120: Chapter 120 Digging a Hole, Visiting Yingli

"What's the idea?"

"Yingli's photovoltaic car roof."

There was an irrepressible excitement in Huang Tianya's voice. He wanted to integrate this solution to launch Transsion Auto's first product, and of course, he was also prepared to screw over the domestic car manufacturers who were still angry at him.

They were making such a fuss over just poaching a few people.

BMW had two teams poached; yet, when he went over there, wasn't he still treated as an honored guest? He spent a little money and bought "some" aerodynamic licensing...

"Their solution is quite useless, but the concept is feasible. If we pair it with our graphene solar panels, it becomes very viable."

Shen Fei held the phone and carefully recalled the details.

Currently, monocrystalline silicon can generally only reach about 14-16%. Even if a car is parked in a place with great sunlight, that small surface area used for power generation...

It's practically just buying yourself a burden.

"Test it thoroughly, and re-examine the feasibility of this solution."

"And as for Yingli..."

"Make contact. Focus on learning, don't buy the goods." Shen Fei said.

"Understood." Huang Tianya smiled.

On January 6th, Huang Tianya arrived at Yingli again.

This time, he was received by Yingli's Vice President of Technology, surnamed Zheng, who was in his early 50s and spoke with a bit of a Hebei accent.

"Mr. Huang, I heard you were here a couple of days ago, and I wanted to meet you." Mr. Zheng shook his hand firmly. "The name Transsion Auto has been making quite a splash in the industry lately."

Huang Tianya knew what he was talking about—it wasn't that Transsion Auto's technology was so strong, but rather their poaching tactics. For example, poaching people with triple the salary.

"Mr. Zheng, you're joking. We're just starting out; we have to learn from the seniors in the industry."

Mr. Zheng waved his hand dismissively and led him into the conference room.

They were just automotive suppliers; the poaching between car manufacturers had nothing to do with them. They just wanted to serve their big clients well. Whoever provided the milk and meat was their boss.

After Huang Tianya took his seat, the technical parameters of Yingli's photovoltaic car roof were already displayed on the projector.

"Monocrystalline silicon solution, conversion rate of 14.5% to 16.3%, depending on light intensity. We've tested three encapsulation solutions, and the current best is this one..." He pointed to one of the curves. "Thermal compression encapsulation has the least loss in light transmittance, but the cost will be 20% higher."

Huang Tianya gave a symbolic round of applause, while his assistant took notes on the side.

"How is the cycle life?"

"2,000 light cycles, with efficiency degradation controlled within 8%. It's completely ready for commercial use."

"What about the temperature impact?"

"Above 65 degrees, the conversion rate drops significantly. So we added a heat dissipation layer, leaving a 5mm gap between the car roof and the photovoltaic panel to ensure heat dissipation."

Huang Tianya nodded again, and his secretary was also carefully taking notes. Note: Heat dissipation!

For the next two hours, Mr. Zheng talked non-stop. From material technology to encapsulation solutions, from cost control to life testing, he poured out almost all of Yingli's R&D achievements from the past three years.

Huang Tianya knew clearly that it wasn't because Yingli was generous, but because they really wanted to secure an order. Since this solution was launched, they hadn't actually landed a single client... They even built their own prototype car, but still, no one bought the solution. It was completely useless.

Halfway through, Mr. Zheng suddenly stopped. "Mr. Huang, forgive my bluntness, but what is Transsion Auto's stance on this technology?"

Huang Tianya did not answer directly. "Mr. Zheng, I highly recognize Yingli's technology. We at Transsion Auto also have our own battery strategy, and a photovoltaic car roof is a bonus for us..."

Mr. Zheng still felt a heavy blow. A bonus item meant it wasn't a necessity. He figured it was the same as those other car manufacturers—great interest, but after testing... Sigh!

Mr. Zheng sighed silently. Could their meticulously developed photovoltaic range-extender project just be scrapped like this? But this was true new energy, pollution-free... But reality ultimately demanded profit. Maybe he should just cut the project?

[Geely: Let me lend you a hand]

However, looking at the Transsion Auto staff still taking notes there, Mr. Zheng did not feel disappointed or angry. On the contrary, he asked the engineers to bring out more detailed data. The project could not be cut!

"Mr. Huang, you are in investment, I understand," he said. "Look at the solution first, then talk about cooperation. We are also continuously exploring this photovoltaic car roof project ourselves, and we need vehicle manufacturers to perfect it together." He paused.

"Yingli hopes to reach a long-term cooperation with Transsion Auto. For the first batch of photovoltaic panels, we can provide a customized solution, optimizing the MPPT algorithm according to your battery voltage platform, and increasing system efficiency by another 3-5 percentage points. We'll charge the original price."

Huang Tianya looked at him and suddenly felt a bit ashamed. This man really didn't seem like he was just selling goods; he was looking for a partner... But the technology was trash. If the technology were more advanced, how could their standing be like this? Of course, the most important thing was what Mr. Shen had said. Focus on learning, don't buy the goods.

"Mr. Zheng," he said, "I will take these materials back to study first. If the project is approved, Yingli will be the preferred supplier."

Mr. Zheng nodded, not pressing further. But when he saw Huang Tianya off, he added: "Mr. Huang, this is the era of new energy. Our solution actually has a lot of marketing potential. People from Changan are coming next week, and Geely is also doing tests."

He looked at Huang Tianya hesitantly. "Our solution is actually quite feasible."

Huang Tianya returned to Yangcheng and immediately reported to Shen Fei.

"Yingli's technical maturity is a bit higher than imagined. Monocrystalline silicon reached 14.5%. Although it has a lot to do with the suppliers behind them, the technical maturity is still acceptable. The current base cost is 15,000, and they are willing to cooperate on customization."

After listening, Shen Fei didn't care about the price and just asked casually: "What about Geely?"

"They reached out, but they are still studying it and haven't decided."

"Then, who do you think will eventually choose Yingli..."

Huang Tianya paused for a moment and said: "This solution is fine for a concept car showcase, but definitely not for mass production. The actual effect is too useless, and it will increase costs. There shouldn't be any car manufacturers stupid enough to do this."

Huang Tianya didn't say it directly, but he shook his head. He actually hoped those people would be impulsive.

But for normal people, before there is a huge breakthrough in photovoltaic panels, there is no need to implement this technology.

"Tianya, help me do the math. 15,000 in cost, at most 10 kilometers of range per day. Look at the payback period."

15,000 in cost, at most 10 kilometers a day, that's 3,650 kilometers a year. Based on 0.1 yuan per kilometer for electric vehicle electricity costs, that saves 365 yuan a year. It would take 41 years to break even.

"It won't break even."

"Exactly," Shen Fei nodded. "So this isn't technology to save car owners money; it's technology to add value to the brand. It looks advanced, but in reality, it's nothing."

"But once word gets out that we are going to use it, other car manufacturers will likely follow suit. Because Tesla doesn't have it, Toyota doesn't have it, and Volkswagen doesn't have it. But if we use it... some car manufacturers, to kill us off, will implement it even if they lose money."