In later generations, the United States was called a "country on wheels", a country where people loved driving, but it is far from that now.
It is almost impossible to drive this Cadillac from Chicago to New York. Not only is the stability of the vehicle itself problematic, the most important thing is that the road conditions are not good, and it is not so convenient to refuel.
So they still can only take the train.
The New York Auto Show will be held in two days, and Li Yu has not been idle these two days in New York.
HarperCollins Publisher found Li Yu and first gave him royalties on the first edition of "Star Wars: A New Hope", totaling US$9,000.
There is currently no personal income tax in the United States (it will be introduced in 10 years), and all of this money has gone into Li Yu's hands.
However, some of this money will be distributed to Lu Bicheng and De Ling in the future.
Editor-in-chief James said: "Sir, you can open an account in an American bank so that we can send money to you at any time."
Li Yu was going to follow his advice and open an account at Citibank, which would indeed be much more convenient in the future.
There is also an electronic ignition system, which is something that has been completely popularized and even taken for granted in later generations of cars. You can't just crank it with a joystick like the hand-cranked tractors of the past every time you drive.
There are many cars in the exhibition hall, but the most dazzling one at this auto show is really Cadillac.
Wilfred smiled awkwardly: "Miss Sierra, do you think this is good? I will provide you with a car with better power."
The four-wheel drive system, although seen as a configuration only required by high-end models or off-road vehicles in later generations, is actually really important at this time, because today's road conditions are simply not comparable to those of more than 100 years later, and the paved roads are not
Much, not to mention the level of paving.
"Yes," Li Yu said calmly, "I will set up a company to provide technical support for several automobile companies such as four-wheel drive systems, electronic ignition systems, and even key engine parts."
"So it's you!" Ford said, "I remembered, there was your picture in the newspaper."
"Okay, then I'll go look elsewhere." Sierra turned and left.
Ford nodded again: "That's right."
Li Yu smiled and said: "What a coincidence, I happen to have a French version."
Sierra was dissatisfied: "Didn't you agree to leave one for me?"
Now his thinking is clear. This industry is really big, and the well-known car companies are not just the familiar Volkswagen, Toyota, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Ford, General Motors, etc. - these are those that can produce cars and sell them.
enterprise.
Talking back to the environment in the late Qing Dynasty, it was indeed difficult to develop a large-scale automobile industry (it was also difficult for other industrial types), but it was much better to do technology research and development and provide technology.
It is true that automobiles are a very important industry, and even in later generations, they are still one of the pillar industries of big countries.
On the day of the auto show, Sierra came over in a carriage.
Li Yu smiled and said, "It's me."
Li Yu will not be a vassal of a certain company, so he must do preliminary work first, such as registering a company, registering a patent, etc.
Li Yu said: "As for the four-wheel drive system, I believe you two also understand that the core problem lies in the universal joint. If its stability and reliability can be improved, it will be fine."
For example, in the past few years, the lack of chips in automobiles has caused difficulties for many automobile companies. Automobile chips are mainly produced by several specialized automobile chip companies in the upstream of the industry.
In fact, many European countries now have such high welfare and such long vacations. It seems like working every day. They are still developed countries. In addition to colonizing the third world for many years and sucking blood, another important reason is that more than 100 people
A large number of technology patents have been accumulated over the years.
But he also knew that in the environment of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, there was no suitable soil for industry.
Mr. Leland also said: "Yes, the points you mentioned are exactly the problems we urgently need to solve. Once it is proven to be a mature and reliable technology, it will be great news for us."
Sierra introduced: "He is Li Yu, from the Qing Dynasty."
Li Yu and Sierra rode a carriage to the auto show, feeling a bit like moving from the old era to the new era.
Ford thought about what Li Yu said for a while, "Do you know anything about cars? If such an excellent system can be produced, I will purchase it unconditionally, but we need to see successful samples."
James added: "In addition, we have already negotiated with Europe. "Star Wars: A New Hope" will be released in Europe in English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish and other languages, but
The translation work will take some time."
"Technology?" Ford himself was an engineer and was fascinated by automobile technology. He had run several automobile companies before, but they all failed because he was too obsessed with technology research and development and neglected company operations.
Tesla believed it, and in less than half a year, he actually modified all 24 DC generators in Edison's company. Then he went to Edison to ask for money, but Edison actually replied: "You don't understand, this is our United States.
Human humor.”
Edison's DC generators had big problems at the time, and Edison promised Tesla that he would give him $50,000 if he could improve these DC generators.
Li Yu said: "As for the electronic ignition system, I think I can also provide a complete solution for this design."
There are many reasons for the weak horsepower of cars now, but in the short term, the points that can be quickly improved are engine displacement, cylinders, intake and exhaust design, etc.
In the eyes of the public, this is not gentlemanly at all.
Leland said in surprise: "The Japanese customer just offered twice the price. I remember you agreed."
Henry Ford said to Li Yu next to him: "Where have I seen this gentleman?"
This is also the current operating model of many car companies. As mentioned above, prototypes need to be used to gain fame and obtain financing through competitions and other methods.
Wilfred ran over quickly: "Father, it's your fault for selling all the cars you produced! Miss Sierra was going to order one, but now she's angry."
As soon as Li Yu and Sierra walked in, Wilfred saw them: "I'm here! I'm here! You guys came so slowly. Just ten minutes ago, all the cars we produced this time were sold.
Empty."
On the other hand, without them, all car companies would be paralyzed.
Ford has not yet begun production of the Model T, but has only built a few prototypes.
Li Yu said steadily: "I will provide it to these gentlemen, and I will definitely make you 100% satisfied."
Ford nodded: "Yes, sir, please continue."
Mr. Leland next to him said: "The points you mentioned are difficult to solve. The engine problem can also be improved by increasing the displacement. But the four-wheel drive system is really difficult to achieve. Last year, someone designed a four-wheel drive system.
It can drive a car, but the stability is very poor and the cost is too high. As for the electronic ignition system, it is limited by design and stability and is difficult to popularize because it is not as stable and reliable as a rocker."
Li Yu said: "I don't have to mention whether to buy a car or not. I am more interested in some car technologies."
Moreover, automobiles are also of great significance to modern industry.
It happens to be what Li Yu is good at.
It can also be said that it is a technical barrier that makes it difficult for late-developing countries to get around it.
Many coachmen in Europe and the United States dislike cars very much, and often ridicule them in newspapers. For example, there are many cartoons showing cars breaking down halfway and the driver having to lie under the car to repair the car.
Ford said: "If this is true, sir, you can come to our company and we can make a lot of money together!"
Wilfred scratched his head: "But the price offered by those Japanese is too high."
Ford opened his mouth, and Li Yu almost explained the current situation of the automobile industry in just one sentence. He paused and then said: "I didn't expect that you are a foreign academician of the Royal Society and a member of the Astronomical Society, and you also have knowledge of the machinery industry.
Such deep insights.”
Sierra and the Carnegie family behind her happen to have a certain status in the United States, and they can help with future patent applications, import and export, and distribution.
Especially in a country like Japan, cars are almost the lifeblood. Japan is the world's third largest GDP country. You can imagine the significance of cars.
Sierra said: "You are quite good at business."
Li Yu smiled and said: "I'd better start my own small business."
Even Li Yu can apply for a patent in the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, and Germany.
There are no car models in today's auto shows.
Li Yu happens to be very familiar with industrial design including automobiles.
What Ford brings today is its own prototype car, the Ford 999. This car was recently driven around by a racing driver and earned a lot of fame.
——Of course, there are only a few automobile companies that can become big.
There is another very critical point: these companies hold a large number of patents, and they receive a lot of money from the patent fees alone.
Upstream of them, there are some companies that are not well-known to the public but are actually very important and very profitable, such as Germany's Bosch, Continental, Japan's Denso, etc.
Ford was stunned for a long time and then said: "Can you really solve all these problems?"
Sierra greeted the two of them: "Hello, Mr. Leland, Mr. Henry!"
There are five famous international auto shows in later generations: Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, Paris Auto Show in France, Geneva Auto Show in Switzerland, North American Auto Show and Tokyo Auto Show in Japan. However, the North American Auto Show among them, the Detroit Auto Show, has not yet started, so the New York Auto Show is basically
Currently the largest automotive industry event in the United States.
Of course, what is most needed for off-roading is a four-wheel drive system.
Li Yu has a very sharp eye. He had a bachelor's degree in mechanics at that time and was quite familiar with cars.
Li Yu smiled: "I'm really interested."
The reason why this can be done is because the structure of today's cars is far less complex than that of later generations.
In other words, these companies are the hidden champions in the automotive industry.
"It's such an honor to meet you!" Ford said, "Why are you at the auto show? Do you want to buy a car?"
"This is really great!" James said, "Our work can advance faster. According to my preliminary estimates, the sales volume of this book in Europe will not be less than 200,000 copies. If the sequel can continue to sell well, the overall sales volume will be
It will also improve significantly.”
Li Yu said: "What Mr. Leland said makes sense, but I do have a way to solve it. The engine is a design problem. To sum up, it means that the number of cylinders can be increased and the volume and cost can be controlled at the same time."
These companies can be called automotive technology suppliers, and almost all automotive companies cannot do without their technical support.
Wilfred said quickly: "This car is a show car, and we need to use it to attract big buyers."
The two also knew Sierra, "Beautiful Sierra, you are truly the most moving lady in this pavilion, as dazzling as the best racing car."
It can even be said that with the current level of roads, driving is almost like driving off-road.
In other words, Li Yu can first work in the upstream of the automobile industry and become the industry leader like Bosch, or the invisible king.
This is all high-tech, does not require excessive capital investment, and does not rely heavily on the industrial environment. It is a better direction.
The New York Auto Show has been held since the first year of the 20th century, that is, in 1900. The scale is certainly not comparable to that of later generations, but now there are many car companies participating in the show.
Wilfred said: "It was all father's idea."
There are also many key components in the car's engine and gearbox, which are also produced by these upstream technology companies. For example, the CVT gearbox that is very popular in Japanese cars has its core component - steel belt, which comes from Germany's Bosch Group (
Of course, there are other companies that provide it).
The booth next to it is Ford.
Ford has really become a big plutocrat in the future, and it is extremely rich.
But since mankind entered the first industrial revolution, technology has changed too fast. Sometimes when the times abandon an old thing, it is so fast that there is no time to even say hello.
The broad road.
At this time, there were hundreds of automobile companies in the United States, but most of them were small workshops. If I had to make an analogy, it might be a bit like the self-employed people in later generations, where one or two people or a few people work together to build a car, and then if possible
Participate in a racing competition, and if you become famous, you can continue to raise funds to start a company.
Li Yu looked at it for a while and quickly discovered many problems with the car.
Sierra pointed to the back: "Isn't there another one?"
After all, 10 horsepower in 1903 was almost like a twin-turbocharged V8 engine more than 100 years later. Just thinking about it makes people excited.
Automobiles and automobile industry are two different concepts. Automobiles involve so many upstream and downstream related industries that together they become a huge entity.
Just like any emerging industry, there are hundreds of schools of thought contending at the beginning, but in the end, only a few giants remain.
When Tesla left Serbia to work as an engineer in Edison's company, Tesla was absolutely top-notch in terms of technology, and could be said to be many, many more than Edison.
He also suddenly thought of Tesla.
Li Yu looked at the car in front of him and said: "I have just observed that there are many areas where this car can be improved. In fact, it is not just this car, but also the Cadillac model A car next to it. But I think you two
What sir is probably most interested in right now is engine improvements, four-wheel drive systems and electronic ignition systems, right?"
In short, if there is a cause, there will be an effect. Otherwise, future generations of Europeans would not dare to implement so many enviable welfare policies.
Like Europe, there are still many horse-drawn carriages in the United States today, and many people do not think that cars will be the future.
Today's automobile companies are very competitive. Whoever has advanced technology or can reduce costs is a powerful weapon to occupy the market.
Of course, another way is through auto shows. Many companies hope to gain favor for their products and receive large orders. This not only facilitates financing, but also allows them to produce with confidence.
Wilfred's old face blushed slightly, and Sierra said beside him: "So that's what happened."
Mr. Leland said: "Are you the Li Yu who is rumored to have discovered Pluto and also found extragalactic galaxies?"
Even though cars have not yet become popular on a large scale, there are not many people who love cars now.
This idea came to Li Yu's mind from the moment he entered the hall.
Therefore, the four-wheel drive system is very critical, and it was also one of the biggest demands for vehicles in the later World War I.
At this time, Mr. Leland, the founder of Lincoln Motors and Cadillac Motors, was chatting with Henry Ford.
You see, even Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc., which are emerging later, have become developed countries, but the people are having a hard time.
Well, it’s a good sell.
I didn’t give him any money…
Tesla argued hard, but in the end Edison just gave him a salary increase.
This is the delicate relationship between boss and employees.
So strictly speaking, Edison was not only an inventor, but more like an entrepreneur. Of course, he was indeed very successful in starting a company. Many important American companies had Edison's shadow in their early days.