Rebirth of the Industrial Tycoon

Chapter 722 Internet + New Energy

The Xiaomi system has won the first battle, successfully taking the first step in the operating system market.

Of course, this is just a good start, and it is still far from a firm foothold.

Before 2010, Android had not yet become the overlord. At this time, a hundred flowers bloomed in the mobile operating system. There were dozens of mobile operating systems on the market, many of which were products from top technology giants. No one could judge which one's operating system will be the ultimate winner.

In addition to the performance of the operating system itself, the choice of mobile phone brand is also a very important factor.

At that time, the three mobile phone giants were Nokia, Blackberry and Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, and the declining Motoroia, which could only be regarded as half of the giants. And the choice of a giant brand will often become the benchmark of the industry.

But in fact, these giants have been slow to respond to smartphones.

After entering the era of smartphones, Nokia and Motorola declined rapidly. There is no need to introduce this aspect. Even Samsung, the world's number one smartphone seller in later generations, did not bet on smartphones in the early days.

When Apple launched the first-generation iPhone in 2007, Samsung also launched a touch-screen mobile phone Samsung Instinct to target Apple, but in fact, the two are not competing at all.

Next, Samsung did not launch any more smartphones. It was not until after the release of Apple's iPhone 3GS that Samsung launched the first generation, officially entering the smartphone industry.

And it was the second generation that really made Samsung mobile phones rise.

At that time, Apple was still using a 3.5-inch screen. Smartphones from other manufacturers were also imitating Apple, using a 3.5-inch screen, while the second generation used a 4.3-inch screen. This was definitely a qualitative leap and attracted Samsung. A lot of traffic.

When Samsung released its third generation in 2011, it jumped to the top smartphone maker and has maintained that position to this day.

The rise of Samsung is inseparable from South Korea's strong supply chain of mobile phone components. For example, the core chips of mobile phones can be manufactured by Samsung itself. Another example is the screen of mobile phones. Samsung is also a leader. The components of other mobile phones can basically be produced in South Korea. .

After the rise of Samsung, it was the turn of Chinese brands to emerge. From the initial China Cool Union to Huami OV, while domestic mobile phone brands continued to innovate, they also experienced waves of reshuffle.

And now is the era of HTC,

For the nascent Xiaomi system, the competition has just begun, and the biggest competitor, Android, has not yet begun to exert its strength.

...

In the conference room of Xiaomi Company, several partners gathered together to discuss the company's next development direction.

There is still no way to solve the problem of system freezing, especially after a long time of use, the freezing will become more and more serious, and even calls will be affected.

We also found this kind of problem during the test, but there is no way to avoid it. After all, we are not a closed system like Apple, and Apple's mobile phone is also specially designed for their system. The overall optimization is naturally better than mine. good.

In addition, Apple has accumulated more technology in the operating system. Jobs created the Mac OS X operating system when he was a grandmother in 1998, and it is no worse than Microsoft's WIN system.

Then let's continue to optimize, we have so many programmers, isn't that what we do!

Optimization is naturally optimized, but we also have to consider the issue of hardware matching. If the hardware exceeds the carrying capacity of the system, it will affect the performance instead.

A group of people were discussing system optimization. Li Weidong could understand at first, but gradually, black question marks popped up above his head.

Except for Li Weidong, everyone here is from a technical background. They were originally programmers. When it came time to discuss technical issues, Li Weidong couldn't do anything except look confused.

After a while, everyone finally reached a consensus, and Rebus asked in a timely manner: Mr. Li, what do you think of this plan?

Rebs only asked a symbolic question. After all, Li Weidong is the big boss of the capital contribution. Regardless of whether Li Weidong understands or not, he has to ask a question anyway. It is to give Li Weidong face and to follow the procedure.

But this time, Li Weidong was prepared. He said, I don't know anything about technology. How to optimize the system is up to you. But I have an idea about the system getting stuck.

Our computer system should also have this situation, right? At least for a computer novice like me, this will happen to the computer I usually use. So I installed a 360 on my computer.

When 3600 was mentioned, Mr. Lei's expression was a little unnatural. After all, in the past two years, the domestic anti-virus system market has almost been dominated by 3600.

Immediately someone nearby said, I use Kingsoft Antivirus, and the effect is quite good.

This sentence relieved Rebs' embarrassment, and Li Weidong went on to say: 360 not only has the function of anti-virus, but also can clean the system, speed up the boot speed, etc. For a computer novice like me, It is very convenient to make the computer faster with the click of a mouse.

So I wondered, why can't we add this function to our Xiaomi system? We directly add a one-click cleanup function to the system, and users can automatically close those redundant applications with just one click, leaving only the basic functions, and the system will naturally become smoother.

Great idea! We can also integrate Jinshan Duba into it! Rebus instantly turned into a related account.

In later generations, smartphones have their own cleaning system, which is a normal operation, but in 2009, this is definitely an innovation.

Li Weidong is indeed ignorant of technical optimization, but in terms of humanized design, all the programmers of Xiaomi combined are not as good as Li Weidong.

This is the advantage of the reborn. Li Weidong knows that the mobile phone operating systems of later generations have those humanized designs, and these designs have been honed and experienced by tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of households. Those anti-human designs have been eliminated in continuous optimization, and only those designs with good user experience will be left behind.

During the several-hour meeting, Li Weidong put forward several suggestions, all of which were operational optimization.

When the meeting was over, it was time for lunch.

I just heard Rebs say: Are there any arrangements for tonight? If not, let's get together?

Mr. Lei, I'm afraid I'm going to be excused. An old classmate is coming from the United States. I have to pick him up.

I have to go to Hong Kong Island in the afternoon and make appointments with a few clients.

I'm also on a business trip. I have a plane at 1:30 in the afternoon. Just eat something at the airport, or it will be too late.

Everyone really had something to do, and they all declined.

Rebs had no choice but to look at Li Weidong, and said to himself that if you have something to do, then we will go back to our respective homes and find our respective mothers.

But Li Weidong said, Old Lei, if you have time, come with me to the customs warehouse. I bought a car from abroad and just finished the customs declaration. I will pick up the car later.

Car? Is it a luxury supercar? Is it worth it for Chairman Li to pick up the car in person? Rebus asked puzzled.

It's a sports car, but it's not an ordinary sports car. A sports car doesn't burn gasoline, but charges it. Li Weidong said.

You're talking about a pure electric sports car? It's a new thing. I haven't seen it before. What brand is it? Ferrari or Lamborghini? Rebs showed an expression of interest. He is still interested in new technological products. Very interested.

Neither. Li Weidong shook his head: It's Tesla.

That bragging company in the United States? Rebs showed a surprised expression, and then said, They really built the car?

It's been built, but it's not a mass-produced car. Li Weidong continued to ask, Are you interested in going to see it with me?

Then I really have to join in the fun. Look at this Tesla, it's so big, what the hell is it made of! Rebs said.

...

When Tesla was founded, it was indeed a bragging company.

Things have to start with General Motors. Later generations generally believe that traditional auto companies in Detroit have been obstructing the development of new energy vehicles, but in fact, it was General Motors that first launched a mass-produced electric vehicle.

As early as 1991, General Motors began to mass-produce electric vehicles, and produced more than 2,000 vehicles. However, due to technical limitations, electric vehicles at that time had small space, low mileage, and slow speed, similar to the current old man. , So in 2002, General Motors finally gave up the plan of electric vehicles.

General Motors' factory engineer Kokkoni, who was in charge of this project, left GM to start his own business and started a small company to produce single-person electric vehicles. Later, another engineer in Silicon Valley, Eberhard, was very interested in this project and invested in it. After that, Eberhard partnered with another partner, Tarpenning, to establish Tesla Motors.

Eberhard's idea is to combine sports cars and new energy vehicles to make a new energy sports car, and the customer groups of sports cars are those high-income earners and celebrities.

These high-income and celebrities pretend to be very interested in environmental protection on the surface. In order to maintain their image, they will also spend a lot of money to sell new energy supercars.

In other words, the original intention of Tesla's establishment is to trap a wave of rich people who want to save face.

At this time, Tesla's company only had 20 employees. A mere 20 people are about to run a supercar early, and it is a new energy supercar that has never been seen before. It sounds like a deceitful leather bag company.

What General Motors has failed to do for more than ten years, you are a new company, how can you do it!

It wasn't until 2004 that Elon Musk took over, which completely changed the entire Tesla. Tesla began to develop new energy vehicles in earnest.

Although Tesla has started to really develop new energy vehicles, it still needs to be bragging, not to mention that Musk is a bragging guy.

So before 2009, Musk was bragging about Tesla cars in various ways, and many Wall Street investors didn't bother to talk to him.

Rebs is also an angel investor. He has a good understanding of popular investment projects around the world, and naturally he also knows the Tesla electric car that Musk has been blowing up for several years.

Rebs followed Li Weidong to the customs warehouse, and soon saw the legendary Tesla sports car.

This is a Tesla Roadster sports car, and it is also the first car launched by Tesla.

Bragging is bragging, but when Tesla really made the car, it instantly blinded the eyes of countless investors.

The planned price of this sports car is 100,000 US dollars, but the cost is as high as 120,000 US dollars. When it was sold, Musk was forced to raise the price to 110,000 US dollars. Although it was still at a loss, it still attracted buyers. siege.

However, it was this car that impressed Daimler, and made Tesla, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, receive an investment of 70 million U.S. dollars from Daimler, which was regarded as a continuation of life.

With this fund, Tesla was able to start production, invited the government to visit the factory, and was able to obtain a loan of 465 million US dollars from the US Department of Energy, and successfully listed on Nasdaq. Finally, in 2012, it launched the Mdoel S car, becoming the leader of new energy vehicles.

At this time, Rebs obviously didn't realize how big a change new energy vehicles would bring. He just looked around curiously and lost interest in the Roadster in front of him.

It doesn't look like anything special, it feels like an ordinary sports car! Rebus said.

It still smells like a cottage, right? Li Weidong asked with a smile.

Rebs didn't answer, just smiled, but it was tantamount to acquiescing to Li Weidong's statement.

Li Weidong went on to say: Tesla's sports car at least proves the feasibility of electric vehicles. Isn't everyone talking about environmental protection now? Maybe in ten or twenty years, electric vehicles will become the mainstream. Let's go Go up and try this electric sports car what it feels like!

Li Weidong said, walked into the sports car, pressed the start button, and a low battery sign appeared on the dashboard.

It's out of power! Looks like it can't be turned on today! Rebs chuckled, and then said, How do I charge this thing? Can an ordinary power plug work?

No, you have to use a special charging pile! Li Weidong shook his head.

This is a car made in the United States. In our country, where can I find a charging pile for you! Rebs said cheerfully.

Let's go to BYD! It is estimated that they are the only place where you can find charging piles. Li Weidong changed his voice, and then asked, You should know Mr. Wang, right?

We met a few times, and we would say hello when we met, but we didn't have a close relationship. Rebus said.

I have been friends with Mr. Wang of BYD for more than ten years. When I was making home appliances, I asked him to buy batteries. We will meet in a while and let you get acquainted. Li Weidong said with a smile.

...

When Li Weidong cooperated with BYD, BYD's scale was not large. Now, BYD has not only become a listed company, but also won the favor of Warren Buffett.

The company that Warren Buffett is optimistic about, the name alone is enough to bluff people.

In recent years, there have been more and more cooperations between Li Weidong and BYD. For example, Fukang Engineering's development of electric forklifts and Fukang Agricultural Machinery's development of electric agricultural machinery are inseparable from BYD's technical support. BYD's semiconductor department also provides some components for the Puppy Group.

In addition to batteries, BYD's core business is of course the automotive business. BYD's new energy vehicles are also what Li Weidong values ​​most.

Especially after Li Weidong acquired Jaguar Land Rover, he kept an eye on BYD. In the future, Jaguar Land Rover will make new energy vehicles and expect to cooperate with BYD!

Ten years later, the momentum of new energy vehicles has become unstoppable, and the replacement of traditional fuel vehicles seems to be just around the corner. Internet technology + new energy is obviously the future development trend of the automobile industry.

It was also for this reason that Li Weidong found an opportunity to drag Rebs to contact BYD's electric fairy.

BYD's new energy vehicles are world-leading, and Xiaomi's smart home is also the world's leading. The combination of Xiaomi and BYD can definitely lead the development of the auto industry, and it is very possible to beat Tesla.

In later generations, news about Xiaomi and BYD's cooperation in building cars also emerged endlessly. Photos of Rebs meeting with the electric fairy have flowed out on the Internet.

...

In front of BYD's office building, a group of engineers are gathered around the Tesla Roadster.

That Tesla, really built the car! I always thought they were making money.

Isn't this car just a show? It's just a beautiful empty shell.

No, when the car was first obtained, our President Wang went up and drove it himself!

I don't know how many kilometers this car can last! If it can have 300 kilometers, it will be practical.

The engineers were discussing with each other.

Not far away, Li Weidong stood beside the Electric Immortal and asked, How did you feel about the test drive?

It's great, beyond my imagination. The electric fairy took a deep breath and continued; I just don't know if this car can be mass-produced. , is indeed ahead of us.”

Isn't your pure electric bus coming off the assembly line soon? Li Weidong continued to ask.

There are still some technical difficulties that need to be overcome. The Electric Immortal replied.

BYD officially entered the field of pure electric buses in 2009. After just a few years, BYD pure electric buses can be seen on the roads of many cities in China. More than a decade later, BYD's pure electric buses have been imported by dozens of countries around the world, including Japan, a powerhouse in automobile manufacturing.

But buses are still different from ordinary family cars. The large size of the bus means that there is enough space to install large batteries to ensure battery life. But the family car is small in size, and the battery becomes the biggest problem.

I just heard the electric fairy ask: Chairman Li, do you know where the biggest difficulty of pure electric vehicles is?

Battery. Li Weidong replied without hesitation, and then he continued: I also have a motor factory, so I know that for pure electric vehicles, the motor is not a problem. The performance of modern motors is no problem to support large construction machinery. It is more than enough to be used in cars. Therefore, the biggest difficulty in developing pure electric vehicles is the battery.

The electric fairy nodded: Yes, the battery is the biggest difficulty of pure electric vehicles, besides the power, the charging of the battery is another big problem, of course the most important thing is the safety of the battery.

I’m not going to hide it from you. We made a prototype car with a lead-acid battery before. The cruising range is less than 150 kilometers, the charging is slow, and the battery is still attenuated. Electricity, it will definitely not work in actual use.

We also considered using lithium batteries, but the cost is too high. Lithium batteries can be used in mobile phones and laptops, and can be used in cars. They can cost tens of thousands of yuan at once. Who can afford it! So now I'm really curious what kind of battery this Tesla is using.

If you want to know how Tesla does it, it's easy, you just dismantle this car! Li Weidong said with a smile.

The car you just bought was transported thousands of miles from the United States. Before it was warmed up, you let me dismantle it? I'm not so ignorant! said the electric fairy.

I'm not joking with you. I bought this car for your research. If we don't dismantle the car, how do we know what step Tesla has made? Li Weidong replied.

Then I'll really dismantle it! The electric fairy was not polite, after all, the two have been in a cooperative relationship for more than ten years, and this friendship must be worth a sports car.

Li Weidong went on to say: After a while, I plan to move the Jaguar Land Rover production line to the Yangtze River Delta. The land has already been prepared locally. The key is the approval at the national level.

Jaguar Land Rover is a luxury brand. No matter which country this kind of fragrant steamed bun is settled in, the local people will welcome it with hands up. How can the country get you an approval card! said the electrical fairy with a smile.

Although I bought Jaguar Land Rover, Jaguar Land Rover is still a foreign brand after all. According to the policies of our country's auto industry, foreign brands need to find a domestic joint venture partner if they want to set up a factory. I want to see if there is any loosening in this aspect possibility.

Li Weidong said with a sigh, and continued: As the owner, of course I hope to maintain the sole proprietorship of Jaguar Land Rover, but I have to abide by the national policy, so if you really can't get the conditions for sole proprietorship, Then I have to ask you for help!

Are you planning to let Jaguar Land Rover form a joint venture with our BYD? The electric fairy was taken aback, and after pondering for half a minute, he said, You have given me a big gift! As a friend, I thank you, but It is also because we are friends, I still advise you to consider those big companies first when it comes to joint ventures.

After all, Jaguar Land Rover is a luxury brand, at the BBA level. If you really want to find a joint venture partner in China, everyone will definitely rush to it. You can choose whatever it is, SAIC, GAC! Anyone who can form a joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover will not only benefit from technology and marketing, but also greatly improve the brand.

BYD, on the other hand, has only been manufacturing cars for a few years, and its technology is not as good as that of those big companies. All of our cars are small cars worth tens of thousands of dollars. The key is that the brand value is not high. Jaguar Land Rover approached me as a joint venture, isn't it self-degrading! When those local tyrants hear that Land Rover is made by BYD, they will probably stay away from it!

I chose you BYD, of course not because we have a good relationship. Li Weidong lowered his voice, and continued: I'm actually a little worried, those big corporate stores are bullying customers!

Large domestic companies already have their own joint venture partners. For example, FAW has Audi, Toyota and Volkswagen, SAIC has GM and Volkswagen, GAC also has Honda and Toyota, and the business of these brands is doing well, with a large market share. Well, how many resources can they lean towards Jaguar Land Rover!

That's right, even a big company has limited resources, and it must be allocated to mature markets first. Otherwise, Mercedes-Benz and BMW would not choose to form a joint venture with BAIC and Brilliance. The electric fairy nodded.

Li Weidong raised his voice, and then said: The most important thing is, I am very optimistic about your pure electric vehicle business. I also have detailed plans for the future of Jaguar Land Rover. For Land Rover, we still have to continue to follow the route of high-end SUVs and make good use of them. Material, good workmanship, high price.

As for Jaguar, I plan to develop in the direction of pure electricity. Jaguar Land Rover used Ford's power system before. The performance of American engines in large displacement is indeed very good, but the performance of medium displacement is not satisfactory. In our country, ordinary passenger cars cannot use such a large displacement, so Ford's engine is not suitable for Jaguar.

Self-developed engines are difficult and costly, and even if they are made, it is difficult to reach the level of developed countries. If you have the time and investment, it is better to increase the research and development of pure electric vehicles. On the contrary, it is an opportunity to overtake on a curve. If Jaguar can take the lead in occupying the high ground of pure electric vehicles, there will be a chance to compete with BBA in the future!

After Jaguar Land Rover was acquired by Ford, it used the three major components provided by Ford. The American power system is relatively reliable, especially in terms of large displacement, its performance is better than that of Germany and Japan.

It’s just that a large-displacement engine is also suitable for North America, Australia, and the Middle East. It is definitely not practical to put it in China. Let’s not talk about the one-dollar price of the gas pedal, and just talk about the traffic jams in the city. However, no matter how large the displacement is, it will not be able to run.

Historically, after India's Tata Group took over Jaguar Land Rover, it invested a huge amount of money to build an Invitrogen engine, which was then used in Jaguar Land Rover vehicles.

This engine was developed by the British, and the technology of the British is still acceptable, and the engine also supports the hybrid system. After all, the whole of Europe was calling for carbon reduction at that time, and the British raised their standards in this regard when they were developing it.

Invitrogen's engine was officially put into the market in 2015, and then caught up with the rapid rise of pure electric vehicles. Major manufacturers in Europe began to move closer to pure electric vehicles. The European Union itself announced the time to ban the sale of fuel vehicles, and Jaguar also Had to follow up, saying that fuel vehicles would be eliminated in the future. The money spent on developing the Invitrogen engine was basically wasted.

...

In the United States, the United Auto Workers, a group of cadres are holding champagne glasses, a look of celebrating victory.

Not long ago, the bankruptcy of General Motors was finally settled, and the governments of the United States and Canada finally paid for General Motors. Among them, the U.S. government acquired 60.9% of GM's shares and became the largest shareholder of GM. GM also transformed into a state-owned enterprise in the United States.

For the rest of GM, the governments of Canada and Ontario account for 11.7%, creditors account for 10%, and the United Auto Workers' pension medical trust fund accounts for 17.5%.

For the UAW, getting a 17.5% stake in General Motors is definitely a major victory. This is not only an asset, but also an increase in the union's voice.

Just like General Motors' restructuring plan, the company needs to slim down and will lay off a group of employees in the future, including management and ordinary auto workers.

And if ordinary workers have a union background, there is a high probability that they will not be laid off, because the union owns 17.5% of GM and is the second largest shareholder. The company's layoffs can't start with its own shareholders!

Therefore, when the news of GM's layoffs came out, many auto workers knelt down and begged to join the union in order to get the protection of the union and not let their names appear on the layoff list.

It is also because of this wave of operations that the U.S. economy has not fully recovered, but the momentum of the United Auto Workers has grown.

Several high-ranking cadres of the trade union gathered together, flattering each other, with expressions of joy overflowing on everyone's faces.

The reorganization of General Motors is a major victory for the United Auto Workers. In the future, we will not only be a labor union organization, but also the second largest shareholder of General Motors. This will turn us into a boss!

Looking at it now, organizing the strike was really the right thing to do. Without the general strike, GM would not have filed for bankruptcy, and we would not have received GM shares.

Who would dare not give face to the United Auto Workers in American auto companies in the future!

If anyone dares not to give us face, we will organize a few strikes and let them file for bankruptcy. Then we can still pick up some company shares!

At this moment, a faint voice sounded from the side: Everyone, don't forget, back then we experienced a fiasco at Jaguar Land Rover's Bemhull factory!

Everyone followed the voice, and it was Norwood Jewell who was speaking.

When Li Weidong had just acquired Jaguar Land Rover, Norwood Jewell, who was a union cadre, started to make trouble, organizing a strike to demand increased benefits. As a result, Li Weidong directly resorted to layoffs, which not only quelled the strike, but also kicked out all trade union forces. out of the Bemher factory.

Now on this occasion, Norwood Jewell brought up the old story again, obviously he was going to take revenge!

I only heard someone say: The failure of the Bemher factory is not the responsibility of our United Auto Workers, it is mainly because of the financial crisis!

Yes, no one would have imagined that at that juncture, a financial crisis would break out. If it is now, the management of the Bemher factory will definitely give in!

Norwood-Jewell smiled slightly, and continued: Everyone, now that the financial crisis has passed and the American economy has stabilized, I intend to suggest to the chairman that we continue to fight for the rights and interests of the workers in the Bemher factory! I hope Everyone can support me!

But since the failure of the last strike, there are no more of us in the Bemher factory! someone said.

Norwood-Jewel immediately said: Without our people, we can continue to develop. The big deal is to reduce or exempt workers from membership fees. Moreover, there are two to three thousand workers in the Bemher factory, and they cannot always be separated from our union. outside!

Nowadays, no one in the U.S. auto companies will give us some face. Only the Jaguar Land Rover Bemhull factory has no influence. This is not a good thing for us, the United Auto Workers!

But if the management directly lays off employees like last time, and wants to fight to the death, what should we do? Someone asked.

There is no financial crisis this time! Norwood Jewell snorted coldly, and continued: And the new local senator has won a lot of votes from the auto workers, now it's time to give us something in return !

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