Great Power Industry: You're a private company building an aircraft carrier?

Hans, of course, had no idea that when he signed the contract and officially became the head of the Zhonghua Automobile Engine R&D Institute under the Laiyang Group, he would discover that all the technology was on paper, and some of it was even hastily handwritten, obviously written by hand when Qin Chuan was speaking!

However... with the ten-year contract signed, the penalty for breach of contract was too high, so Hans had no choice but to stay and develop according to the technical route Qin Chuan had described. Ten years, ten years to hone a sword!

However, once he got to work, Hans also found enjoyment in it. No matter what design he did, the parts suppliers could produce the corresponding parts, and the materials and processes met all the standards. He felt a surge of hope. With the advent of the 2.0T engine, he would once again become famous overseas!

Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Germany.

"What? Hans's resignation letter? Damn it, we sent this guy to the East for an inspection, and he actually stayed there?" Dr. Hermann-Gauss was furious.

“Yeah, I don’t know what he was thinking. He was probably fooled by some Asians!” another engineer, Bernard, chimed in. “But… now that he’s gone, we need to quickly select a new chief engineer…”

Bernard was secretly delighted. Good thing Hans was gone! With him gone, the position was vacant! Perfect for him!

"Hmph, of course we can't let him be fooled by the East. Let's go to the East and bring Hans back!"

A hint of displeasure flashed across Bernard's face. He wanted to bring him back? Mercedes-Benz is full of talented people; without him, would the world still turn?

"Apply for the visa and book the flight immediately!"

It was already December when the Mercedes-Benz project development team arrived in the East. At that time, snowflakes were falling from the sky, and the entire Shandong and Henan provinces were covered in ice and snow.

Laiyang Group, conference room.

"On behalf of Laiyang Group, I welcome the Mercedes-Benz delegation! We hope to have further cooperation with you during this visit!" Qin Chuan said with a smile.

What cooperation? We're here to take people back!

Dr. Gauss forced a smile: "President Qin, where is Mr. Hans? He came last time and then submitted his resignation. We are a little worried and want to see him."

"Well, Mr. Hans is currently working and it's inconvenient to disturb him. Please rest assured, Mr. Hans is doing very well here with us."

"No, we want to see him."

"Okay. You there, connect the surveillance cameras in the R&D workshop!"

If you want to see me, sure, I'll show you the surveillance video!

On the projection screen in the conference room, a busy workshop appeared, with workbenches and many technicians working. In one corner of the workshop, there was a row of computers and extra-large graphics monitors, on which people were working. One of the figures was tall and particularly eye-catching.

"As you all see, Mr. Hans is busy with work, so you can all relax now?"

"Can we speak to him for a few minutes?"

"That won't do. Gentlemen, Mr. Hans now possesses a great deal of our secrets..."

The meaning is obvious: who knows if you're using this conversation as an opportunity to gather intelligence on us?

“Mr. Qin, that’s not quite right. Mercedes-Benz is the world’s strongest car company. We possess the world’s most advanced automotive technology. Why would we be interested in your technology?” Bernard interjected. “We certainly wouldn’t…”

It's impossible for me to steal your technology! It's just that it's inconvenient to say it out loud!

"President Qin, your company has only been involved in the automotive industry for a short time, yet you have already created one miracle after another, which truly impresses us," Dr. Gauss began. "Especially the BSG technology you provided to Volkswagen, which has amazed us..."

It was just a compliment. Bernard was boasting, and as an executive, he had to keep a low profile. He then turned the conversation back to Hans's work, but unexpectedly, Qin Chuan immediately picked up the conversation.

"That's right, our Laiyang Group is good at creating miracles. Whatever we do, we do it to the best of our ability!"

Gauss was taken aback, and the rest of his words stuck in his throat, unable to come out, making him feel a little suffocated.

"After Volkswagen bought the 12-volt mild hybrid system, we continued our research, always feeling that there was a more advanced solution. Then, we believed that increasing the voltage of the mild hybrid system to 48 volts would yield even better performance."

Although the 48-volt mild hybrid system was mentioned to Volkswagen at the time, it was clear that Volkswagen would not tell its competitors, let alone Mercedes.

48 volts?

"That's right. In this way, the mild hybrid system can provide a maximum output power of 25 kilowatts, which is more helpful for starting and acceleration. At the same time, the entire system is upgraded to 48 volts, which can also power more vehicle systems, such as the vehicle air conditioner."

Hans was brought over to investigate the new technologies here, and now, the Mercedes engineers are seriously considering it. They have to admit, the technology sounds quite promising! Running the entire vehicle on a 48-volt circuit would also significantly reduce the engine's workload…

Huang Wenlan stared wide-eyed at all of this. If Mercedes-Benz were to buy technology from Laiyang Group... that would be huge news, after all, Mercedes-Benz was the world's first car manufacturer!

"President Qin, this technology sounds very good, but... it also means that all the suppliers of the vehicle's electronic equipment need to be upgraded, which is a huge project. We need to consider it carefully." Dr. Gauss didn't make a decision immediately; he could already foresee the protests from the suppliers!

What kind of nonsense is this? The 12-volt power supply was working perfectly fine, and now they want to switch to 48 volts! So many electronic devices will have to be remanufactured, the entire supply chain will have to be rebuilt, how much money will that cost!

"We can help with the supporting equipment!" Qin Chuan said. "Technology upgrades and replacements can't be rolled out on a large scale right now. It's just a simple experiment, and the demand isn't large. The suppliers in Europe are indeed unwilling to go through the trouble. We can help them first!"

Laiyang Group cannot only focus on its own development; it must also consider the overall situation. This is the awareness that a large enterprise should have.

If we bring the 48-volt orders to China and distribute them to various suppliers, they will definitely be willing to produce the components. As a result, the supply chain for this type of mild hybrid system will fall into the East. In the future, when the 48-volt mild hybrid system system fails in Europe, all the components will have to be sourced from the East because the East has the cheapest, most mature, and most reliable components!

Gauss's eyes lit up: "You're willing?"

"Of course! If you're interested, we can produce these mild hybrid vehicles here!"

Qin Chuan assured that he had only said it casually and without any ulterior motives, but... Mercedes took it seriously!