Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 248 How could the cars I, Zhao Ruilong, build be industrial waste?

"Oh my God!"

"This...this is the hybrid vehicle you invested in developing?"

Xiao Jinhua was truly unable to contain his astonishment.

Completely disregarding gentlemanly etiquette, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

On the way from the airport to Handong Automobile Group, he chatted with Zhao Ruilong for a long time.

He knew that as early as 1992, the distinguished Qian Xuesen had written a letter proposing to skip gasoline-powered cars and focus on developing new energy vehicles.

Qian Xuesen believed that compared to the West, which has a long history of automobile industry development, profound heritage, and numerous patents, it would be particularly difficult for China to develop gasoline-powered vehicles.

Following the old path that others have already taken means we can't compete in terms of technology, cost, and quality. Moreover, the West has many patent barriers, and if we can't get around them, we'll have to pay huge usage fees.

In contrast.

When it comes to developing new energy vehicles, everyone is essentially on the same starting line. The West does not have a huge competitive advantage. On the contrary, it has developed a path dependence due to its many years of development of gasoline-powered vehicles.

In addition, China's oil reserves are limited and extraction costs are high. As the economy develops, the number of cars will increase. If all cars are gasoline-powered, China will become heavily reliant on oil imports, which will cause serious pollution.

In addition, China has invested in battery research for many years, and its vast territory has abundant hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic resources that can be developed and utilized. By improving ultra-high voltage power transmission, China can build a huge clean energy network.

After conducting on-site investigations and research, Qian Xuesen, who made significant contributions to the development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, made a bold and forward-thinking suggestion for the long-term benefit of China, hoping that relevant departments would strongly support the development of new energy vehicles.

This is one of the reasons why the top leadership supports Handong in vigorously developing a high-quality economy and implementing a military-civilian integration development strategy.

It was precisely because of the support from high-level officials, the joint research and development by a large number of scientific research institutes and military enterprises, and the substantial financial support from Zhao Ruilong that it was able to achieve this.

So Xiao Jinhua was naturally full of anticipation on the way here.

He imagined he would see a magnificent, exquisitely crafted luxury sedan, with an exterior and interior brimming with Eastern aesthetics.

He even imagined that the sedan would have many elements of Hongqi, adopting some classic designs from ceremonial and parade vehicles.

however……

The moment he stepped into the garage, his defenses crumbled.

Not only were his eyes wide open and his mouth agape, but his head was also buzzing.

He couldn't believe it; this was the first hybrid vehicle in China, developed by Zhao Ruilong with a huge investment and the joint efforts of numerous organizations.

It lacks a glossy paint finish, making the vehicle's exterior design unrecognizable.

The interior lacks sophisticated design, solid workmanship, and high-quality materials, as it doesn't even have seats.

It has only four wheels supporting an aluminum alloy body, and all kinds of equipment and pipelines installed are presented in front of you without any concealment.

and so……

It does indeed look like a car.

But Xiao Jinhua felt that it was a half-finished product.

There are also a large number of exterior body panels, interior trim pieces, etc. that have not been installed.

Xiao Jinhua was amazed.

Some even suspected that Zhao Ruilong might have been deceived.

Could it be that the more than one hundred units involved in the research and development were just going through the motions, trying to swindle funding, without any real research and testing, and ended up producing some kind of industrial garbage to fool people?

"You're not mistaken, this is indeed the hybrid vehicle we developed!"

Zhao Ruilong walked forward calmly.

Looking at this hybrid car with its rugged, primitive industrial style, I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

As a time traveler, Zhao Ruilong knew that if domestic automobiles wanted to carve out a path to success, they had to take an unconventional approach, abandoning traditional gasoline-powered vehicles and pursuing a new energy route.

Given the current limitations of battery technology, developing hybrid vehicles, which offer low fuel consumption, good performance, and eliminate range anxiety for drivers, is the best transitional approach.

Once the automotive industry is developed well, it will become a trillion-dollar industrial cluster with a huge radiating effect on all industries.

If Handong wants to vigorously develop a high-quality economy, how can it not take advantage of the military-civilian integration development strategy and vigorously study hybrid vehicles?

As for developing hybrid vehicles, Zhao Ruilong naturally has many lessons from another world to learn from, and many classic best-selling models to emulate.

Just as the cost of buying and owning a car is not low, countless families often only own one private car.

Therefore, SUVs with large interior space, strong loading capacity, and certain off-road capability are more popular among Chinese consumers.

In addition, SUVs have a relatively higher ground clearance, which can better prevent the battery pack at the bottom from being scratched.

Therefore, positioning the first hybrid vehicle developed as a mid-size family SUV with high configuration is naturally the most suitable choice.

With sufficient technological accumulation, the subsequent development of mid-to-large SUVs, rugged off-road vehicles, commercial vehicles, microcars, and sedans of different grades will naturally proceed much more smoothly.

"No, Mr. Zhao, this car... isn't it finished being assembled yet?"

Xiao Jinhua strode forward and pointed into the car.

"Look, there are no doors, no seats, no dashboard, and all sorts of pipes and equipment are just exposed like this. There must be a lot of work to be done, right?"

Zhao Ruilong laughed and said, "This is an engineering test vehicle. In order to facilitate the observation of the condition of various components and the collection of various data during various tests, we did not install those miscellaneous things."

Xiao Jinhua nodded slightly.

"I see. That explains why there were so many pipes on the vehicle, and they were distributed in such a mess. It was for testing purposes!"

As he spoke, Xiao Jinhua took another step forward and came to the front of the car.

Zhao Ruilong then took the opportunity to give a brief introduction.

Explain the working principle of hybrid vehicles by combining various components of the vehicle body.

Xiao Jinhua is a well-known academic star in the financial industry, a child prodigy.

In just five years, he earned dual master's degrees in economics and computer science from Yenching University.

Now there are physical objects to see, and Zhao Ruilong also provides an introduction.

In addition, he had studied computer science and had a certain foundation in science and engineering.

So in no time, he understood the structure and working principle of hybrid vehicles.

As for why it was designed this way, we'll have to hear Zhao Ruilong explain in detail.

"As we all know, although China's automobile industry has developed for decades, there is still a significant gap between China and the West in the three major components: engines, transmissions, and chassis."

“Our engines have low thermal efficiency and high fuel consumption at low speeds, so we simply let the engines only generate electricity at high speeds. This way, we can generate a lot of electricity while keeping fuel consumption low.”

"As for the transmission, our country can develop manual transmissions without any problem, but automatic transmissions are still not up to par. Not to mention CVT and AT, even dual-clutch DCT transmissions are prone to jamming and have a high failure rate."

"So we simply avoid this weakness and use a high-power electric motor and related control system to replace the gearbox as the power output. This way, it is both smooth and efficient, and the power can be delivered on demand."

At this point, Zhao Ruilong squatted down and pointed to the chassis of the vehicle.

"To make up for our shortcomings in chassis and lack of experience in tuning, we try to adopt better designs and higher-cost materials."

"In addition to adopting the classic design of front MacPherson strut and rear multi-link, our rear suspension does not use a three-link setup, but a five-link independent suspension that is easier to adjust and has better lateral and longitudinal constraints."

"In addition, we are more willing to spend money on the materials used in the chassis. For example, the lower control arm of the suspension is made of aluminum alloy, which is lighter and has better mechanical properties than cast iron, to ensure better handling and driving quality."

"In order to develop higher-end models in the future, in addition to continuing to work hard on chassis design, workmanship and materials, we are also developing intelligent damping body control system, electromagnetic suspension, air suspension and so on."

As a time traveler, Zhao Ruilong naturally knew that manufacturing cars in the Dragon Kingdom required avoiding two major pitfalls: three-cylinder engines and three-link suspensions.

No matter how a three-cylinder engine is tuned, in the eyes of many ordinary people, it is noisy, vibrates a lot, and the reduction in fuel consumption is not obvious.

And the three-link system...

That would make many car owners and enthusiasts scoff and turn pale at the mere mention of it.

I always felt that the three-link suspension lacked support, resulting in poor driving control.

It's a 'chopstick suspension' that can easily lead to broken axles and sprained ankles; any car company that uses it is a heartless jerk.

I've been transported to this world and am starting to build cars from scratch.

Zhao Ruilong should certainly learn from the tragic lessons of some car companies in another world.

Xiao Jinhua squatted in front of the car, examined it carefully, and then exclaimed with heartfelt emotion:

"You've really gone to great lengths to build the first hybrid car in our Dragon Kingdom!"

Zhao Ruilong shrugged.

"There's nothing we can do. The West started earlier and has stronger technology in the automotive industry than us. Moreover, their quality control and brand influence are unmatched by us."

"As a follower, if we want to get a share of the car market, we can't be shoddy. We must first improve the quality, performance, and configuration so that we can use the advantage of cost-effectiveness to break through in the future."

Xiao Jinhua nodded slightly.

Just as I was about to stand up, something suddenly felt wrong.

"Hey, is this the front bumper?"

"This is a crash beam, and it's wide and long, with a '日' (sun) structure, made of aluminum alloy. There's another one at the rear of the car, which can greatly improve the safety and crash protection capabilities of our vehicle."

"Then what are these little black discs connected by cables?"

"This is an ultrasonic radar probe developed by a research institute that develops military radar. There are many of them distributed around the vehicle body."

"What's this for?"

"It's used for early warning. For example, when you're reversing or changing lanes, it can detect that the vehicle is likely to collide with other objects and remind you to be careful."

"What about this bigger one? Is it also a radar?"

"That's true, but it's a millimeter-wave radar with higher detection accuracy. With it, vehicles can perceive their surroundings more accurately, thus enabling advanced driver assistance functions such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, and collision warning."

Xiao Jinhua was taken aback.

It's just a car, is it really necessary to make it so advanced?

Moreover, the military research institute was put in charge of developing the radar.

From a technical standpoint, there are naturally no major problems.

They can provide fighter jets, warships, and ground-based weapons and equipment, develop radars for different purposes and functions, and develop radars for automobiles, so it's a piece of cake for them.

However, from an economic perspective...

Having military research institutes develop civilian products seems a bit like straying from their proper role.

But then I thought, if car sales are large enough and radar is installed in a large number of vehicles, I could make a lot of money.

With sufficient funds, wouldn't it be possible to support the research and development of military projects?

"Excellent, excellent! It truly deserves to be one of the key projects in the military-civilian integration development strategy!"

Xiao Jinhua nodded repeatedly in approval and then got up to go to the car.

"Mr. Zhao, why is there a small dent in front of the steering wheel?"

"That's a HUD head-up display system, which uses technology from fighter jets, but it's been stripped down to only project and display some simple information so that drivers can see key data without looking down."

Xiao Jinhua's lips trembled slightly.

Wow, they've even brought over the technology from fighter jets.

"Why is there a small screen installed on the center console? Is it a car video recorder that can play discs?"

Zhao Ruilong shook his head again.

"No, you can think of it as a small computer. Through various software, it can realize functions such as vehicle control, audio and video entertainment, in-car navigation, and reversing image display."

At this point, Zhao Ruilong pointed to the rear of the car.

“We installed a camera at the rear of the car, which can display the image on the screen in real time when reversing. Drivers who are not skilled at driving will no longer have to worry about collisions when reversing.”

Xiao Jinhua's eyes lit up instantly.

"This feature is great!"

"If I could get a separate reversing camera system, I would definitely retrofit all the cars in my family."

"That way, whether it's my parents or my girlfriend, when they drive out, they won't easily damage the back of their car when they park!"

"But what exactly is this car navigation you mentioned? Did you load map data into the car's computer so that the car can navigate to its destination?"

Zhao Ruilong shook his head slightly.

“Map data alone is not enough. Without positioning, how can the car know where it is and where it should go?”

"In order to solve the positioning problem, we are cooperating with companies such as China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation and Huawei Communications, and plan to use base station positioning and satellite navigation to achieve this."

"In other words, the vehicle not only has mobile communication capabilities, enabling it to exchange data with nearby base stations and determine its own location, but it can also receive signals from our BeiDou navigation satellites."

Xiao Jinhua was a little confused.

It's just building a car, yet aerospace companies are involved in its research and development, and even the BeiDou satellite navigation system is being used? Is this really necessary?

However, after thinking about it carefully, Xiao Jinhua suddenly had a sudden realization.

Thinking back to a large-scale military exercise years ago, the United States suddenly shut down their satellite navigation system, causing many of China's missiles to miss their targets.

In addition, the Americans have repeatedly acted maliciously, deliberately sending incorrect satellite positioning data, which has caused several Chinese cargo ships to lose their way at sea.

In order to ensure its own national defense security, and also to benefit the people and meet the needs of the national economy, China has made a firm decision to build the BeiDou satellite navigation system.

Xiao Jinhua knew that for satellite navigation to be accurate enough, it was necessary to develop and launch a sufficient number of satellites to ensure global coverage, stable signals, and accurate positioning.

So……

Building expensive navigation satellites and launching them into outer space repeatedly using launch vehicles is an incredibly costly endeavor.

If relying solely on government funding, it would take countless years to build and put into operation, but the military-civilian integration approach makes all the difference.

Whether it's accepting investment from social capital or selling civilian-grade navigation terminals or navigation data, they can generate substantial revenue, greatly reducing research and development and operational pressures.

Moreover, navigation satellites that can operate continuously for years in the harsh environment of outer space are themselves a high-tech product, and a large amount of their technology can actually be put into civilian use.

For example, satellites in space rely on solar panels for energy as long as they have a power supply.

It generates electricity when exposed to sunlight, and relies on its own batteries for power when there is no sunlight.

So what's so difficult about using this whole system of power generation, energy storage, and control, which can work stably even in outer space where temperature changes are extreme and energy radiation is extremely strong, to make electric vehicles?

In order to develop advanced and reliable navigation satellites, a large number of universities and research institutions need to spend a lot of human, material and financial resources to overcome a number of technical problems.

Applying technologies that can be converted into civilian use to industrial products can not only improve the technological content and technical performance of the products, but also generate economic benefits for the company and avoid insufficient funding.

Why not take such a win-win approach?

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinhua no longer dared to underestimate the aesthetically unappealing hybrid car in front of him.

At first glance, it looks like a haphazardly cobbled-together, poorly made pile of industrial waste.

But now I realize that this place is full of high technology.

Many of them are military-grade or even aerospace-grade.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinhua suddenly turned around.

He looked at Zhao Ruilong with eager eyes.

"Mr. Zhao, I'm really curious. This car incorporates so much high technology. What's it like to drive it?"

"Are there any test vehicles available for test drives? I really want to take them for a spin and experience just how advanced they are!!"