LeEco FF91 finally unveiled, Apple engineer says CEO Jia is just trying to make money
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Many people have their own "Dream Car" in their hearts. On the 3rd local time, Jia Yueting, the founder of LeEco, chairman and CEO of LeEco Holdings, showed one of his "Dream Cars", "FF91", together with his investment company Faraday Future (FF) before the opening of CES (International Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. He repeated the above English words several times. In fact, Jia Yueting is extremely eager to subvert the original car products with this mass-produced electric car and LeSEE LeTV supercar. For this dream, he has burned tens of billions of yuan. Just two months ago, Jia Yueting admitted in an internal letter that LeTV's capital chain was tight, and said at the subsequent investor exchange meeting that after three or four months of strategic adjustment, he was confident that he could change the current embarrassing situation. "Funds are not the most worrying thing, but the lack of a future is the most worrying thing." Today, the mass-produced car FF91, which accelerates to 60 miles (about 96 kilometers) in 2.39 seconds and has a range of more than 700 kilometers, seems to be the "future" or one of the "futures" in Jia Yueting's mouth. However, the tight capital chain, the resignation of FF executives, the factory construction storm, and the disputes between partners... Whether a FF91 can help Jia Yueting save the capital chain dilemma is still unknown; whether a FF91 can subvert the existing mass-produced cars is also unknown.The gorgeous FF91 and FF Smart, connected, electric, and full of design, Jia Yueting hopes to continue his unique "car-making dream" with this new species of car. He also wants to use this to interpret what his understanding of revolutionary car products looks like. The FF91 on the CES booth is indeed full of gimmicks. The body size that exceeds the D-class car (luxury car) (length, width, height are 5250mm, 2283mm, 1598mm respectively, and the wheelbase is as high as 3200mm), the drag coefficient of only 0.25, and the fastest 100-kilometer acceleration performance in the electric car industry have all made FF91 a big hit. "FF91 is a car that can make you throw away all the other cars in the garage because it completely subverts your imagination." Jia Yueting seemed very excited at the scene. Indeed, the variable electric drive chassis architecture-VPA (Variable Platform Architecture), matrix LED headlights, intelligent rearview system, light blade antenna, facial recognition system, equipped with intelligent lifting 3D laser radar (which can realize Level 4 autonomous driving technology)... The rich configuration is very eye-catching. FF91 can have such high configuration and amazing running data, which is inseparable from the talents FF has recruited from various companies at high salaries. "The power of the car can range from 1.5 kW to 10 kW, or even 15 kW. At the same time, we are also accelerating the development of wireless charging functions and the fastest DC charging capabilities. Through the high-power DC charging system, this new car can have a range of more than 500 miles (804 kilometers) in just one hour of charging (theoretically, the charging time is converted into the value of range)." said Savokian, FF's vice president of power engineering. Savokian is an expert in electric propulsion systems. He has worked at General Motors for more than 20 years and is a core member of General Motors' electric vehicle team. FF's design director Keen is also a big shot. He was a founding member of BMWiDesign and the chief designer of the i3 and i8 concept cars. "Our product design is gorgeous and modern, but it is also a mobile device that people need to interact and communicate with the car." Keen once said in an interview with the media. Harris, a battery expert who once worked at SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation), is mainly responsible for the battery work of FF products. In addition, FF also poached battery engineers from A123 (a US company specializing in the development and production of lithium-ion batteries and energy storage systems). In fact, FF's team comes from more than 40 countries around the world. In addition to the above personnel, FF also poached Toyota's chief designer, a former Ferrari designer, and people who have worked at Volvo, GM, Facebook and Google. Doubts remain FF's gorgeous team and FF91's rich configuration still failed to eliminate the outside world's doubts. Qiu Zhun, managing director of Yunjiu Capital, told the reporter of China Business News that everyone saw a futuristic new car in Las Vegas, but the management did not answer any questions on the spot, including the funds that have been plaguing the company recently, the "shutdown" of the factory, and the relationship between Faraday Future and LeTV Auto. Last November, LeTV encountered a "trust crisis" in the United States. The trigger point was that the US media disclosed that FF, which had previously claimed to have a strategic partnership with LeTV Auto and was registered in Los Angeles, could not pay the project fee on time, and its electric vehicle factory project infrastructure project was suspended. According to Xinhua News Agency, the Los Angeles Times reported on October 25 last year that according to the progress, FF should pay AECOM, the general contractor of the factory construction project, US$21 million and US$25 million in project fees in September and October respectively, but these two payments have not been in place, resulting in the suspension of the project. LeTV responded: "The factory has indeed stopped, but it is not a shutdown. The first phase, that is, land leveling, has ended, and this is not called a shutdown." There are also many questions about battery technology. Industry insiders said that according to the data released by FF, the largest battery pack of FF91 has reached 130 kWh, which is hard to imagine in terms of weight and cost. In addition, battery technology with such a large capacity will face problems with charging time and the number of charging piles. In the view of Lin Cheng, an expert from the Beijing New Energy Vehicle Technology Expert Group, it is not difficult for the battery energy density to reach 130 kWh per kilogram, and the ternary lithium battery material can reach up to 140 kWh. However, the instantaneous acceleration of 2.39 seconds is not an absolute advantage in the motor era. An industry insider told the reporter from China Business Network that because electric engines can already achieve very high power, as long as the instantaneous current output power is large enough, the acceleration can theoretically be infinitely close to the physical limit. Most of the industry insiders who attended the press conference told the reporter from China Business Network that they did not see the most amazing part of FF91, but the overall feeling was good, it had all the conditions that an electric car should have, and the technology also seemed very mature. However, the cost of making cars in this way is too high, which may make LeEco's capital chain even tighter. "For a press conference of this level, the product must be perfect and flawless, and LeEco did it. However, there are still steep cliffs and precipitous peaks ahead. They hope to raise funds through this press conference, which I think is difficult. LeEco and FF still need to prove more." Luo Wei, managing director of Gaofeng Consulting, told the reporter from China Business Network. Another Apple engineer working in Silicon Valley also said: "I think this press conference is just to make money. Mr. Jia is likely to make more money. After all, LeEco is the second company in the world after Tesla that dares to challenge high-end electric vehicles, and it is a Chinese company, which makes me feel relieved." The above-mentioned Apple engineer told the reporter of China Business Network: "Cars are different from mobile phones. Mobile phones are high-end, such as iPhones, with high profits. In fact, there are still many ordinary people who buy them, but the consumer group of high-end cars is very small." In fact, Tesla, which started from the high-end market, has turned to the low-end market, and the new Model 3 is the best proof. "In fact, the most popular electric car in our Bay Area is not Tesla, but Nissan's leaf, because it is cheap and in large quantities." The above-mentioned Apple engineer said. There are not many details about the mass production plan of FF91. FF only said that the first batch of mass-produced cars will be delivered in 2018, and those who need to buy them must pay a deposit of US$5,000. In addition, the price of FF91 is still unknown. In response to the previous rumors quoted by foreign media that FF's price exceeded US$1 million, which was more expensive than Tesla, LeEco Auto Vice President Ni Kai denied it. Sampson, vice president of FF's R&D department, told the reporter of China Business Network that FF's Nevada factory will start construction at the beginning of this year and will be able to pay off debts owed to suppliers. However, another former FF executive said that if Jia Yueting cannot raise funds at CES, the company will not survive until February this year. However, just after the release of FF91, news came out in the industry that LeTV's "second largest shareholder" had forced to invest in FF and said on the spot that it would add an additional $1 billion. LeTV did not comment on this. As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity. |
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