Even though Lu Zhou didn't think the name "Thor" was particularly good, seeing how the noob researchers in the laboratory seemed to like the name, he reluctantly agreed.
It would take a while before the system was actually deployed, so they could still change the name at a later date.
As for when they were going to deploy the technology…
They would at least wait until the Dragon series of chips were born.
The continued rise in the popularity of Beep Beep Charging attracted the attention of EVgo, which was also trying to expand into the Shanghai market.
The Tesla China division did not implement an aggressive marketing strategy; instead, they directly went to negotiate with major shopping malls, signing favorable contracts with them.
Just like Bobby had expected, almost none of the malls rejected the opportunity of having Tesla-branded charging stations in their parking lots, just like how no mall would reject having a Louis Vuitton store.
Having such a well-known brand would increase customer flow.
What Bobby didn't expect was that inside the parking lot of a Yida Plaza mall parking lot, no one was gathering around the Tesla-Evgo charging stations. Instead, all of the attention was on the Beep Beep Charging stations…
Even though this didn't make him feel frustrated or worried, he still reported this to his superior, Elon Musk.
"It seems like we have an absolute advantage in the Shanghai business district areas, but Beep Beep Charging is also expanding…" Bobby paused for a second and said, "Star Sky Technology is following our footsteps. If they continue to grow, they will catch up to us in six months in terms of coverage.
"My suggestion is to sign an exclusive agreement with large and medium-sized shopping malls, for them to cooperate with us on charging stations. We should not allow other companies to obtain parking lot spaces for their charging stations!"
After hearing Bobby's words, Elon smiled and spoke.
"We're not going to do that."
Bobby paused for a second.
"Why?"
Elon smiled and spoke casually.
"I'm sure you already know that the company in charge of Beep Beep Charging is well versed in internet marketing. If an American company like us signed an exclusive agreement with a Chinese shopping mall, our name would be plastered all over the Internet. The mall would be pressured to cancel our contract.
"Because if they don't cancel their contracts, the state would intervene."
Bobby frowned and said, "So we're just going to watch them grow like this? I don't like their business model, but if this goes on, it might impact our business—"
"I know, Mr. Bobby," Elon interrupted him and said, "I never said to just leave them alone, we should use other measures."
After hearing Elon's words, Bobby calmed down and listened.
"EVgo has coverage in Shanghai of over 85%, not to mention that Mercedes, Volkswagen, and other car companies plan on signing charging station contracts with us. Our charging stations will be fitted with specific interfaces…"
"EVgo will be the only officially recognized electric vehicle charging station in China!"
Bobby's eyes began to light up.
Oh my…
Elon is a genius!
Regardless of whether or not the EVgo charging stations were smarter than other companies' charging stations, just the Tesla name itself was able to make people subconsciously choose the EVgo brand.
In comparison, the wireless charging feature Beep Beep Charging was offering would be insignificant.
Out of convenience, people would always choose wireless charging, but at the end of the day, they cared more about safety and stability. That was exactly what EVgo offered.
Bobby took a deep breath and said, "I know what to do."
"Good." Elon smiled and said, "We don't have to sign an exclusive agreement with the Chinese."
Obtaining exclusive contracts and suppressing the downstream industry would violate antitrust regulations and free trade laws.
But were there any laws in business?
Elon wasn't going to look down on Beep Beep Charging just because it was a small company, and he would do everything he could to protect his territory…
The reason was simple.
It was because of the man behind the Beep Beep Charging company.
Elon would never forget what happened in the aerospace field…
He would never allow himself to underestimate his opponent again!
"Oh yeah, our goal is the Yangtze River Delta city group, not just Shanghai. Remember what I told you the last time I came to China? The Yangtze River Delta will become the city center of the entire western pacific region."
"An important investor will visit you in three days. If everything goes well, we can get at least a billion USD in funding.
"You got this!"
Bobby nodded solemnly.
"Okay!"
…
Jinling.
Institute for Advanced Study, director's office.
Lu Zhou would often come to his office to discuss important matters.
One was because of its tidiness, the other was because of security.
His Jin University office was messy and chaotic.
Chen Yushan was sitting on the sofa. She took a sip of tea and spoke to Lu Zhou, who was sitting behind his desk.
"Tesla has taken action. Reliable sources say that they are talking with Volkswagen. If they sign a deal, they'll issue a statement and designate EVgo as the officially supported charging station."
Lu Zhou put down his pen and nodded.
"So you guessed it right again."
Chen Yushan: "Not guessing, I knew this was going to happen. Finding outside help is the best solution for them, and there is little risk involved. As long as they have control over the Yangtze River Delta region, they'll never lose money."
The cost of antitrust investigations wasn't negligible.
However, if Tesla could form a monopoly, they would still be able to turn a profit.
Not to mention that the possibility of an antitrust investigation was low…
Even though Lu Zhou didn't know a lot about business, he was still curious as to what Chen Yushan planned on doing.
"Then what do you plan on doing?"
Chen Yushan smirked.
"Didn't I tell you two months ago? I plan on playing 4D chess."
Lu Zhou said, "You're still playing chess?"
Lu Zhou nearly forgot about this.
What kind of chess game takes two months…
"I already finished the chess game."
Chen Yushan smirked and said, "The show is about to begin."
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