China's first Internet electric car offline in the new Internet era

Internet entrepreneurship makes a shadow of the car. In the past two years or so, He Xiaopeng most wanted to get the entire industry to take off the "PPT hat."

On October 12, the Xiaopeng Automobile production line went offline. This is the first electric car in the Chinese Internet car-making force that received the announcement from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and was approved for production and sales. In the past, people always ridiculed that the Internet was to build PPT cars. With Xiaopeng car off the assembly line, the Internet builder finally emerged from the shadow of PPT, from virtual reality to reality. Since then, the new forces created by the Internet in China in recent years have officially entered the big stage of the car.

Breakthrough from 0-1: A Small Step in the Traditional Auto Industry, A Big Step for New Internet Forces

The mass production of cars off the assembly line is not a big deal for a traditional car factory. It can be said to be a very small step. But for the new forces of the Internet, it is a big step. Previously, China's Internet companies made cars, all stay in the PPT stage, this time from the concept on paper, into a real car, has become a thing that can be perceived.

Why is it a big step for the new Internet builder? Here's a figurative metaphor:

Ten years ago, when Apple released the first generation of products, many people thought that "SOSO", closed systems, and mobile phones were not very useful. At that time, Nokia, the global mobile phone overlord, believed that Apple was a computer operator and did not understand mobile phones. It did not do well. Therefore, it did not attach importance to this foreign "barbarian." Like Nokia, many people at that time were not optimistic about Apple's mobile phone.

From the iPhone's first generation, Ranier has a new operating system. After that, he has a lot of new applications. He gradually has an ecology, and software and hardware are rapidly iterating together. And then slowly replaced 21 hardware products: MP3, watches, alarm clocks, calculators, mobile phones, cameras, voice recorders, etc., the functions of these hardware products can be completed on the phone. Later, this combination of hardware and software, iterative, and create a lot of new application scenarios, such as mobile payments, such as live broadcast, such as Dripping, ofo, Mobai. This change is a ring and ring. Ten years ago, no one could accurately predict this year's scene, but it was unknowingly changed.

If there is no iPhone that everyone thinks "SOSO" a decade ago, how will there be earth-shaking changes in the past 10 years? The electric car made by the first Chinese Internet entrepreneurs who are offline today has quite a bit of meaning when the Apple iPhone was released ten years ago.

A friend asked to understand: This car you will buy it? There is doubt in the words. I think I may not buy it today. The first-generation car may have a lot of immaturity. But this is the beginning of the Internet's impact on the automotive industry. Who knows how big changes will take place in a decade or two?

This big step of internet car is not easy. To know that Tesla has gone through more than 10 years, there is still a problem with the capacity of each generation of cars, and every time the tickets are skipped.

Not Bata version, Internet companies are really creating a car, and can be mass production, sales, Xiaopeng car first step is extremely difficult. "First, before the completion of the entire announcement, many tests need to be done. If you do not complete the test, you will not be able to get an announcement. If you do not get an announcement, you will not be able to build a car or sell a car. Second, the car that comes down from the production line means that it has been opened. The entire supply chain, the ability to scale production, and the ability to land, this is the most important part of the car. Third, the car from production to delivery to the user, there are a lot of links need to be improved.” He Xiaopeng thinks from 0 -1 means these three ridges.

Why did Xiaopeng Motors achieve mass production cars so quickly and run ahead of all other internet builders? He Xiaopeng thinks there are four reasons for accepting an intelligible note interview:

First, China's automobile manufacturing industry is very developed. There are many large auto parts suppliers and the difficulty of integration is relatively low.

Second, companies like Tesla have been in front for more than a decade, and some have explored ways. At the same time, they have also carried out preliminary integration of the supply chain. Now, electric vehicles are more mature than they were a few years ago.

Third, He Xiaopeng believes that the team he invested in three years ago is a special team. This team has one feature: it must be done. "In the past three years, almost every thing they said had been done, and only one bounced. It is difficult to know that skipping tickets is not an issue in Internet companies, let alone in such complicated automobile manufacturing."

Fourth, He Xiaopeng thinks that he is more fortunate. “A lot of people have given us all kinds of problems that the vehicle manufacturing industry will encounter. We know these pits ahead of time and we will solve them better.”

When He Xiaopeng decided to invest in internet cars three years ago, there are quite a number of Internet practitioners in China that are eager to try the car. But only the Xiaopeng car is the only one that is actually offline today. According to understand the notes, it is understood that there is still one that may go offline in December. However, as of yet, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has not yet obtained the “life permit”.

Of course, the production of electric vehicles on the Internet is still at the initial stage, and the industrial chain is very immature and difficult. Understand the note and believe that the first generation of production cars off the assembly line, there will be imperfections in use. He Xiaopeng has always stressed that the core of the Internet is: rapid iteration + ultimate experience.

According to Xiaopeng’s plan, the first generation of cars are mainly for geek users and super fans. These people have curiosity, like to try new things, and have high tolerance for new things. Xiaopeng Automobile hopes to use them to continuously find problems and solve problems, and quickly iterate products to enhance experience.

It is expected that there will be a second-generation car available next year, which will be for a wider range of ordinary users.

Subversion from "1, 3, 6" to "6, 3, 1": The New Forces of Internet Builders Have Changed the Ecology of Traveling

In 2014, Tesla had just been in contact with the internet for the past decade. It had been established on the edge of life and death several times and was always in a state of loss and lack of money. The first idea of ​​He Xiaopeng was: Is it easy to build a car?

When he decided to leave Alibaba and Allin to build a car a few months ago, he talked to Lei Jun twice and Lei Jun said that a car had been out for at least 60 months. Xiaopeng car three years down, from the first car (car testing stage), the first Beta car, and today's first production car, He Xiaopeng profoundly understands how complex it is to build a car. Things.

Not only is it complicated, competitive partners are very strong.

Today, Internet cars have become a real enthusiasm, Internet entrepreneurs have started to build cars, and traditional auto companies have begun to try new layouts. This tuyere has now become very crowded.

He Xiaopeng from the investment to personally take the helm of the Xiaopeng car, the competitive landscape has changed dramatically over the past three years. In the crowded air, He Xiaopeng believes that "winning in the pattern, lost in details."

The so-called pattern is in fact a recognition of the nature of the Internet car. Internet car is a brand-new track. It is difficult for some traditional auto companies to think about overtaking. According to He Xiaopeng, this is not a cornering overtaking, but it should be a change of lane and replay.

The so-called details are execution. For example, whether Xiaopeng can manage its team and not crash when it expands to 3,500 people in the following year, but also enables the team to operate efficiently; for example, it can control the supply of thousands of parts and tens of thousands of spare parts and ensure the quality of spare parts. Rate, so that the car can be produced smoothly, and so on.

He Xiaopeng split the words “Internet electric car” into three words: Internet, electric, and car. Many companies consider cars, and a few companies consider electric. In fact, electric is divided into several layers: the first layer is lightweight; the second layer is "three electricity", that is, batteries, motors, electronic control; the third layer is the chassis, the chassis of electric vehicles is completely different from the chassis of other cars; Another layer is more ecological issues such as more systematic charging and service.

Many companies only consider three powers, and even three powers don't consider it. They only consider the battery and think that it is the future. He Xiaopeng believes that from the petrol car to the Internet, the electric car is not only a vehicle change, but also a complete change in the experience. “In the past, the engine was an engine and the future was a twin engine: electric motors, and big data and artificial intelligence.”

Now the industry's understanding of the Internet electric car is "6, 3, 1", that is, the car accounts for 60%, the electric accounted for 30%, and the Internet is 10%. However, in the future car industry, the Internet is 60%, the electric vehicle is 3 cars, and the car is only 10%.

What is a 1? "Any new company will complete the establishment of 0-1, including the supply chain, sales system, and service system. After you build this, you will find that you have just walked 10%."

After the completion of 1, it is as if the iPhone 1 generation was born. Compared to the luxury cars on the market, you may feel that the first generation of Internet electric cars “SOSO” is offline today, but as the Internet hardware, Internet software, and Internet services begin to combine and react chemically, new capabilities and new The model will continue to produce new application scenarios. The car of the future may soon become a moving room.

Although Xiaopeng's first-generation and second-generation vehicles are still very much focused on the logic of “1, 3, and 6”, after two years of establishing the 0-1 system, “you will find Xiaopeng’s car to move quickly from” 1, 3, and 6' become '6, 3, 1'. These are two different systems that have huge differences and provide different capabilities. The products that you see today have only just begun, just as we did ten years ago. See the iPhone 1 generation."

Today everyone looks at the discerning eyes of Xiaopeng, which may be the same as the fault-finding of the iPhone 10 years ago. However, the development of any industry has the same pattern: first, it develops slowly, then it develops linearly, and finally it reaches the exponential level.

A few days ago the British "Daily Mail" reported that some experts predict that only 25 years later, artificial intelligence will be widely used in road traffic, when humans will be banned from driving, which can save the lives of thousands of people.

Will it be forbidden to drive humans 25 years later. Does it really happen? Understand the notes can not be assertive, but understand and believe that the Internet will completely change the way the car is manufactured and used, and also believes that He Xiaopeng's subversion from "1, 3, 6" to "6, 3, 1".

“Imagine 20 years later, explaining to children that adults used to drive heavy metal with a weight of two tons at 112 kilometers per hour in the past, like it is impossible to explain public telephone booths to children. What is the same?” A person in the auto driving community predicted.

[Conclusion]

The last time he saw He Xiaopeng was that he had decided to retire from Ali. This time he met He Xiaopeng again at the scene of the new car off the assembly line. In more than a month, his schedule was full. In addition to finding investment and digging talents, they also spent a lot of energy on internal management. After he joined, he can feel that Xiaopeng car is obviously speeding up.

After today’s press conference, He Xiaopeng told him to understand that he had two most important things to do next:

The first is the quality of the car. Although the first car was off the assembly line, it was only the beginning. “We must further further improve quality further.” He Xiaopeng said N “further” in one breath.

The second is to establish a new cultural system in the company, which is different from the culture of the car company and the culture of the Internet company. “It is MIX.” In He Xiaopeng's opinion, the company’s rapid development is only the establishment of a good culture. System can not crash.

At the press conference, the host said, “Press your name on the car mark. It takes a lot of courage! It also seems to imply a determination: if you don’t do it well, don’t mix it!”

Although investing in the automotive industry three years ago, the company was named "Xiaopeng Automobile." There are many accidental factors, not how narcissistic He Xiaopeng has. But when the car was driving on the streets under the name “Xiaopeng” today, He Xiaopeng did have to pay 10 times and 100 times more effort to bet on everything: “If it is not good, don’t mix it!”