104: Chapter 104 Please Call Me "Elon Goske"

Zhao Yang examined Gao Qisheng's creation.

It appeared to be a vehicle, complete with a steering wheel and four wheels. The driver's seat was salvaged from an old van, and the frame was made of welded steel pipes. Lacking a body shell, its internal components were completely exposed.

But this was no ordinary car. A flat rectangular box was welded to the chassis, packed with layers of mobile phone batteries—the new generation of batteries from Hongdou Technology, which featured improved safety and energy density. Between the two rear wheels, an electric motor and a gearbox were installed.

Zhao Yang imagined what this thing would look like with a body shell and glass—well, it would look like a low-speed electric vehicle for seniors.

He remembered clearly that in the other timeline, Elon Musk's first Tesla electric car didn't come out until 2008. Even his experimental concept cars wouldn't have existed earlier than 2005.

It was only 2001 now.

Gao Qisheng had actually managed to put this thing together.

Even more exaggerated was the fact that a sensor under the steering wheel was actually connected to an Industrial Computer. The control lines for the front-wheel steering mechanism were also connected to this industrial PC. The control lines for the lights and the electric motor were all connected to it as well.

This meant that this thing had completely transcended the low-level charm of a senior's scooter; it was a true New Energy Vehicle equipped with an In-car Computer System.

"You even put a computer on it? What were you thinking?"

Gao Qisheng rubbed his hands together. "Brother Yang, think about it. If the car is electric, it can be connected to a computer! The computer controls the car, and the car powers the computer—if we pull this off, it definitely has a future!"

Zhao Yang looked at the car and remained silent for over ten seconds.

He recalled the character's fate in the original show—hoarding a warehouse full of phs phones that he couldn't sell, burning them all down, and then stepping onto a path of no return.

But now, in the first year of the twenty-first century, this guy had hand-built an electric car and even fucking knew to put a computer in it.

Gao Qisheng wasn't a madman; he was a Genius whose potential had been stifled by the era.

Zhao Yang looked at Gao Qisheng as if he had discovered a Treasure Trove.

In the original show, hand-crafting a Divine Artifact for the Equality of Carbon-based Lifeforms wasn't the ceiling of his abilities at all. In fact, this guy should be renamed "Gaoske" instead.

"Have you driven this car? What's the range? What's the power consumption? What's the zero-to-hundred acceleration? How did you do the electronic control? Did you implement Situational Awareness? What about ABS and AEB?"

Gao Qisheng was both surprised and delighted.

He was delighted that, judging by Zhao Yang's words, he approved of the car.

He was surprised because Zhao Yang's questions were too professional, and he didn't quite understand them all.

"Brother Yang, I just took it for a spin. I got it up to forty kilometers per hour. It can go faster, but I didn't dare. It was too bumpy, and I was afraid it would fall apart. After all, I hand-welded this chassis; it's not a real car chassis. Next, I plan to buy a car, strip the chassis, and then modify it."

Zhao Yang nodded and glanced at the box of phone batteries with lingering fear. "You're lucky to be alive. Batteries catch fire very easily, and once they start burning, it's a nightmare."

Gao Qisheng nodded. "I know, so I sprayed flame-retardant Materials between the batteries. Even if a fire starts, it won't spread so easily."

Zhao Yang gave him a thumbs up!

He had even thought of that.

He patted Gao Qisheng's shoulder firmly. "This brain of yours is ten years ahead of its time."

Gao Qisheng felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and added, "I've read reports saying our country's automotive industry is very backward, and that if we develop it, there are many patent traps we can't avoid. Also, the state has started advocating for New Energy Vehicles. Even though it's just the beginning, I feel that electric cars are definitely the way forward."

Zhao Yang nodded. "You're right. But I still have to tell you that right now, even if you put all the functions you've imagined into it—it would be incredibly impressive, but you're moving too fast."

Gao Qisheng was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Zhao Yang crouched down and tapped the exposed battery pack. "How far can it go on a single charge?"

"...Less than forty kilometers."

"How long does it take to charge?"

"...Eight hours."

"If I want to go somewhere a hundred kilometers away and I run out of power halfway, what do I do? Go to a nearby house, drag out an extension cord, and then wait eight hours?"

Gao Qisheng opened his mouth, the excitement on his face fading bit by bit. He crouched by the car, staring at the battery pack, and didn't speak for a long time.

"Brother Yang, if battery technology doesn't improve, will this car never take off?" His brow furrowed tighter and tighter, and he gave a bitter laugh. "No... it's not just the battery. The fatal part is that there's nowhere to charge it!"

Zhao Yang snapped his fingers. "You're a fucking Genius! Exactly! There are almost no charging stations! And current batteries have a ceiling; their energy density is low, and their charge-discharge capability is relatively weak, needing a Breakthrough. These two Breakthroughs will take at least ten, maybe even twenty years."

"Ten... twenty years?" Gao Qisheng's face completely fell as he looked at the 'senior scooter' with heartache. "Then doesn't it have zero value right now?"

Zhao Yang looked at Gao Qisheng and didn't speak for a moment. He had felt some things were too advanced and intended to wait, but he hadn't expected Gao Qisheng's imagination to reach this point. If he didn't keep up, it wouldn't fit his persona. Thus, he gave a profound smile. "A Sheng, tell me, since this car is electric, does it have to be plugged in to charge?"

"Huh?" Gao Qisheng vaguely grasped something, but he was just one step away from the realization. He tugged at his hair hard. "Brother Yang, you must have thought of something. Don't keep me in suspense, I'm dying to know!"

Zhao Yang smiled slightly. "Just put a generator in the car."

Gao Qisheng was stunned and muttered, "A generator? Right! A generator! It only handles power generation to charge the battery, everything else stays the same, and there's no need to plug it in! But... Brother Yang, isn't that just a fuel-powered car?"

"The core of a fuel car is the engine and transmission, but what is the core of your car?"

"It's the motor and the computer! The generator is the energy provider, not the power provider!" Gao Qisheng clapped his hands hard. "I get it! We can find an off-the-shelf generator, and for the motor, we can use a Permanent Magnet Motor—our country has those! We can use a smaller battery and generate power as needed!"

He spoke faster and faster, his whole being as excited as if he'd been injected with adrenaline.

Zhao Yang patted his shoulder. "Organize your thoughts into a proposal and show it to me. I'll add to it. A Sheng, do you know? You're pioneering a new era."

Gao Qisheng took a sharp breath. "Brother Yang, you... don't make it sound so scary."

Zhao Yang smiled slightly. "Alright, since we're going to make cars, the development of Hongdou Technology must also accelerate. How is our own research institution doing?"

"A Technical Research Department has already been set up within the company, parallel to the R&D Department, but the staff are still the same people from R&D."

Zhao Yang nodded. "Next, spin off the Technical Research Department and establish the Hongdou Technology Research Institute to serve as the source for all of Hongdou's technology. Plan the institute like a university town. Go to the city and get a piece of land. Pick a place with good scenery. Don't worry too much about transportation, as long as it's not too far from the city center. Ideally, somewhere with mountains and a lake."

Gao Qisheng was a bit puzzled. "Brother Yang, it's not a resort. Why do we need mountains and a lake?"

"You'll understand later," Zhao Yang said with a look of profound mystery.

Songshan Lake.

A place that was like a Holy Land in that other timeline.

In this timeline, let it belong to Hongdou.