New national tide, "core" forces. On November 19, 2021, the 19th Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition was held at the Guangzhou Pazhou Canton Fair Complex. At the scene, Jiang Tao, general manager of the strategy and product planning department of Zero Run Technology, accepted a high-end interview with Chinatown. The specific interview is as follows:
Moderator: "New National Tide Core World", welcome to the high-end interview column of Oxcart.com 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show, we invited Jiang Tao, general manager of the strategy and product planning department of Zero Run Technology. Tell us what zero-run cars have exhibited at this show?
Jiang Tao: Mainly two pieces, one is a new car. The new car brings the C11 4WD Performance Edition, which comes with a new wheel hub shape and new interior colours, and is also a customized version of our 4WD Performance Edition. The car will be delivered at the end of March and the beginning of April next year.
We also released LEAP POWER "Upswill" Intelligent Power Technology, which includes two functions: intelligent electric drive and intelligent battery. Because the time of this conference is limited, we only introduced the intelligent electric drive sector, and we will release the related technology of smart batteries at the end of this year.
Host: Can you introduce the specific situation of the intelligent electric drive?
Jiang Tao: The starting point of our release of intelligent electric drive is mainly to consider that the understanding of smart cars in the market is basically only in intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit. But we believe that as a smart car, it should also include the intelligent kinetic energy sector, whether it is a traditional car or a new force, as a car power is a very core part of it. So if this car is in the power part if it can't do intelligence, we think it is not a complete body of a smart car, so we put forward the concept of intelligent electric drive and intelligent power.
Our intelligent power is called ascending intelligent power, and ascending dimension is the name and meaning. We have added a dimension to the original intelligent cockpit, intelligent interaction, and intelligent driving two-dimensional is intelligent electric drive. Now the intelligent electric drive is equivalent to the application of concepts and technologies similar to AI intelligent driving and intelligent cockpits, and their underlying technology is consistent. Through perception, evolution, learning, and deep self-evolution, electric drive technology adapts to driver habits and adapts to the driving environment, so that it continues to iteratively improve iteratively, containing some functions in it.
Specifically, we now have a self-learning anti-shake function in the C11 electric drive, which can make the electric drive more smooth when driving. In addition, he can adapt to the environment and can actively adjust the cooling effect according to the temperature of the environment, including his own power output. Keeping the electric drive has been at a relatively good working temperature, one is conducive to reducing power consumption, on the other hand, it is conducive to improving the service life of the electric drive. This electric drive can also adapt to the driving habits of the driver, because different drivers driving this car can adapt to the corresponding algorithm according to the driver's habits after a period of self-learning. On the one hand, it can improve the matching coordination of the car's power and people, and at the same time reduce energy consumption and improve endurance. Some of these intelligent functions can be implemented at present.
In the long run, intelligent electric drives can also self-diagnose their own faults, and even some software-level faults can repair themselves, and even predict the life of the electric drive, and can clearly know what the basic condition of the electric drive is.
Host: Our intelligent electric drive system has more advantages in the powertrain than other new forces?
Jiang Tao: At present, we dare to say that the first concept is proposed, indicating that we have corresponding advantages in this area. First of all, from the perspective of self-research and self-manufacturing, the number of patents we have obtained in the entire new car-making force and the gold content of patents, regardless of the proportion of invention patents, including the proportion of algorithms, are far ahead of their counterparts in the same industry. We are confident that this is the industry's leading practice.
Host: Has our R&D team expanded a bit?
Jiang Tao: After our R&D team started from scratch, Mr. Zhu has clearly stated that the power should be self-developed, and the team of electric drive has been established at the earliest time. From 2015 to now almost 6 years, the current development to almost 300 people, these talents are some of the top talents at home and abroad. We look at the technical achievements, in 2019 released the zero-run S1, has taken the lead in achieving eight-in-one, and now there is a brand that is saying that it is the first eight-in-one to do, because at that time the zero-run sound volume is relatively small, there is not much communication, in fact, we achieved eight-in-one in 2019. Including the recent zero-run C11 two-wheel drive version of the water-cooled electric drive, it has just won the top ten new energy power, which is also reviewed by an authoritative institution.
Immediately C11 four-wheel drive performance version of the oil-cooled electric drive, we should be the world's second real mass production of oil-cooled electric drive, the former is Tesla to achieve, other new car-making forces are still following up. This oil-cooled electric drive is currently ahead of Tesla in terms of power density and efficiency.
Moderator: Now some companies are saying "full-stack self-research", what we propose is "global self-research", what is the difference between the two, zero run will choose global self-research?
Jiang Tao: Full-stack self-development is the name of the Internet, the name of partial software, the concept between stacks and stacks, and between end-to-end software. Global is in addition to software also includes hardware, zero run of global self-research are software and hardware are self-developed.
Why insist on global self-research? From the customer's point of view, after the realization of global self-research, all the systems and everything on the car are controlled and developed by ourselves, so that the opening and integration between the systems is more sufficient. The so-called intelligent car is equivalent to being able to do more extreme, simply speaking, C11 This car in addition to ESC, all the controllers are our zero-run self-developed manufacturing. This means that all controllers, regardless of the car, seats, air conditioners, audio, and doors, can be opened into a system very smoothly. Just like being a robot, the robot's hands and feet and minds are together, and there will be no state in which the mind cannot control the hands. Global self-research is a deep, broader and more comprehensive deep intelligent experience. This is the user's perspective.
The second is more cost advantages, when we scale up to a certain amount, these self-manufactured parts or systems will be more cost-effective, so that users will be able to buy smarter cars at a cheaper price. This is considered from the user' perspective.
Considering from the zero run itself, if you master all the techniques yourself, you will reduce the danger of being "stuck in the neck" of others.
Moderator: The difference is that the hardware is also doing self-research on our side. I was more impressed by the Lingxin 01 chip.
Jiang Tao: The chip development background of Lingxin 01 is that there is no particularly good intelligent driving chip on the market at that time, we have a close relationship with Dahua, our chip and Dahua's intelligent security can be shared, Lingxin 01's chip Dahua can be used, we can also use the car, playing a role in amortized cost. But now the pattern has changed, intelligent driving and smart chips that can provide higher computing power for cars are now more and more, and there are more and more options. Another level from the perspective of security does not need a higher computing chip, but for intelligent driving needs a higher calculation of the chip, our next generation to develop L4 intelligent driving system, may consider and some companies that specialize in intelligent driving chips.
Host: The iteration cycle of security chips is a little longer?
Jiang Tao: It doesn't iterate as fast.
Host: How long?
Jiang Tao: I don't know much about security, and I can't be sure how long it will take, because the security iteration involves government procurement, and the relative single point will not be as rapid as the rapid development of intelligent driving in cars.
Host: How are the C11 deliveries now? Have you been affected by the chip?
Jiang Tao: C11 delivery is currently under pressure for us, because there are a lot of bookings now, and there are more than 11,000 orders by October. In the last 2 days of November, the number of orders exceeded 1000 in a day. Now the order momentum is very good, but the production capacity is still in the climbing stage, and the delivery pressure is very large. There are several major reasons for the capacity climb that lead to slow delivery, the chip is not the most core impact in our place, nor is it purely because of the manufacture of our chips, our chips are self-developed and manufactured high-end chips, and the basic chips will still have a little impact. At present, the degree of influence is relatively not as great as that of others. In addition, the battery cell will also have some pressure. The third is power rationing, our factory itself will cut the power, the supplier will also cut the power, which will lead to the supply of parts, the production progress will be slower. There is also a reason that the introduction of new models itself takes a certain amount of time. Under the combined influence, we are now under greater pressure to deliver.
Moderator: I also went to this year's 2.0 conference, saying that I will launch eight cars in the next five years, what is the general disclosure of the next product planning?
Jiang Tao: At present, the information that can be released is mainly based on the release of the 2.0 strategy, and it is not convenient to disclose more detailed models at this stage.
Host: When will it be released?
Jiang Tao: We will have new cars next year, around the time of the Beijing Auto Show.
Host: This year,"going to sea" has also become a key word, and has also set various records, what products will enter the overseas market next year?
Jiang Tao: In the gradual advancement, it will be launched at the end of this year, next year we will look at the situation of overseas markets, explore the way first, and then decide what car to push to Europe next year and the next year.
Host: Now many traditional car manufacturers are also carrying out channel reform when pushing new energy, and they also see Xiaopeng and Tesla going to the automobile park and the dealer model, how do you think about the difference between the direct operation model and the dealer model. After the volume, is there a sales model that is more in line with the new forces?
Jiang Tao: Our current sales model of zero run is direct operation + franchise, but from our own judgment, these two models have their own advantages and disadvantages, and we cannot say which one will completely replace the other in the future. Joining two is that the development speed is relatively fast, and the second is that you can quickly form your own ability with the help of the dealer's ability. But the not so good place is that the interests of the main engine factory to the dealers are not completely consistent after all, the main engine factory is more long-term, the dealer may be more short-term, which will have a certain contradiction. Some can be improved by strengthening management. Some of the cost problems will also be involved, such as the advantage of the direct operation model is that there is no difference in the profit of the dealer, which can give consumers more direct benefits, which is its benefit. In addition, the standard is easier to unify. The disadvantage is that the capital investment is very large and the development is relatively slow. Another is that if the main engine factory wants to manage so many dealers, your dealer system and talent training are a great challenge, which can easily lead to not being high. It is possible to do direct sales model efficiency is not as high as dealers. This depends on the actual situation of car companies. The two models I think are complementary.
Host: The theme of this year's auto show is "New Technology, New Life", and the theme of the Shanghai Auto Show is "Embracing Change", all of which emphasize subversion, do you think this subversion is silent or sudden? What is the mission of Zero Run in it?
Jiang Tao: The change depends on the time dimension, if it is viewed in the microscopic time dimension, it must be slowly changing, and if it is placed in a time period, it must be a mutation. The automotive industry has changed more in recent years than it has in the last few decades, but one day it may be like this today and that tomorrow. This environment is a great opportunity for Chinese brands to enhance the overtaking of Chinese cars in curves, and now it has indeed reached this inflection point. Consumer acceptance in China, acceptance by the Chinese government, has risen to the level of national strategy. Coupled with the fact that China's level of intelligence is the highest, under the action of various factors, China has shown a momentum of overtaking in the next field of electric vehicles. Zero run should seize this historical opportunity and grow up quickly and brutally.