This is just 1 year from the ideal listing of US stocks last year, and it is also another new force returning to Hong Kong stocks after Xpeng Motors returned to Hong Kong in July. At present, only Weilai is still independent in the US stock market, but according to news reports, Weilai applied for the listing of Hong Kong stocks as early as March, and now it seems to be blocked.
The frequent listing of new car-making forces undoubtedly implies that a revolution in new energy vehicles is beginning. Recently, there are news reports that car companies are robbing people. Some key positions, such as self-driving R&D personnel, have offered a monthly salary of 1 1 10,000, and the smell of gunpowder is getting stronger and stronger.
Undoubtedly, after the last elimination, new energy vehicles have entered a new stage of competition, and the uncertainty in the future will become even greater. Especially for the ideal new forces who take the route of increasing programs, the risk of change will be greater. How does the ideal maintain its position?
Speaking of Li, I have to mention the extended program technology, which is the only car company that can represent this technology in the market today.
In the past three years, Ideal has perfectly solved the mileage anxiety of pure electric vehicles, and attracted a large number of users by extending the long battery life and low cost of program technology. In the third quarter of last year, the gross profit margin once reached nearly 20%.
Based on this, Ideal squeezed out competitors such as Baiteng, Lv Chi and Singularity in the first stage competition of new energy vehicles, and listed on NASDAQ, becoming the first echelon of new power of new energy vehicles.
Now, Ideal is ready to develop the X platform to inherit the existing extended-range electric vehicle platform and equip it with the next generation extended-range power system.
However, while the ideal program addition technology continues to exert its strength, a turning point is also taking place.
Ideal mentioned in this prospectus that I am investing in high-voltage pure electric vehicle technology to develop two platforms for high-voltage pure electric vehicles in the future-whale and shark.
It is unexpected that the ideal of being a pure electric vehicle will be put on hold a year ago.
Li Xiang also mentioned at the Q3 financial report meeting last year that Li will not launch pure electric vehicles until the 400KW fast charging technology is mature, and the application of extended-range technology in large SUVs and MPVs has the advantage of 5- 10 years.
At the beginning, in order to endorse the enhanced program technology, it was also Li Xiang who vowed. Now this turning point is really sudden.
Has the golden age of enhanced program technology passed?
In fact, earlier this year, it was mentioned in the ideal 2025 strategy that the first pure electric vehicle should be delivered in 2023. This strategy was issued by Li in the form of an internal letter.
Aside from personal technical preferences, extended-range electric vehicles are really non-mainstream.
In essence, the extended range technology still uses gasoline as the power source and is driven by batteries, which is why it is classified as a plug-in hybrid vehicle.
This impure power mode prevents it from enjoying the preferential policies of new energy vehicles. For example, subsidies are discounted. In some cities such as Beijing, extended-range electric vehicles cannot enjoy green cards. The policy direction has predicted the inevitable decline of this technology.
However, it is the development of technology that finally makes the enhanced program technology out of the game.
Recently, Costar told the media that the maximum power of its products such as fast charging piles and fast charging modules can reach 400KW；; In terms of endurance, at present, Tucki P7 officially announces 700 kilometers, and Tesla model Y is close to 600 kilometers.
Under the double attack of policy orientation and technological progress of electric vehicles, the increase of schemes is out of date.
So now, the extension program technology has become an ideal label that is eager to tear off.
Ideally, it is easy to remove the label of the extension plan, but putting a label of pure electric vehicle for users to agree and pay the bill will not happen overnight.
From the perspective of car sales, Weilai, Tucki and Ideality belong to the same echelon, but forward-looking, they have surpassed Ideality. In recent years, all the ideal energy has been put on Li alone, but the experience of pure electric vehicles is blank.
In terms of the battery life of pure electric vehicles, Weilai has an advantage among the three forces that build cars, and has a number of charging and replacing technologies and charging pile patents.
Tucki is undoubtedly the best representative of the most competitive autonomous driving technology for new energy vehicles. While other car companies were selling hardware, Tucki made a profit by developing XPILOT system software.
And Ideal has no other technical advantages except increasing the technology of the program.
In terms of driving skills, Li ONE, which was ideally listed in May, has improved its assisted driving ability, but the assisted driving is still at Level 2 level. Tesla Model3 has reached l3+, and some models mass-produced by traditional car companies are also at L3 level.
Last June, Li had an accident alone in Qingdao. Li collided with a truck, causing injuries to relatives and friends of the co-pilot and damage to the front side of the car.
The analysis believes that this may be related to the ideal autonomous driving technology. On the old Li ONE, the driver assistance chip is Mobileyeye EQ 4 with a horizontal viewing angle of 52. Moreover, this model only has 1 millimeter wave radar, compared with its peers, there are 3 in Tucki G3 and 5 in Weilai ES6.
Phoenix Technology has reported that Li ONE can identify long-distance obstacles, and visual impairment will occur at "medium" and "short" distances.
On the new Li ONE 202 1, we can also see the computing power gap between the newly replaced Horizon Journey 3 and other brands.
Of course, there is still a worrying issue about the ideal, and that is its vehicle development ability.
From Li alone to now, this ideal has not set a second example. Weilai Automobile has three main models: ES8, ES6 and EC6. Xpeng Motors also has G3 and P7 models, focusing on the low-end and high-end markets respectively.
Although in the 2025 strategy and this prospectus, it is ideal to update two models every year in the future, but from one car in three years to two cars a year, whether the specific implementation, product design, operational efficiency, etc. will be discounted, it is necessary to make a question mark.
In addition to the difference between technology and manufacturing, another difference between new energy car companies and traditional car companies is that traditional car companies sell cars and new energy car companies change to sell services.
Wei lai estimates that this is the deepest experience. Weilai has a "cowshed" and often organizes car owners to hold some activities and communicate with them. Therefore, before this "seat defect" incident, Weilai had a good reputation and claimed to be a user company.
According to Li Bin, founder of Weilai, during the epidemic last year, 60% of orders of Weilai Automobile were recommended by old users of Weilai Automobile. It can be seen that the sales ability of the user enterprise.
In contrast, ideals are more consumed by negative news.
At the beginning of 2020, Li ONE had an accident that the ball head of the front suspension lower A arm fell off. Engineer Li thinks that the accident probability is within the normal range and has not been considered too much.
However, on August 9, 2020, another Li ONE suffered a "broken shaft" accident. Officials still said that it was caused by the impact, and the suspension system was "very safe and reliable". It was not until several axle-broken accidents happened later that Ideal admitted the suspension system problems and recalled 1 10,000 LI cars. However, the ideal official word is "hardware upgrade".
At the communication meeting in June 1 65438+1October1,Li Xiang responded to this matter: "The upgrade must be due to defects at that time, which is normal." Although the vehicle problem is nothing new, it is not something an enterprise should have to ignore its own mistakes and change the "recall" to "upgrade" with peace of mind.
Coincidentally. In June, Zhejiang Economic Life Channel reported that a car owner who bought a Li ONE found abnormal suspension noise on the same day. Ideally, after maintenance, the owner needs to sign a "confidentiality agreement", requiring the owner not to report or expose related problems to the media, industry and commerce.
From the "broken shaft door", "money exchange door" and "confidentiality agreement" to the recently unresolved "mercury door", the ideal has been caught in a storm of negative public opinion again and again, and it is precisely the immature customer service concept that is exposed behind it.
For internet car companies, the shortcomings that need to be filled are not only product technology, but also the concept of "user-centered".
At the moment when pure electric vehicles are all the rage, it is actually a relatively conservative road for Li Betao to increase the cruising range.
Nothing can be done overnight. Obviously, the ideal pure electric vehicle is far from enough in technology accumulation and experience precipitation, but it is eager to seize the market.
Now, Li Xiang will pay the price for his strategic choice. The wrong route made Li fall behind for at least a few years in the rapid development of the new army.
After European and American car companies dominated the fuel vehicle market for more than a century, this time, China has the opportunity to seize the opportunity of new energy vehicles and build a state-owned brand with international influence.
New forces, ideals, Weilai, Tucki, etc. , has proved its possibility by breaking through from many car companies with their own internet genes and innovative consciousness, despite the great technical difficulty.
But now, the competition of new energy vehicles is not only the competition of technology, but also the upgrade of customer service in the automobile industry. Especially in the case that new energy vehicles are still in the primary stage, and all aspects of technology and infrastructure are not perfect, it is the key to the success of the new forces to build cars to take the difficulties encountered by users seriously and solve them through communication.