2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 461 S1 Laboratory

"What are new energy vehicles? It's actually quite simple to explain."

Pure electric vehicles go without saying; future Tesla models and similar vehicles will all be pure electric vehicles that can only be charged, using electric motors to propel the vehicle forward.

A major drawback of this type of pure electric vehicle is range anxiety.

Other hybrid electric vehicles are mainly divided into three types: gasoline hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and range-extended electric vehicles, which have been hyped up and sold quite well.

Tan Jincheng can now figure out the difference between these three things. In fact, as long as it doesn't involve specific knowledge, it's quite simple for a man.

Men are naturally more sensitive to things like machinery.

Currently, there is no clear term for electric vehicles as "new energy vehicles." "New energy vehicle" is the internal name used by FlashCar. Tan Jincheng has not publicly stated that he intends to develop new energy vehicles, but internal preparations have never stopped.

Some of the members of Hangxin New Energy Laboratory who were tricked by Tan Jincheng into relocating from the capital to Beicang were transferred by Tan Jincheng to a new project team, which was internally called "S1".

The project team's name is quite common, taken from the first letter of Flash and the number 1. Their research focuses on new energy vehicles, and it is kept secret from the outside world. They only claim to be doing research on power batteries in cooperation with Jinshidai.

In addition to the experts from the Institute of Physics, there were also some technicians that Tan Jincheng had lured over from Dongfeng and automotive experts who had been poached from Chery.

As Tan Jincheng said during his visit to BYD, when it comes to poaching talent in the automotive field, Chery is indeed easier to recruit than other companies.

It's worth mentioning that these technicians are currently researching electric vehicles more, and they haven't actually defined the concept of new energy vehicles yet. It was Tan Jincheng, a complete novice who knew nothing about it, who brought it up to them.

Professional technicians aren't incapable of thinking about these things; it's just that the limitations of the times prevented them from considering them. But once that barrier is broken, it becomes an easy concept to grasp.

A clear concept is crucial for the experimental direction of a company or a laboratory.

Based on this alone, S1 Labs is already ahead of its domestic counterparts.

The experts and technicians at the newly established S1 Engineering Laboratory couldn't understand this point the most. At first, Mr. Tan's understanding of cars was probably limited to the fact that he had a C-class driver's license.

I have indeed seen my boss studying automotive knowledge recently, but this knowledge is nothing compared to that of professionals. How could someone who is not even a novice be able to come up with the concept of new energy vehicles?

Where did he hear about pure electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and range-extended electric vehicles?

You know what, this sounds much more sophisticated than converting gasoline cars to electric. Solving these technical difficulties isn't actually that hard. Once you have a specific direction, it's easy to research.

This is what they find amazing about their boss: despite not being very educated, he loves learning and is genuinely serious about it, but without systematic learning or a higher degree, he doesn't really learn anything.

Besides, he's really busy. It's already quite remarkable that he could take 10 days or so to go to the workshop for on-site learning, like he did a while ago. Once the car project is officially approved, he'll be even busier and won't have any time to learn.

However, he also happens to know many terms that even professionals wouldn't think of, and he can come up with some fresh ideas. Moreover, these ideas of his are not nonsense; they are all feasible.

The people at S1 Labs now look at Tan Jincheng differently than they did back in the Orange Technology game development team. He may not know anything, but he can often provide a lot of suggestions on the development direction.

Just like the project team members at Orange Technology at the time, the people at S1 Lab had the same idea: they didn't know if Boss Tan was good at other things, but he was definitely capable of being a product manager.

He's really a strange person.

That's right. This group of tech gurus see Boss Tan as a very strange person. Boss Tan loves learning and likes to participate in the design process. As a client, he makes some demands, which is understandable. They are also prepared to listen to his nonsense.

As expected, Boss Tan often talks nonsense. Because he doesn't understand many professional terms, his expression is often incomprehensible and can be quite infuriating. Even if you criticize him, he won't get angry and will still discuss things with you with a smile.

It feels like punching cotton, even more infuriating than a verbal battle. But once you calm down and carefully consider his words, you might gain some new inspiration. This feeling is truly magical, like being enlightened by the ridiculous remarks of a three-year-old.

Isn't that strange? But to be fair, the new batch of technical talents have indeed felt Tan Jincheng's kindness towards his employees, especially the rumors about his emphasis on technical talent.

Because of the need to conduct some tests, the S1 laboratory was not located in Beicang District, but directly on Meishan Island. In 2007, there were still many vegetable fields in Beicang District, let alone a ridiculously remote place like Meishan Island.

Until a few years ago, there was a saying in Beicang District: "Don't marry a man from Meishan." It didn't mean that men from Meishan were bad, but that the place was incredibly poor, extremely remote, and had very inconvenient transportation.

The inconvenience here refers to public transportation, not that there are no roads leading to the city. At this time, Meishan doesn't have much industry, and people from Meishan who want to earn money also need to transfer to the city or work in industrialized areas like Dagang.

Aside from sharing the same language and not being too far apart, they are no different from other people who come to the city to work. Those with dormitories live in factory dormitories, while those without rent a room and can only go home once in a long while.

The land plot in the Meishan area that Tan Jincheng obtained from Beicang City Investment was practically given away for free. Even Beicang City Investment was somewhat surprised. They wondered if the kid had gone mad. In those days, there was no Meishan Free Trade Zone, nor was there a Beicang automobile base. The development plan didn't actually extend to Meishan. It was just a desolate, godforsaken place.

The land held by Beicang City Investment is basically useless to them. There are many undeveloped lands in towns such as Dagang, Xingan, and Xiaogang, and Meishan Island is not even considered for policy planning.

Even Tan Jincheng himself remembers that when Geely took over Beicang a few years later, the first industrial base it acquired was located near the intersection of Xingan and Xiapu. The area wasn't exactly central, but it would be connected to the subway in the future, so it was considered a good piece of land.

Tan Jincheng didn't know when the government's work plan would end, but generally there was a 5 to 10-year plan. In 2017, 10 years later, development would only have reached the vicinity of Meishan, and that was because there were no suitable locations left in the urban area and other areas.

Based on his 20 years of experience living here in his previous life, Tan Jincheng knew exactly where the factories, commercial and residential buildings, shopping malls, and other similar plans would be built.

Due to Flash's intervention, some changes will occur, but the urban planning will certainly not change much. If Tan Jincheng is a little ruthless, he can acquire a lot of good locations in Beicang City and the surrounding area.

However, Tan Jincheng didn't do that. Doing so for too long would make him too hated. If you take all the good things for yourself, no matter if you contribute to the local development or if you are a good person who leads everyone to make money, people will still dislike you. There will always be people whose interests are harmed who will want to mess with you.

The best location that Tan Jincheng has acquired so far is the vacant land of the current Sports and Arts Center, where he plans to build a residential complex. In the future, Yintai City and several other relatively prestigious residential projects in Beicang District will be built there.

The district is aware of these matters and has specific plans. The reason for giving the property to Flash is partly to allow Flash to build a commercial and residential building, and partly to compensate Flash.

It's important to understand that regardless of the planning, the land plots that Tan Jincheng has acquired so far are all in very remote locations. Any domineering business owner, like Tan Jincheng with his current status, would not build a factory in such places, but would instead choose a location closer to the city center.

Even with such a request, the government couldn't refuse, but Tan Jincheng didn't. The Shanchi Beicang Industrial Park, located near Yinzhou, practically spurred the development of that area.

The headquarters building was purchased directly without encroaching on government land plans. The Zhongtai Automobile factory that was introduced is the site where Geely will be located in the future, and Tan Jincheng has no intention of taking it over.

He placed his future automotive business on Meishan Island, a place now considered desolate. The government has seen this and it's no exaggeration to call him a man of noble character and give him a thumbs up.

This is why the Beicang District and even the Ningbo City government are willing to support Tan Jincheng. This young man is not greedy; he genuinely wants to do things and develop his career while also genuinely helping the government without conflicting with the government's plans.

The government did not urge Tan Jincheng to develop the Meishan Island land, which had been left undeveloped for a long time. When Tan Jincheng officially took over the land, the government also cooperated by helping to build roads and infrastructure, providing convenience for Shanchi in terms of infrastructure construction.

However, the conditions here are not very good for the newly hired employees of S1 Lab, but Boss Tan is able to make them feel at home in the still very simple workshop.

They were provided with a professional logistics team, and the meals were the freshest seafood set meals, taking into account the different dietary habits of everyone. There was also a laundry room and housekeeping staff, making the workshop feel like a hotel.

This was truly an eye-opening experience for the technicians. Some of the inland staff who hadn't eaten much fresh seafood finally realized that fresh seafood could taste sweet, which was completely different from the taste of frozen ribbonfish!
None of the first batch of technicians brought their families; some were even young bachelors. Boss Tan himself would not show up, but his secretary, Zeng Jixiang, would occasionally take them to the city for a bit of fun.

The feeling was incredible. Working for a boss who takes care of you both physically and mentally in every way, not only is the pay generous, but he's also incredibly good at handling things. Even if you have to listen to his nonsense every day, it's all worth it.

(End of this chapter)