228: Chapter 228 Fremont Factory Visit

Fremont, 9:40 AM.

By the time Li Xin arrived, the sun was already high in the sky. The California sky was a pale, washed-out blue, and the row of skylights on the factory roof reflected the light so brightly it was almost blinding.

He stood at the edge of the parking lot for a while until Chen Hu parked the car and walked over, carrying a bottle of mineral water, which he handed to him.

"Boss, when we go in, we'll head straight to the workshop. Someone is waiting for us on the factory floor."

"Hmm." Li Xin took the water, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, screwed it back on, and tucked it under his arm.

The factory gate was larger than he had imagined, with a gray-white steel frame structure and a very high ceiling. A staff member in a dark blue uniform stood at the entrance. He looked to be in his thirties, with very short hair and an ID badge pinned to his chest. Seeing Li Xin approaching, he walked up to meet him quickly.

"Mr. Li? I am Mike, in charge of your reception. Mr. Musk is not here today, but he gave specific instructions that you may look around however you like, with no restricted areas."

"Very well, thank you for the trouble." Li Xin shook hands with the man. Mike's hand was a bit damp; it was unclear whether it was from running over or from nervousness.

Mike led them into the factory area. They first passed through a display corridor where cross-sectional diagrams of various car models hung on the walls, and models were displayed in glass cabinets under bright lighting. Mike introduced the area as they walked, his speech slightly fast, as if he were reciting lines he had memorized many times.

"This is our final assembly workshop, about four hundred meters long in total. Daily production is continuously increasing; we cannot disclose specific figures, but you will be able to see the actual operations in a moment."

Li Xin walked along the side, occasionally stopping to look at the diagrams on the wall.

Mike walked ahead for a while, then noticed Li Xin hadn't followed. He turned back and saw him bending over to examine the chassis of a dismantled car, so he walked back.

"Mr. Li, are you interested in the chassis structure?"

"Not really." Li Xin straightened up and brushed the dust off his hands. "Just looking. This suspension looks quite complex, sturdier than I imagined."

Mike immediately took out his phone, pulled up a structural diagram, and began to explain the new Materials used in the chassis. He spoke for about three minutes, and Li Xin listened intently the whole time, nodding occasionally. When Mike finished,

Li Xin smiled faintly. "Oh, right. Let's go."

Mike paused for half a second, put away his phone, and continued walking forward.

Entering the stamping workshop, the noise became significantly louder. Several giant presses were working one after another on the production line. Metal sheets were fed in, pressed into shape with a boom, and then sent out.

The entire space was filled with a low-frequency vibration, as if something were constantly pounding the ground in the distance.

Li Xin stood outside the railing and watched for a while. The presses moved quickly, with metal sheets deforming into car doors and hoods as the assembly line kept moving forward. He watched for about two minutes, taking no photos and saying nothing.

Mike shouted from the side, "This is our stamping line that we just upgraded last year; the efficiency is twenty percent higher than the old line."

Li Xin turned his head. Because of the loud noise, his voice was also a bit louder. "For such large machines, the control is actually quite decent."

Mike leaned in closer and said, "The handling is very detailed; the entire machine base has a spring-dampening structure, so most of the sound is suppressed."

Li Xin nodded. "Oh, that's quite good."

Mike added a few more details about the dampening structure and maintenance cycles. After listening, Li Xin did not ask any follow-up questions and turned to continue walking toward the next workshop.

The battery production line was much quieter than the stamping workshop. The workshop was paved with light gray anti-static flooring, the ceiling was very high, and the air carried a slight scent of chemical cleaning agents.

The entire production line was very long; on one side, battery packs were being assembled, and on the other was the testing area, where several technicians in white coats stared at data on screens.

Li Xin walked slowly along the aisle, not getting too close to the production line, keeping a half-step distance from Mike. He watched the battery pack assembly process for a while; robotic arms were tightening screws with precise movements, tightening them into place in one go.

"How far can this battery go on a full charge?" he asked, his tone like someone asking a salesperson about the price of an item at a supermarket.

Mike was well-prepared and gave an official range figure, adding, "Actual road conditions may cause slight fluctuations, but the overall performance is very stable."

After listening, Li Xin said, "That's enough. It's about enough for a round trip from my home to the airport."

Mike took out his notebook, lowered his head, and quickly jotted down a few words. Li Xin didn't notice and continued walking forward.

When they reached the testing area, he stopped to watch for a while. A newly assembled battery pack was undergoing charge-discharge testing, with a row of data jumping on the screen, and a technician sat nearby, watching.

"How long does this test take?"

"The standard process is forty-eight hours," Mike said.

"That's quite long."

"Yes, every battery must complete the full test before leaving the factory."

Li Xin stood there watching for a while. The numbers on the screen were jumping around; he didn't understand the specific parameters, but he found the image quite interesting, like an EKG.

Walking out of the battery workshop, they passed through a connecting corridor with glass curtain walls on both sides, offering a view of the parking lot outside and the mountains in the distance. The California sky was very blue, with a few thin clouds in the distance clinging to the ridgeline.

Mike walked diagonally ahead of him, introducing the upcoming schedule as they walked: "Sir, the next stop is the vehicle testing ground. If you are interested, we can arrange for you to take a test ride."

"Sure," Li Xin said.

The testing ground was on the east side of the factory, a large paved asphalt area with various lines drawn on the edges, including an acceleration lane, braking zone, and slalom course. Several new cars were parked at the starting line, with sensor patches for testing stuck to their bodies.

Mike called over a test engineer, who was in his thirties, wearing a baseball cap, not very tall, and looking quite sharp. The engineer shook hands with Li Xin and said, "Mr. Li, you can just sit in the passenger seat."

Li Xin got into the car and closed the door. The engineer drove the car around the test track, accelerating, braking hard, and maneuvering the slalom with clean, precise movements. Li Xin sat in the passenger seat, his hands resting on his knees, his head against the seat back, quietly feeling the ride.

After the car stopped, the engineer took off his hat and asked, "How did it feel?"

"Quite stable."

Li Xin unbuckled his seatbelt. "It didn't sway when cornering."

The engineer visibly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "I'm glad you felt stable. Some guests find the test car too bumpy the first time they ride in it."

Li Xin got out of the car and stood at the edge of the test track, watching a car in the distance undergoing high-speed testing. The car body was silver-gray, reflecting the sunlight as it accelerated along the straight track at high speed, the friction between the tires and the road creating a continuous, low whistling sound.

Mike walked over and asked, "Sir, would you like to go to the lounge for a break? Lunch has been arranged."

"Sure, let's go."

The lounge was not large but was kept clean. It had a long table, a few chairs, and a coffee machine and refrigerator in the corner. The meal was already laid out on the table: sandwiches, salad, and a bottle of mineral water. It looked like a working lunch, nothing fancy.

Li Xin sat down and picked up a sandwich, taking a bite. It was chicken, with lettuce and ketchup, and the bread was toasted, carrying a hint of charred aroma.

Mike sat opposite him, holding a cup of coffee without drinking it, occasionally checking Li Xin's reaction.

"The lunch here is not bad," Li Xin said, taking another bite.

Mike seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you like it."

After finishing the sandwich, Li Xin took a banana and slowly peeled it. Mike then took a small Japanese Military out of his bag and opened it to a page with a few lines of text.

"Mr. Li, do you have any suggestions regarding today's tour?"

"Suggestions?"

Li Xin finished peeling the banana, took a bite, chewed a few times, and swallowed. "No suggestions. It's quite good. Your factory is quite large, well-managed, and the processes look very smooth."

Mike held his pen, waiting.

Li Xin finished the banana, placed the peel on the edge of the tray, and took a sip of water. He looked up and scanned the lounge, his gaze resting on the row of LED tubes overhead for two seconds.

"Hmm... these lights are quite bright," he said. "It's a bit blinding."

Mike immediately lowered his head and made a note in the Japanese Military, writing quickly, the tip of his pen making a rustling sound on the paper.

Seeing him write so seriously, Li Xin felt a bit embarrassed. "It's not a major issue, just a personal feeling. Maybe my eyes are a bit dry today."

Mike looked up and said earnestly, "We will adjust it immediately."

"You don't need to adjust it just for me; I was just mentioning it offhandedly."

Mike put down his pen, his tone steady. "We take Mr. Li's words seriously."

Li Xin looked at him for two seconds and didn't decline further. "...Alright then, thank you for your hard work."

The tour ended a little past 1:00 PM. Mike walked them all the way to the parking lot and repeated his thanks while standing by the car.

Li Xin got into the car, Chen Hu started the engine, and the car drove out of the factory gate.

He leaned back in his seat, watching the factory buildings fly by one after another outside the window. He blinked his eyes—they were indeed a bit dry—and rubbed them with the back of his hand.

Back at the hotel, Li Xin washed his face, changed into a T-shirt, and sat on the sofa looking at his phone for a while.

In his message list, Luo Maifa had sent a few voice messages. He listened to them and replied, "The tour is over, it was okay." Nothing special.

He didn't give the matter any more thought.

A week later, the Tesla Berlin factory issued an internal notice, just a short paragraph.

"In accordance with the suggestion of a shareholder representative, the workshop lighting scheme has been optimized and adjusted to improve the working environment for employees."

It was signed by the Production Operations Department.

When the news reached Fremont, an engineer asked Mike privately, "What exactly did that shareholder representative suggest?"

Mike said, "He said the lights were too bright and blinding."

The engineer was stunned. "Just that?"

"Just that."

"And the whole factory adjusted it?"

"After evaluating it, Fremont adjusted it immediately."

Another engineer listening nearby chimed in, "He even noticed the lighting, which shows he pays very close attention to detail. Most people only look at production lines and capacity when visiting; who would care whether the lights are too bright or not?"

No one argued.

This logic spread throughout the factory: the shareholder representative looked at issues very comprehensively, even carefully considering the subtle details of the working environment.

Two weeks later, Li Xin received a package. It was mailed from California, the box was not large, and after opening the outer cardboard box, there was a dark gray hard gift box inside, printed with the Tesla logo.

He opened the lid, and inside lay a pair of sunglasses. The frames were dark with clean lines, and the lenses had a subtle polarized effect. A card was pasted on the inside of the gift box, printed with a line of text: "Thank you for your suggestion, we hope you enjoy using them."

There was no signature or sign-off, but Li Xin knew who had sent them. He picked up the sunglasses and examined them for a while; the lenses shimmered with a faint blue reflection under the light. He put them on, stood in front of the mirror, and checked himself out; they fit quite well.

He took a photo and sent it to Luo Maifa: "A gift from Tesla."

Luo Maifa replied instantly: "...What suggestion did you make?"

Li Xin typed: "I said the lights in their factory were too bright."

Luo Maifa replied after a few seconds: "You complained the lights were too bright, and then they sent you sunglasses?"

"Maybe they thought I was easily blinded."

Luo Maifa sent a row of question marks.

Li Xin smiled, packed the sunglasses away, and put them back in the gift box.

Later, he would occasionally wear those sunglasses for outdoor occasions; the sun in Los Angeles was intense, and they were indeed comfortable to wear. Once, while having dinner with a friend who invested in new energy, that person saw the sunglasses he was wearing and took a second look.

"I haven't seen these sunglasses before."

"A gift from someone."

The person didn't ask again.

A few months later, a photo circulated within Tesla; it was a candid shot taken at an industry summit, showing Li Xin sitting in the front row wearing those sunglasses.

The photo made the rounds internally, and someone added a caption: "Mr. Li is very satisfied with our product and has been using it."

The head of the production department saw it and mentioned it at a departmental meeting: "That shareholder representative is still using our sunglasses to this day."

"He is truly satisfied, not just being polite. Our previous lighting optimization was the right thing to do."

No one questioned this inference.

Li Xin was completely unaware of this. He wore those sunglasses simply because they were useful—the California sun was strong, his eyes were prone to dryness, and wearing sunglasses was more comfortable than not wearing them. It was as simple as that.

But no one would believe this reason.