participates in domestic and international racing events to break lap records and raise awareness among sports sedan consumers.

Last year, Geely acquired a 51% stake in Proton and the sports car brand Lotus through a Malaysian group.

Lotus, a sports car brand born in the UK and racing on F1 tracks, was once one of the three legendary supercar brands alongside Porsche and Ferrari. Even though it has declined, it has accumulated a considerable amount of technical experience and patent resources.

For example, Lotus Engineering is a well-known professional aerodynamics and chassis tuning team in the industry, with expertise in lightweight materials and sports car engineering.

Xu Yi plans to hire this team to perform track-oriented modifications on the Brilliant U9's engineering vehicles.

Even in production car lap time rankings, it's generally accepted in the industry that there's a certain degree of track-oriented modification, such as dedicated tires, additional aerodynamic rear wings, as well as custom chassis tuning and additional weight reduction projects. After all, street tires and the original braking system are not designed for the track at all.

Once it's officially mass-produced and released, it might even be able to sell a wave of "exclusive track configurations" to attract a wave of high-performance fans.

Although these wealthy individuals may not necessarily drive on the racetrack themselves, they are still willing to pay for the factory's awesome aerodynamic kits.

The main message is: I may not need it, but you can't live without it.

Upon hearing Mr. Xu's request, Li Shufu considered it for a while and gave a positive response. After all, Xingchen is not engaged in core development at the whole vehicle platform level. Many engineering teams in the industry can do the individual track lightweighting solutions and chassis adjustments. This does not violate the market-oriented principles of Lotus's engineering department.

Moreover, he was extremely curious about the prototype vehicle inside the Starry Sky.

Li Shufu laughed and said, "Gawan is still working on the engineering development of the Lotus Evica model in the UK. He should be quite happy to hear this news, as long as you, Mr. Xu, are not afraid of having your experience in the three electric components (battery, motor, and electronic control) copied."

Jia Wan is the chief technical officer of Lotus's R&D department, and the "evija" is the first pure electric supercar that Geely invested heavily in and launched last year after taking over Lotus.

Yes.

Geely is also working closely with Lotus to develop a pure electric supercar by integrating Lotus's existing engineering team and system.

However, the "evija" is positioned as a prototype concept car, with the entire vehicle made of carbon fiber. It is priced at over 20 million yuan and is mainly used for technology verification and brand revitalization promotion, so it has not been widely promoted in China.

Due to the technical difficulties in developing the core electric drive system and the fact that the project is still in its early stages, the Lotus engineering team expects this pure electric supercar concept car to take at least another year to two years to come to fruition. Collaborating with StarCraft to exchange information on the electric drive system technology can at least shorten this process.

"There are too few domestic car companies making high-performance cars, so we should have more exchanges."

Xu Yi generously stated that mutual learning within the industry is essential.

Even if we don't communicate now, once the car is released, won't our peers force us to communicate through "reverse engineering"?

As long as it does not involve patent infringement, Starry Sky has never shied away from leading industry trends.

—Go ahead and learn from them.

"When does Mr. Li plan to officially bring Lotus into the Chinese market? In my opinion, the high-end market is quite vast, especially the pure electric and hybrid market," Xu Yi asked with a smile.

Geely acquired Volvo and Lotus, integrating a considerable amount of technological resources, including the Lotus brand. If it can be revitalized, its potential is enormous.

His words hit the nail on the head.

Li Shufu's previous plan to launch "Extreme Krypton" was a step in the group's trial of electrification, while another strategic focus was on Lotus Cars' entry into the domestic high-end market.

However, a problem has arisen.

That is the "Lotus" trademark in the automotive industry, which was registered by other companies as early as 20 years ago. Lotus Cars encountered an extremely difficult brand copyright issue as its first step in officially entering the Chinese market.

Now this problem has fallen on Geely's shoulders.

Geely is still actively negotiating and fighting for the "Lotus Cars" trademark through legal means in an effort to reclaim it.

This is an extremely difficult task.

The transfer can be either through auction or through legal means.

However, when it comes to trademark and patent cases, the evidence and materials to be compiled are extremely large and complex. Even if you bring together the most authoritative figures from all the relevant legal schools of thought, let alone top-notch lawyers, it can still easily drag on for several years.

Upon hearing what the other party said, Xu Yi's expression turned slightly strange.

The difficulties Geely is facing now are the same as the first challenge Tesla encountered when it entered China 12 years ago.

When the Tesla trademark was first registered by someone else, it was offered hundreds of millions of dollars. It wasn't until July of last year that the "Tuosule" brand name on the vehicle registration certificate, customs documents, and nameplate was changed to Tesla.

"The legal team is still collecting information. We're looking at the progress of the vehicle model's launch. There's still a timeframe involved. If all else fails, we'll just stick with the existing trademark," Li Shufu said, sounding somewhat helpless.

The high price paid to acquire Lotus sports cars was not only for the technology, but also for the "name." Currently, Lotus sales companies in China still use the "Lotus" name on their trademarks, which is unavoidable. "Mr. Li, why don't you have the legal department check the relevant regulations on trademark categories? If I remember correctly, there are clear distinctions between trademarks in the automotive and general machinery categories, as well as trademark usage periods. We could definitely work on that."

After a moment's thought, Xu Yi suddenly recalled the details of gossip news from his memory.

The Lotus trademark case was so lengthy that it was even featured in a separate article by a writer in the automotive industry.

The breakthrough in the case was that the original trademark holder had long used the "Lotus Cars" trademark in the Class 7 general machinery field, while automobiles, although mechanical products, belong to the Class 12 goods category.

This is where the significant difference lies.

Moreover, the Trademark Law also defines that if a registered trademark is not used for three consecutive years without justifiable reason, any entity or individual may apply for its cancellation.

However, providing evidence is extremely time-consuming and laborious.

"Trademark Law Category Definitions..."

Li Shufu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, as he had not expected that Xu Yi, as the CEO, would have such expertise in this area.

But it happened very quickly.

It also reminds me of Xingchen Motors' early history. Not only did it have a dedicated legal team, but it also fought a design patent infringement case in its early days, so it has a "previous record" in this regard.

"Okay, I'll have someone check it out in a bit. If there's any progress, I'll definitely come to thank you in person."

Li Shufu said that this matter is indeed of great significance to Geely Group. If they can win the battle as soon as possible, Geely will definitely be grateful.

"Oh...it's no big deal."

……

The atmosphere during this phone call between the CEOs of two major domestic independent brands was very harmonious.

After about ten minutes, Li Shufu hung up the phone.

Not long after.

He had his secretary contact the legal department.

"Mr. Li, we've found it! This direction is indeed feasible. As long as we collect sufficient evidence, we can definitely use this as a breakthrough."

Lu Jie, a member of the legal department in charge of the "Lotus Cars" trademark case, became pleasantly surprised after conducting some investigation.

The trademark "Lotus Cars" was first registered by a motor factory in Guangzhou, whose business for nearly 20 years had been focused on commercial use in the general machinery sector of Class 7, which gave Geely a lot of room to maneuver.

"Okay, get it done as soon as possible. Since that's the case, there's no need to negotiate with them anymore."

Li Shufu was slightly pleased, realizing that there was a chance to end the matter, and his mood brightened.

It's worth noting that when Geely acquired Lotus Cars last year, they had privately discussed the trademark issue and were willing to spend money to auction it off.

Unfortunately, the other party's attitude was extremely firm. Not only did they ask for hundreds of millions, but they also had additional conditions. It was obvious that they knew that your big brand strategy couldn't afford to delay, which really annoyed him for a while.

"President Xu is truly a remarkable person."

Li Shufu put down his phone, looked out the window at the science park, and couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both sides), realizing that as peers, the two sides would definitely be competitors in the future.

Xingchen wants to go high-end, as does Geely, facing fierce competition from BYD, other joint ventures, and imported luxury brands.

It feels quite amazing that things can unfold like this now.

……

After ending the call, Xu Yi immediately received test data remotely from the R&D team, which was a complete in-vehicle speed measurement video.

—0-100 km/h acceleration in 2.37 seconds.

Top speed: 337 km/h
Sun Pengfei sat in the driver's seat and personally conducted a high-octane test, during which he even let out a scream!

With one stomp, the instantaneous acceleration exceeded 1.2g.

This is terrifying!
The average person can only tolerate a gamma value of around 2g. Exceeding this level can cause discomfort such as dizziness, paleness, and nausea.

In other words, someone with a slightly weaker constitution might faint if they accelerate suddenly while sitting in a car.

"Get the testing done quickly, and I want to personally go down on the track once it's adjusted."

Xu Yi immediately replied to the project group.

Sun Pengfei was shocked: "President Xu, we need racing licenses to go to the racetrack, it's company policy!"

"Get lost! I'm going to take the test tomorrow."

Xu Yi was amused.

After closing the work group chat, he casually opened Weibo for his daily internet surfing session.

soon.

I also discovered that countless people tagged me, and following the guidance of netizens, I came across various doubts and targeted comments, and learned the ins and outs of the matter.

There are doubts about the performance and technical issues of the Brilliant U9.

How popular it was before.

The doubts are now quite strong.

Although there were quite a few who spoke up for the stars, they were clearly drowned out at this moment.

The creation and destruction of gods are one and the same.

"Who says lithium iron phosphate can't be used to build supercars?"

Xu Yi simply posted the engineering video clip of the 0-100 km/h acceleration test on Weibo, only blurring out the interior.

In this era of limited performance, people's imagination of high-performance vehicles is clearly limited.

There has never been a similar model in China.

Tesla, Porsche, NIO EP9, BMW, Mercedes-Benz... even Jia Yueting knows to use ternary lithium batteries!

-

But does it cease to exist if no one does it?

A video lasting more than five seconds suddenly appeared, bringing the internet, which was in an uproar, to an abrupt halt!

(End of this chapter)