From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 261 This grudge will be remembered.

"This is not your problem."

Xu Yi realized that this was a tricky problem.

Consumers won't notice the reasons behind this; they'll just think that a certain small function is not working well, and that the manufacturer is not even capable of optimizing it, which is really lame.

"We are trying our best to adapt to various manufacturers, starting with the app's priority and background permissions. However, each manufacturer has different system versions and a wide variety of device models, so this part of the work is still quite extensive..."

Zhao Yang continued.

For the next version of the in-vehicle infotainment system, they plan to collaborate with AutoNavi software to enable data interoperability between the in-vehicle infotainment system account and the mobile navigation account.

In other words, the navigation information on the car owner's mobile phone can be sent directly to the car's system through communication platforms such as WeChat and QQ. The navigation can be initiated on Gaode Maps, and the car's system can automatically receive the navigation information and enter the navigation data.

Don't underestimate this small feature.

However, it can save car owners the time of repeatedly navigating after getting in the car.

They internally agree that even if StarCraft doesn't do it now, other manufacturers will create similar features in the future.

Similar features can be further enhanced and optimized.

For example, by simply touching the phone to the car's screen, users can exchange information, log into WeChat or music apps, and establish a screen mirroring connection.

But this involves more permissions and application development.

It's not a simple matter.

No mobile phone manufacturer would open up its underlying permissions to Xingchen Automotive without reservation.

On the contrary, it's the mobile phone manufacturers.

If we were to manufacture cars ourselves and get involved in this field, we would have a unique advantage.

...

"Mr. Xu, do you think there's a high chance that mobile phone manufacturers will get into car manufacturing?" Zhao Yang had a strange premonition when he thought about this.

"What do you mean by possibility? They've already started."

Xu Yi was both amused and exasperated.

In the area of ​​in-vehicle infotainment and intelligent driving, Xingchen is not without competitors.

Let's leave aside those from overseas for now.

Looking at the domestic market, mobile phone manufacturers are not entirely complacent either.

There's no need to elaborate on how much Lei Jun, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, has secretly invested in the entire car manufacturing supply chain.

As long as the other party is willing.

You can assemble a car in no time!

The reason they haven't entered the market is that they're waiting for the industry chain to mature further.

The other end.

Hua Wei's movements are also intriguing.

It's worth noting that in 15, Huawei officially entered the ranks of connected car suppliers by securing communication module orders from Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Last October, Huayi Brothers contacted Magna Steyr, an automotive contract manufacturer, which sparked speculation throughout the automotive industry, despite Huayi Brothers' denial that it would not manufacture cars.

In February of this year, the media exposed that the other party had secretly collaborated with Tsinghua University on an autonomous driving project.

There's no point in refuting the rumors anymore.

The future automotive supply chain will become increasingly centralized and vertically integrated. Whoever masters this capability and core technology will control the lifeline.

“Then let’s…” Zhao Yang gasped again.

Wow! Smartphone manufacturers are getting into car manufacturing...

"Let me think about this first. We don't necessarily have to rely on others to connect the vehicle and mobile phones. If all else fails, we can make a mobile phone version to play with."

Xu Yi chuckled; he had never liked to rely on others for his livelihood.

Xingchen Motors now has two paths.

One approach is to partner with a mobile phone manufacturer for a deep collaboration, integrating the Starry Sky system with their mobile phone operating system.

In this way, both sides can exchange information and resources, and the underlying permissions are completely open, making the development of advanced functions completely barrier-free.

Given Xingchen Auto's current size and brand recognition, it's unlikely that any mobile phone manufacturer would refuse such a good opportunity.

However, this also effectively shuts out other brands' models, and they will still have to bear the costs of system development and share ecosystem resources with mobile phone manufacturers.

The second option is to manufacture my own mobile phone.

In today's highly mature mobile phone supply chain, the cost of designing and manufacturing a mobile phone through mold making and launching it is less than one billion yuan.

System problems are relatively difficult to solve.

but.

Xingchen currently has a car infotainment software team of nearly 300 people, many of whom were poached from mobile phone manufacturers, including R&D personnel from OPPO, Meizu, and Huawei.

To some extent, the R&D teams for in-vehicle infotainment systems and mobile phone operating systems are even the same.

In its previous life, NIO was able to create the NIO Phone to solve the problem of human-vehicle connectivity, so it's natural that StarCraft could do something similar.

What needs to be considered is...

Outsourcing is possible.

However, it cannot be purely OEM manufacturing. Without its own core technologies and patents, it will eventually become just another ordinary company.

……

in the afternoon.

The prototype of the Polestar 2 mobile phone battery has officially rolled off the production line.

Xingchen has spared no effort in its research and development of batteries. Moreover, the supply of mobile phone battery cells has brought in a lot of profits and has begun to gain a good reputation in the market. It has now become one of the main businesses for entering the consumer electronics market.

The vivo X20 series, which uses Polestar battery cells, frequently receives consumer reviews praising its long battery life and stable, fast charging speed.

This generation of pouch cells has an energy density that is 18% higher than the previous generation.

"This time we explored silicon-carbon anodes more deeply, precisely controlling the nanostructure and optimizing the manufacturing process, so the energy density has been significantly improved..."

Dong Yuxuan brought samples to share the good news.

This is the generation that squeezing toothpaste can burst open.

In recent years, the average growth rate of battery cell energy density in the mobile phone industry has been 8%. Unless there are significant improvements in materials and structure, the improvement rate will generally not exceed 10%.

But to be honest, increasing the density of mobile phone battery cells is simpler than increasing the density of power battery cells in new energy vehicles.

Mobile phones can withstand higher cost and higher energy density materials, and consumer-grade safety and cycle life are not as stringent as automotive-grade ones. They are already quite strong in this regard.

"So, does that mean the battery cell capacity will break through 5000mAh next year?"

Xu Yi was momentarily dazed.

If he remembers correctly, flagship phones didn't reach a capacity of 5000mAh until 21 years later.

"If we calculate based on the size of a 6.3-inch flagship phone, it is indeed possible to reach 5000mAh, and the battery cell can withstand a safe fast charging range of up to 60W," Dong Yuxuan replied.

"However, the material cost of this generation is also higher than that of the previous generation, and there is still room for optimization in terms of structure and process. We will continue to optimize and refine it in the future..."

He said so.

Increasing silicon content and improving the process certainly bring impressive energy density, but they also significantly increase the material costs of the electrolyte and the positive and negative electrodes. This can only lead to a spiral of cost increases.

"It doesn't matter."

Xu Yi only said two words.

In the past two years, with the improvement of screen performance and chip performance, the importance of batteries has become increasingly prominent.

Both of these are major power consumers.

If you have a 2K screen and the chip is unfortunately released as a high-powered dinosaur, the battery life will be terrible.

The so-called SoC tuning and power consumption optimization.

This is also based on the premise that there is enough battery power.

With this large battery, it's hard to imagine any manufacturer saying "no".

And StarCraft will leap to become a top supplier of mobile phone batteries, possessing absolutely dominant bargaining power!
well.

Very energetic!!
Xu Yi hadn't even started laughing yet.

A phone call from the purchasing department interrupted him.

"Mr. Xu, Samsung recently announced that their production capacity is tight, and the delivery cycle for the first quarter of next year may be extended from 4 weeks to 6 to 8 weeks..." Liang Xing, the purchasing director, said on the other end of the phone.

"What kind of trouble is Samsung causing now?" Xu Yi was taken aback.

"With Apple iPhones selling out at the end of the year and production reaching full capacity, coupled with the rebound in sales of Samsung's own flagship phones, Samsung has raised the average price of its purchase orders from domestic mobile phone manufacturers by about 10%, resulting in supply delays. Our automotive orders are relatively small, and supply has also been delayed..."

Will this affect our production plans?

"Not for now. We have sufficient inventory prepared in advance, but we are more concerned about the possibility of further delays and price increases."

...

Liang Xing expressed his concerns.

He repeatedly called Samsung to communicate, but did not receive a sincere response from them.

We finally witnessed the strength of the import supply chain, after all, the "priority supply" and "force majeure" clauses in the contract are biased towards the supplier.

This incident is not only a headache for domestic mobile phone manufacturers, but also indirectly affects the car manufacturing supply chain.

From last year to this year, global demand for OLED screens has surged, and price increases for orders are a foregone conclusion.

They don't care about the price increase.

But supply delays are a recurring problem.

Difficult to control.

To ensure the availability of the OLED screens for both the in-vehicle infotainment system and the rear-seat TV, Xingchen Automotive signed a one-year framework agreement with Samsung, plus rolling orders.

However, the purchase volume is small, and even orders from companies like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Vivo have been delayed, not to mention the order volume from car manufacturers.

Samsung is not even as good as a roadside stall.

Xu Yi frowned deeply.

Having just become a top supplier of consumer batteries, it is now being harassed by another top supplier.

He secretly made a grudge in his heart.

……

　I'm feeling really down today, like my brain is completely rusty... I'll finish the rest tonight.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)