I bought a prison in the United States.

"Morrison was very happy at the time, drank five bottles of beer, and was a little dazed."

"Think about it, a problem that General Electric engineers couldn't solve after months of research was solved by a prison boss. That's something you only see in movies."

Brad sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs.

His posture was completely different from his father's; he was casual and uninhibited, and said with a smile:

"The way Morrison bragged to me was as if he'd bought that patent for a pittance."

"After reviewing the verification report, their business unit's technical director submitted the solution to the global vice president of engineering overnight."

"Mr. Lin, you might actually be the one who suffers the loss."

Lin Ge smiled calmly, not minding at all.

Morrison did not explain GE's internal decision-making process in detail at the time.

It now appears that the proposal caused far greater turmoil within GE than Morrison demonstrated in his office.

"By the way, Mr. Brad, what do you do for a living?"

Lin Ge asked casually.

"I run an automotive technology company, which is basically a car modification shop. Let me make this clear, I didn't take any money from my family."

Brad's frank tone exuded confidence:

"I have a workshop in the industrial area south of Tulsa, where I employ eight technicians who specialize in brake system upgrades and custom racing car parts."

"Starting last year, we signed an agency agreement with Bosch, and their aftermarket in Oklahoma and Kansas is under my jurisdiction."

Underwood stood up from behind his desk, walked to the sofa area, and sat down on the single sofa next to Brad.

He had maintained the authoritative demeanor of a chamber of commerce chairman, but his expression visibly relaxed in front of his son.

"Brad started taking apart his family's car when he was fifteen."

"When he was eighteen, he took my Cadillac's engine apart and reassembled it, increasing the horsepower by dozens of kiloliters."

"Later, he went to the University of Tulsa to study for his MBA and interned at Bosch’s North American headquarters in Chicago during the summer."

"After graduation, Bosch wanted to keep him in Chicago, but he refused and insisted on going back to Tulsa to open his own car dealership."

"What's so great about Chicago?" Brad asked, spreading his hands.

"Six months of snow, six months of road construction."

"In Tulsa, you can drive your car on the track all year round."

"Moreover, the modified car market in Oklahoma is still in its infancy, and there is much less competition than in Chicago."

Ringo keenly observed that the gleam in Brad's eyes when he spoke was different from that of other businessmen who only cared about making money.

That brilliance comes from someone who has a genuine interest in their field.

Just like Craig said when he talked about the F-117, that's true love for your job.

Lin Ge then asked:

"You just mentioned you're working on a braking system upgrade. Which specific area are you referring to?"

"Oh, Mr. Chen, you're interested too?"

Brad's eyes lit up.

"Our main focus is on retrofit kits for disc brakes."

"There are a lot of muscle cars in Oklahoma. Mustangs, Challengers, Camaros, and classic models from the 60s and 70s are everywhere."

"These cars come standard with drum brakes; if you want them to run on the track, you'll have to switch to disc brakes."

"We get calipers and brake discs from Bosch, and then manufacture the adapter brackets and brake lines ourselves to create a complete modification package."

As Brad spoke, he gestured with his fingers in the air to resemble the parts, just like an Italian.

Lin Ge couldn't help but laugh and ask:

"Mr. Brad, you come in looking all smug. What's your company been up to lately?"

"Mr. Chen, you've hit the nail on the head. Starting this year, I've been focusing some of my efforts on the research and development of ABS."

"ABS?"

Lin Ge put down his teacup.

Do you know what an anti-lock braking system (ABS) is?

Brad explained:

"Bosch mass-produced its first electronic ABS in 1979, which was installed in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class."

"But that system costs more than two thousand dollars, and it can only be afforded in the most luxurious cars."

"My idea is, could we create a low-cost, simplified version that ordinary car modification owners could afford?"

Brad pulled a palm-sized notebook from the inside pocket of his jacket, opened it to a page, and pushed it in front of Ringo.

That page contained an extremely detailed structural sketch.

Four sets of solenoid valves control the brake oil circuits of the four wheels respectively. In the center is a Motorola MC6800 microcontroller, with three sensor inputs connected to the periphery.

Lin Ge looked at the blueprints intently, lost in thought.

Although he is not an automotive engineer, he had a major client in his previous life when he was doing cross-border e-commerce. The client was a company that made in-vehicle electronic equipment.

In order to communicate with customers about product specifications, he spent more than half a year mastering the basics of automotive electronics.

He still had some recollection of the basic principles of ABS.

Now, looking at Brad's sketch, he immediately realized a problem.

There is a key blind spot in people's understanding of ABS in this era, or rather, they have not yet realized that a certain path can achieve the same effect at a lower cost.

"Mr. Brad, does your solution use Bosch hydraulic regulators?"

"Yes, the one Bosch uses for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. I got a few of their inventory from the Bosch after-sales center in Chicago and have been studying them for over half a year."

Lin Ge pushed the notebook forward.

"Then you won't be able to reduce your costs. The problem isn't with the controller, it's with the hydraulic regulator."

"Bosch's regulators are all precision hydraulic components, and the production cost is at least several hundred dollars."

"Even if you reduce the cost of the controller to the lowest possible level, the entire system still won't be cheap enough for the average person to afford."

Brad's smile faded slightly.

He had just treated Lingo as his father's guest, an interesting person to chat with.

But what Lin Ge said now hit the nail on the head regarding the problem that had been bothering him for the past few months.

"Mr. Chen, what's this? You've done research on ABS?"

I know a little bit about it.

Lin Ge picked up his teacup, using the act of drinking tea to buy himself a few seconds to think.

In his memory, ABS technology has undergone several major shifts in direction over the past few decades.

The first generation of ABS, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, used a hydraulic accumulator plus piston pump solution.

The biggest drawback of this period was its extremely high cost and complex structure.

Until 1985, someone proposed a completely new approach:

The hydraulic accumulator is replaced by a return oil pump, and the logic threshold control algorithm is embedded in a dedicated integrated circuit.

This solution reduced the cost of ABS to one-third of its original cost, directly promoting the widespread adoption of ABS in the 1990s.