Chapter 291: Honest Car Manufacturing

Chapter 291: Honest Car Manufacturing

Chapter 291: Honest Car Manufacturing (5k)

On the first day of March, at ten o'clock in the morning, Zhang Suyang from IDG also arrived at Bai Xiaosheng Company after Xu Xin.

He walked into the meeting room and unexpectedly saw Xu Xin, who was said to have a broken relationship with Yu Xing, was also there. He was a little surprised, but then he smiled and shook Yu Xing's hand: "Mr. Yu, I came uninvited, I hope I won't disturb you."

"Hahaha, Mr. Zhang, what are you talking about? It's easy to talk about between us. The reason I didn't mention it is because it's purely personal interest. Now it's just in the discussion stage, and I'm afraid to disturb you." Yu Xing shook hands repeatedly with a sincere smile on his face, "If Mr. Zhang is willing to come, I am 100% welcome."

Xu Gaizhi from Today Capital heard the same "uninvited visit" and looked at the different welcoming attitude, feeling a little indignant. But the next moment he saw Zhang Suyang nodding to him, so he maintained his composure without any fluctuation in expression.

Zhang Suyang took the tea handed over by the secretary and said with a smile: "Mr. Yu's interest is somewhat unexpected. Both the resources invested and the time required are different from what I imagined."

Yu Xing smiled slightly: "This is also in response to the policy call. In May last year, the government set up five pilot cities to subsidize the purchase of new energy vehicles. This year, the intensity has been increased and changed to exemption of purchase tax. I personally think that once this policy drive starts, it will last for a long time. Not to mention the market, China has become the world's largest car market."

"To use an analogy of a project that we all agree on, this is a bit like the transformation from PC to mobile Internet. Even a powerful company like Penguin was caught off guard by the speed of mobile Internet development. Then we made a great leap forward, and were eventually dragged into the current strategic dilemma."

"In today's auto market, gasoline-powered cars are the traditional force, and the speed of transformation of those brands will certainly be much slower than that of Penguin. New energy is expected to become a party of change and have the hope of getting a big piece of the pie."

"The wind hasn't completely started blowing yet, but if everyone sees the wind coming, competition will be fierce. If there is no wind at all, it will be too difficult to start. Now is the moment when the wind has come but has not yet reached its peak. Those who are well prepared may be able to get the largest share of the pie."

"So, I want to find someone to verify the idea."

Yu Xing told the story slowly and leisurely.

However, this sounded less and less like the mere "interest" he mentioned.

Zhang Suyang quite agrees with the example of Penguin. Penguin is a fast-responding Internet company. Traditional oil car brands will undoubtedly encounter huge resistance if they want to reform, and their speed will only be several beats slower.

But is the tram the right direction?
Zhang Suyang thought about it for a while, and said thoughtfully: "There have been quite a few car-making projects recently, but it seems..."

Everyone can hear the unfinished meaning in these words.

"Once the policy changes, it is inevitable that all the good and the bad will be mixed together." Yu Xing said seriously, "So, if I want to do it, I have now defined four words for myself - honestly build cars."

After hearing this, Xu Xin wanted to join the discussion. The four words "honest car manufacturing" are worthy of praise.

She resisted the urge and drank her tea in silence.

"Hmm... Honest, honest." Zhang Suyang repeated it twice and said with a smile, "Boss Yu, you are clearly talking about honest car manufacturing, but I can hear a sense of calmness. However, new energy does not necessarily mean electric cars. I see that Japan is also investing heavily in hydrogen energy."

Yu Xing added water to the teacup.

Xu Xin couldn't help but speak up: "Japan's hydrogen energy is not easy to develop. At least from the perspective of global market policies, hydrogen energy is at the back of the list. Last year, Europe's 'European Green Vehicle Initiative' allocated 2.3 million euros for the development of plug-in hybrids, and only 0.8 million for hydrogen energy. The former is positioned as the 'main force for short- and medium-term emission reductions', while the latter is a 'long-term reserve technology'. Last year, the new US government cut the R&D budget for fuel cells and shifted it to electric vehicles."

She couldn't stop talking once she started. "We are not promoting hydrogen energy in China now. Japan's policies are contrary to those of most global markets, so it is very difficult. Moreover, Volkswagen Group has announced a suspension of hydrogen energy research and development. BMW's hydrogen internal combustion engine Hydrogen 7 project was also terminated last year and switched to the plug-in hybrid i8. No one is willing to help the Japanese automakers who applied for hydrogen energy-related patents first."

"From a hydrogen energy technology perspective, transportation and storage are both difficult to solve, and there are even more comprehensive problems."

"If we look at the prospects of electric and hydrogen energy, there is no doubt that we should choose the former."

Xu Xin talked about policies, car companies, and technology, and gave his own understanding and judgment.

Zhang Suyang nodded repeatedly, and finally said with a smile: "Boss Yu, no wonder you invited Boss Xu. Boss Xu's knowledge comes from a family background. I don't believe what others say, but Boss Xu said that trams are the right choice, so I must believe it."

Xu Xin instantly prepared himself for being ridiculed and mocked, and even his rebuttals were ready-made, uninvited.

Unexpectedly, Yu Xing nodded and praised: "Yes, Mr. Xu is a rare expert investor in the circle who understands the automotive industry. I will definitely ask Mr. Xu for advice in the future."

Xu Xin was a little stunned for a moment, and then she felt flattered. The man named Yu actually had some humanity left!
There was a knock on the office door and the American guests arrived.

The next moment, Musk, Ma Baoguo, Iron Man, Open Source Saint, Minister Ma, White House Walker, and King of Side by Side all walked in.

Yu Xing stood up to welcome the new guest of the "Dialogue" column. Although he spoke English poorly, he was able to say hello: "Welcome, welcome, Elon."

Musk was wearing a suit, smiling and shaking hands, and was surprised that there were so many people in the conference room.

He spoke a lot of words at a very fast pace.

Yu Xing felt like he was doing an English listening comprehension test and only understood half of what he heard.

However, Zhang Suyang, Xu Xin and Liu Jiankai in the conference room all understood.

Liu Wanying, who welcomed Musk on behalf of Yu Xing, said succinctly: "It's my first time in China, and the feeling is very different from what I imagined."

Yu Xing said "Uh", thought for two seconds and then said: "Let's get started. I'm quite curious. However, the first thing I'm curious about is why he is willing to participate in a small column on a small website like mine and even come all the way here."

Everyone took their seats, and Musk was followed by two assistants.

A camera had been set up in the conference room in advance to record the entire interview via video.

Liu Wanying optimized the wording and raised Yu Xing's question.

Musk still spoke a lot this time, but the few people who understood him at the first time changed their expressions slightly and seemed more serious.

Liu Wanying extracted the key points and translated, "He arrived yesterday. He first went to Beijing and met with the boss of our Ministry of Science and Technology. Boss Wan had visited Tesla's factory when he went to the United States in 08. The two met and had a pleasant chat. This time he also met an old friend, and then came to Shanghai."

Xu Xin explained: "The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a document in 2000 to promote the development of new energy vehicles. The subsidies we just talked about were also issued by the finance and science and technology departments."

Yu Xing was a little surprised, but not that surprised.

Liu Wanying finished her words: "He also said that he is also curious about the people in China who are paying attention to the development of new energy. He hopes that you can become a Tesla owner. He said that he knows you are very rich."

Xu Xin interrupted and asked, "Ask him, he is..."

Yu Xing interrupted, "Hey, Mr. Xu, I'm the one doing the column."

Xu Xin's work style was slightly revealed at this moment, and he continued his question: "Ask him, did he mention Yu Xing when he met with Wan Bu?"

Yu Xing knew what Xu Xin meant and emphasized, "Boss Xu, if you can do something good, you will naturally be noticed. If you can't do something good, it's useless to be noticed."

Xu Xin insisted to Liu Wanying: "Don't bother with him, he is stubborn, you ask him, or I can ask him myself."

Liu Wanying still asked Xu Xin's question.

Zhang Suyang then whispered, "There is a reason for your unstable relationship."

After a moment, Liu Wanying translated: "He talked about the small goal of this trip to China in Beijing, and described you as being happy to see the emerging power of electric vehicles."

Xu Xin commented: "Not bad." She then said to Yu Xing: "If you really want to enter this field, go to Beijing to visit if you have the chance. He will definitely be willing to see it and support those who are truly capable of making something."

Zhang Suyang also became interested and asked, "Mr. Yu proposed the idea of ​​'honest car manufacturing' before you came. Musk, what do you think of this idea?"

At this time, Yu Xing no longer emphasized who owned the column, because both of them had money behind them.

Musk laughed twice. "I have met some entrepreneurs who use empty shell models and fake transactions to run their companies. I believe that China will have similar situations. Car manufacturing is a long project and it is indeed more likely to breed scams. But why is my first reaction that the person who said this was not honest before? Hahaha, just kidding."

After listening to the translation, Yu Xing stopped the two investors from cutting in line and finally asked what he wanted to ask: "I see that Tesla's Roadster sports car purchased transmission technology from American electric vehicle power company AC, purchased the Elise sports car chassis from Lotus, and purchased the gearbox from Europe. Why is the Roadster still so popular?"

Lotus is a world-renowned sports car and racing car brand.

Zhang Suyang and Xu Xin looked at each other unconsciously. Yu Xing's first question was obviously not just "interest", but at least he had done some research.

Musk thought for a while and nodded: "Yes, I know what you mean. Roadster sounds like a combination, which is true to some extent, but our engineers developed the battery system and carried out challenging integration."

"I've encountered the question you raised today before, and many people now think that the Roadster is an electric Lotus sports car."

"In fact, we gradually realized a problem during the development process. Purchasing the chassis from Lotus was not a very correct choice. In the end, Roadster and Lotus Elise only shared less than 7% of the parts, which was almost the same as designing a new chassis from scratch."

"The most important idea here is that we need to work based on brand new electric vehicles, electric vehicles!"

"The added battery weight of electric vehicles requires a redesign of the chassis structure. The battery pack becomes a load-bearing component and its rigidity must be increased, so its longitudinal beam also needs to be redesigned..."

Musk said this, stretched out his hand in the air from left to back, shrugged and said: "This is not a problem of one change, but a series of changes and designs that spread out. If I were to choose again, we would not buy the Lotus chassis again. This is a disastrous job."

Yu Xing nodded slightly, and after thinking carefully, he asked, "What was Tesla's consideration for giving up the extended-range technology? According to the information I have seen, Tesla has made some progress in the extended-range technology?"

"Well, Tesla's mission is to accelerate the arrival of the electric car era. Our planet needs to reduce carbon emissions, and range-extending technology cannot do that. In addition, pure electric vehicles have higher energy efficiency." Musk said seriously, "The full-cycle charging and discharging efficiency of the Roadster is 86%. This is the best choice. Yu Xing, we need to be responsible for the earth together."

Zhang Suyang and Xu Xin did not need any translation process. They drank tea and pondered over these words.

After listening to the translation, Yu Xing thought for a while and asked, "If that's the case, why did Tesla plan to extend the range in the first place? I care about the earth as much as you do, but is there any other reason to put this right outside the conference room?"

Musk leaned back, stretched out his hand as if to push the absolutely correct statement out the door, and then smiled: "Pure electric is more brand-oriented. As I said just now, efficiency is the key. Moreover, the coexistence of the engine and the motor in a set of half systems increases the complexity. This is a man-made challenge."

At this point, he shrugged and smiled: "Of course, this has nothing to do with Tesla's need to concentrate funds."

After saying this, Musk seemed to be trying to make up for it by saying: "Range-extended technology is a transition between fuel and pure electric. Even if we have sufficient funds, we don't need to conduct in-depth research on it."

Yu Xing asked: "Range-extended technology bypasses the patent blockade of traditional manufacturers on gearboxes. Isn't this valuable? Even if it is a transition, the transition time seems to be at least ten years. Isn't user mileage anxiety an issue during these ten years?"

Musk smiled and said: "We just need to find users who are not anxious and can accept anxiety. Those who find it difficult to accept anxiety can continue to choose fuel vehicles."

Yu Xing shook his head: "OK, your words prove the value. Users who cannot accept range anxiety but want to enjoy the progress of electric vehicles will be a good user group."

Musk did not deny this, and raised a question of his own at this point: "I just said that there is a problem with the complexity of a set of half systems. What do you think about the difference between electric vehicles and traditional cars in terms of internal integration?"

"Redundant? Inefficient?" Yu Xing tried to say the two words, and then thought of the idea of ​​"based on brand new electric vehicles" that Musk had just mentioned, and said thoughtfully, "The biggest difference is that only the pure electric system is used and the fuel system is abandoned. The internal structure is completely new. The parts obtained from suppliers of traditional cars are like pieces of plasticine of different colors, and then they are kneaded together and used, and the final result is a mess of plasticine of different colors."

"Electric vehicles can be designed and integrated with parts and systems in a solid color, such as black, white or red, to achieve the progress of electrification."

Musk glanced at Yu Xing, who made the analogy, and said to Zhang Suyang and Xu Xin, who could understand him, in English: "He can build cars, and at least he can cheat you out of your money."

Zhang Suyang: “…”

Xu Xin: “…”

Yu Xing asked Liu Wanying: "What did he say?"

Liu Wanying thought for a moment and translated, "He said your idea was more correct than he expected."

The two investors listened to the translation...Okay, it captures the essence of the translation.

Obviously, the interest that Yu Xing mentioned is far more than just interest. Judging from his communication with Musk, he has at least thought about it comprehensively. Although Musk's company may not survive for long, but...

Xu Xin did not interrupt to ask questions again, but just listened silently to the questions and answers of the two people.

As she listened, she had a strange sense of déjà vu. Musk must have gone through the entire process of car manufacturing, while Yu Xing talked about it as if he had played with electric cars.

Xu Xin recalled carefully and confirmed that Tesla's cars had not entered China. Then he thought of Yu Xing's previous visit to BYD and wondered if this was due to Wang Chuanfu's considerations.

However, in the second half, the conversation between the two people completely deviated from the scope of trams and started talking about medicine, energy, and exchanging PPT for money.

Musk asked one last question before lunch: "Since you have a medical background, have you ever seen The Matrix? What do you think of the future applications of technology like the back of the brain?"

"AI is definitely a rapidly developing technology that we will see in our lifetime. Brain-cannulation or brain-computer interaction is more like a deep dance between humans and AI." Yu Xing smiled, "I see that many laboratories are trying to anthropomorphize machines and make them closer to humans, but brain-computer interaction is like another way of thinking, which is to bring the human brain closer to AI."

"Computers and chips are like a truck carrying information, and the human brain is a narrow intersection. Should we make the truck twist and turn to enter the intersection, or should we widen the intersection to increase the bandwidth of the human brain and speed up the interaction? These two directions are quite interesting to think about.

Yu Xing has divergent thinking.

Musk's comment on this is: "It is completely understandable that investors are sometimes deceived."

Yu Xing stood up and invited the guests to have lunch together.

Xu Xin finally asked, "Musk, do you think he can succeed in building a car?"

Musk thought for a moment and replied: "There is no single criterion for success. Just like he mentioned the value of extended-range technology, there must be users who are willing to accept it. If I have money, I am willing to invest and give it a try. What if it succeeds?"

Xu Xin thanked the president of the listed electric vehicle company for his answer, but felt inexplicably heavy-hearted.

On the other side, Zhang Suyang was already shaking hands with Yu Xing: "Mr. Yu, I can feel your seriousness in verifying your idea. IDG is willing to invest some money to verify whether there is a suitable entry point."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang, no, this must be a small amount of money. I want a big amount of money."

Zhang Suyang let go of his hand: "Well... Honestly building a car is a good idea. As long as we can come up with a rough plan, you can call us anytime."

Yu Xing shook his old friend's hand again: "Mr. Zhang, you must be at the front of the line. Let's see what happens first."

Zhang Suyang said seriously: "Okay, okay, Mr. Yu, even if others give too much, you must call me. If you don't call me, you can call Mr. Xiong."

(End of this chapter)