[Figure] Pioneer Dialogue Zhang Zhengping： Adding programs is an opportunity for SERES.

[car home Pioneer Dialogue] "I have been working in the workshop since junior high school, installing tires, bumpers and painting in the workshop. The old man allowed me to do a lot of things, and I spent a lot of money playing these in the workshop." When talking about the positioning of the company, Zhang Zhengping, the youngest CEO of the entire automobile industry in China and the founder of SERES in Jin Kang, told his youth story in a row, and did not forget to add, "I have loved this (car) since I was a child."

Many people are not familiar with Zhang Zhengping and Jin Kang SERES. A brief introduction is that this young man who just turned 30 founded a new automobile company SF MOTORS in the United States four years ago, and now he has injected the startup company into Jin Kang’s new energy and set up the automobile brand SERES (brand name is Celes in Chinese), which will lead Jin Kang SERES to set off again in the China market. The "old man" mentioned by Zhang Zhengping at the beginning of the article is his father, Zhang Xinghai, chairman of Xiaokang Holding Group. However, Zhang Zhengping rarely emphasized his status as the "second generation of cars" in many public occasions. It is worth mentioning that at present, Jin Kang New Energy is a 100% controlled subsidiary of Xiaokang Co., Ltd..

As a post-90s generation, I am both curious and puzzled about Zhang Zhengping, curious about his experience in the automobile industry, wondering whether the young man in front of me is leading a new venture, and whether he can do well in various sections such as technology and products. However, like most start-up business leaders, Zhang Zhengping is very busy. He just finished his last meeting when we were talking. I noticed that when he entered the office, he first raised his hand to wipe the sweat on his forehead, then quickly straightened his shoulders and greeted us to sit in front of him.

Compared with previous occasions such as brand launch or product appearance, Zhang Zhengping was particularly talkative when he was interviewed by car home, and admitted that "it’s time to talk more". The young leader, born in 1989, pushed himself and his brand, which had been low-key for four years, from behind the scenes to the stage for the first time, and made an undisguised appearance.

◆Why change the technical route from pure electricity to extended program?

Time goes back to March 28th, 2018, American time. On this night, Zhang Zhengping is particularly excited, because at eight o’clock that night, he will make his debut with the brand’s model (|) (hereinafter referred to as "SF5") and announce the establishment of SF MOTORS (the predecessor of Jin Kang SERES) to the outside world. In the spotlight, he spoke fluent English about the company’s structure and technical reserves. As it announced that its first model SF5 was positioned as an intelligent electric SUV, from the outside world, it was a new enterprise that made pure electric vehicles.

"Extended-range electric technology is also the core of SERES’ research and development, but a series of technologies and products were not ready at the 328 conference, so it is not good to publicize them." Zhang Zhengping said, first of all, pure electric and extended-range electric technologies are the core technical reserves of SERES in Jin Kang, and there is no such thing as changing lanes from pure electric to extended-range electric technology. Secondly, the car is a complex and rigorous machine. As an autobot, we should uphold the awe, and say one thing and two things. Now, after three years of research and development, its extended program technology is mature and can be carried on production cars before it can be announced.

In fact, it is no stranger to mention extended-range vehicles. From Chevrolet’s Volanda to BMW’s i3 and then to Li ONE, we already have a certain understanding of extended-range vehicles. However, when the country strongly encourages the development of new energy vehicles, most automobile manufacturers in China choose pure electric or plug-in hybrid to "get on the bus", and the technical route of extended range is unknown. This is because the extended-range model is equipped with both engine and motor, and the technology is more complicated, and the advantages and disadvantages of this technology are obvious. The research shows that the advantage of extended-range vehicles is that they are more fuel-efficient than fuel vehicles, and the highest fuel-saving rate can reach more than 50%. Compared with electric vehicles, it saves electricity, the logic of power supply and energy recovery is reasonable, especially the endurance is stronger, which can completely dispel the "mileage anxiety". But the disadvantages are high fuel consumption, complex structure and high cost when driving at high speed. Therefore, even if the extended-range electric vehicle is more "practical", in view of its complex technology and high cost, car companies are rarely interested. So why did Zhang Zhengping bet on programming technology from the beginning?

"First of all, from the user’s appeal, I want to solve the pain point of mileage anxiety in a more environmentally friendly way." According to Zhang Zhengping, exempting users from mileage anxiety is the original intention of SERES to develop extended program technology, and it is also one of the selling points of SF5 models. In addition, extended-range electric vehicles can not only allow users to enjoy the extreme handling performance of pure electric vehicles, but also achieve zero emissions. From the energy side, there are three main sources of electricity: coal-fired power, nuclear power, wind energy, hydropower and solar power. The first type of coal-fired power is not clean energy, and nuclear power is mainly imported in China and is a national strategic energy reserve. It is unlikely that nuclear power plants will replace thermal power plants, while the last form of clean energy is classified as "garbage power" due to instability and other factors. Therefore, relatively speaking, the current extended range technology is a better choice, which can not only achieve zero emissions, but also improve energy utilization by improving engine efficiency.

Secondly, the extended-range electric vehicle not only solves the mileage anxiety, but also solves the charging problem.Zhang Zhengping believes that charging piles are fixed charging forms, while extended-range electric vehicles are mobile charging.From the enterprise’s point of view, in order to ensure the car experience of electric car owners, it is necessary to build charging piles, but charging piles are a mode of burning money. Tesla relies on the capital market to build super charging stations, but for enterprises in China market, it is difficult to copy this mode; Secondly, from the user’s point of view, public charging piles and fast charging piles are the infrastructure requirements when going out, but the current situation is that the number of charging piles is small and the charging time in line is long, and even the users are looking for charging piles halfway, which leads to poor car experience. The extended-range electric vehicle can avoid the user’s anxiety about charging, and the owner does not have to waste time and energy on finding piles and charging.

Finally, the program-adding technology is becoming mature. Because the energy transmission of extended-range technology is from the engine to the generator and then to the driving motor, the higher the thermal efficiency of the engine as the energy source, the more obvious the energy improvement received by the driving motor. Five years ago, the engine thermal efficiency could reach about 30%, now it can reach 35%-40%, and the future engine thermal efficiency planning will reach 45%, which will promote the popularization and application of extended program technology. In addition, Zhang Zhengping mentioned that with the development of technology, in the future, engines can be replaced by various clean energy sources such as hydrogen fuel reactors, so as to truly realize zero emission and pollution of vehicles.

"Tesla has also considered the extended program technology." Zhang Zhengping, who has led the team in Silicon Valley for many years in the United States, revealed that due to the burning of money and the long construction period of the super charging station, Tesla had initially considered the extended-range technology. In the end, elon musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla, decided to choose the mode of pure electric plus super charging station, because the extended-range electric vehicle needs to purchase engines from outside. For Tesla, a new electric vehicle company, choosing the pure electric route can avoid being controlled by people in the later period, and it is not necessary to "bow down" because of purchasing engines from traditional car companies. "Musk prefers to take the lead," Zhang Zhengping commented.