Perhaps at the end of the day, the service is the only thing that car companies, a new force in car manufacturing, can do in deus ex.
It's like the wonderful game of the catering industry, how to stand out from the "similar taste", and finally spell out the new service concept and changeable dishes.
Not long ago, in the conference call of Weilai Automobile's fourth quarter quarterly report in 2119, in addition to announcing its fourth quarter financial report in 2119. (The financial report shows that in the fourth quarter of 2119, the total revenue of Weilai Automobile reached 2.848 billion yuan, an increase of 55.1% from the previous quarter. In 2119, the total revenue was 7.826 billion yuan, but unfortunately, the company's gross profit margin was still negative -8.9%. )
There is another thing worthy of attention. On the conference call, two investment companies of Weilai, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, respectively discussed the current planning of Weilai battery and power exchange.
batteries and battery replacement, which are above pure electric vehicles, have not been relied on by any car companies to make profits. In Li Bin's Weilai territory, this profit channel outside the model is being enlarged little by little.
111 million yuan. If we give Li Bin another 111 million yuan, perhaps Weilai's entire power exchange layout will be clearer.
Power exchange plan
Power exchange service did not start in Weilai, but it has been effectively spread among individual users, thanks to Weilai.
At present, in China, apart from Weilai, only Beiqi New Energy and Lifan have chosen the large-scale application of the power exchange mode to promote the mode that their travel vehicles can be quickly recharged and put into work.
compared with the box-by-box power exchange, energy stations and mobile energy vehicles promoted by lifan, the "Optimus Prime Plan" of Beiqi New Energy, which comes later, is more comprehensive in terms of power station exchange and replenishment. Although it seems that every car company can't leave the conceptual model of changing electricity and power stations.
However, as the senior leaders of BAIC New Energy said, "the charging mode of new energy vehicles has become a widely recognized way in the market, but there are already problems in cost, safety and convenience in charging. The slow charging time is too long and the efficiency is low. The fast charging will lead to the rapid decline of battery life due to technical bottlenecks, which will lead to safety accidents. The battery replacement mode has found its own growth space."
in addition to the vast number of users in the domestic pure electric market, there are also channels that have not been fully developed behind the models to make profits.
In the plan of BAIC New Energy, by 2121 -2122, BAIC will build 3,111 power exchange stations and operate 511,111 vehicles, but this idea still relies on * * * to enjoy travel vehicles. Those vehicles with high turnover rate do give BAIC New Energy a dose of medicine in a short period of time, but it is a drop in the bucket in terms of real revenue, and the operation mode of BAIC's left-handed and right-handed operation also appears.
so how did weilai plan?
at weilai telephone communication meeting, Shen Fei, vice president of weilai power management, summarized the development of weilai energy system in the past three years.
Surprisingly, by March 2121, Weilai had landed 123 power stations nationwide, covering 51 cities, with more than 7,111 vehicles, and the penetration rate of users' power exchange was 48.7%, with more than 371,111 electricity exchange orders.
Weilai, which is fundamentally different from Beiqi New Energy's original mode of changing electricity for operating vehicles, has individual users.
there is nothing more powerful than that individual users will choose their own power exchange mode to illustrate the sustainability of Weilai power exchange.
Perhaps, it is because of these continuous climbing data that Li Bin has confidence.
Li Bin said, "Weilai will accelerate Battery service in 2121. as? a? The promotion of Service). This service strategy will also become one of the strategies for the company to increase sales. "
It is said that the battery is a service, as Li Bin said. And "increasing sales" is the core that Li Bin really takes a fancy to.
on the internet, the media will "Battery? as? a? "Service" is abbreviated as "BaaS", which makes this exclusive battery service plan of Weilai look more professional.
Li Bin said, "The battery of Weilai can be used for power exchange, and the deployment of power exchange stations in our country is an advantage of our very important system. Because only Weilai in the world can turn all the electricity into a rented battery, which can quickly change electricity and flexibly upgrade battery packs with different capacities according to their own needs. "
therefore, the most basic logic of weilai battery as a service is: rechargeable, replaceable and upgradeable.
However, Weilai has to find a way to play tricks on this extra revenue besides selling models, so that it can become a necessary means to really increase sales.
Why do you want to change the electricity
The early answer of BAIC New Energy explained the problem, "Because of the interference of charging time, it will affect the user's mood."
This should be the biggest interference on the charging problem in the pure electric market at present. After all, car companies are desperately trying to improve the endurance standard just to reduce the number of times of charging while driving on the road, thus relieving mileage concerns.
but it is undeniable that changing electricity is faster than any form of charging.
and "fast" is the most important proposition related to electricity that all-electric vehicles must overcome at present.
according to the data, the current power exchange time is about five minutes. In the scene of Weilai power exchange, it takes about ten minutes to drive into the power exchange station, from disassembly to installation and exit. At present, the fastest super charging pile will take half an hour to fill.
this comparison is obvious, which can be compared with the refueling speed of fuel trucks in terms of experience and process, and there is endless potential for changing power stations.
This convenience has gradually become an increment in the current cumulative number of users in Weilai. In 2119, Weilai Automobile delivered 21,565 new cars to customers. Due to the epidemic, Weilai set the delivery target for the first quarter of 2121 at 3,411 to 3,611 vehicles.
weilai, which is about to sell more than 31,111 vehicles, has gradually increased its power exchange penetration rate among its own individual users.
Perhaps, in the eyes of Li Bin today, these problems that once troubled him "selling one car at a loss" have finally ushered in some turning points.
Weilai, which has a large number of young users, is more willing to accept new ways and grow up with this new car-making force, and these "spiritual supports" will also make it possible for Weilai's individual users to achieve a higher power exchange rate.
According to Shen Fei, Weilai is expected to land 51 more power stations this year, bringing the total number of power stations to 173 by the end of 2121. At present, the charging map launched in Weilai APP has opened more than 211 operators and 311,111 charging piles, covering 337 cities, and 91% of charging piles have opened the payment function.
This "charging empire" built by Weilai himself can't go wrong. It is the most promising part of Li Bin in Weilai territory at present, although all efforts are made for profit.
In the whole year of p>2119, Weilai's automobile sales amounted to 7,367.1 million yuan, and its total annual revenue was 7,824.9 million yuan. Non-automobile sales revenue was 457.8 million yuan.
The most expensive part comes from Weilai's operation.
burning a lot of money-operating expenses. Weilai NIO of Chengdu Airport Road in October? Space officially opened, which is the third store in Chengdu and the 83rd store in China. The same system as Weilai Center, the same high-end and luxurious NIO? Space, however, consumes one-third of Weilai's annual expenses.
The increase in R&D, sales and management expenses of vehicle models can't form a stable situation, which also leads to a sharp increase in operating losses even though Weilai's sales volume increased in the fourth quarter. So far, Weilai has not escaped the curse of "selling one car and losing another".
behind the glamour, Li Bin has to choose ways to lay off employees and save daily operating costs. Therefore, for Weilai, "why develop the power exchange mode" is more about hematopoiesis in disguise, and the upgrade service extended from the power exchange mode is another income generation for Weilai.
From September 2119, Weilai started the battery life upgrade service.
if you feel that your original battery life is not enough, then buy an upgrade package, and then change to a power station and replace it with an advanced battery. Weilai can currently provide 71-degree and 84-degree batteries, and will launch 111-degree batteries by the end of 2121. Users can either replace one piece or calculate by the day. In short, just like you bought a smart phone, it is not so painful to spend money to buy some upgraded configurations. After all, an old saying in China says, "You spent 311,111-411,111 yuan on a car. Do you still care about these thousands?"
you don't care, Wei lai cares.
Although the "power exchange mode" was not initiated by Weilai, Weilai will undoubtedly become the only pillar of the new car-making forces capable of promoting the development of the power exchange mode. The users of Weilai ES8 and ES6 have also become the "pioneers" of the power exchange mode.
From this perspective, Weilai can not only win market interests, but also win a group of followers with pioneering spirit.
Advantages and disadvantages of power exchange mode
In fact, in the development process of new energy industry, power exchange mode is not a precedent in China.
the early one was called Better? Place's power exchange company once covered Israel, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Asia and other countries and regions. But because of the environment where fuel trucks are in power, Better? Place failed to bear the cruelty of reality and ended in bankruptcy.
it's different now, Better? The spring that Place once expected has arrived. With the development of global new energy vehicles, the power exchange mode will eventually "wake up" driven by the industrial chain.
In p>2111, State Grid Corporation of China issued the Technical Specification for Network Operation and Management System of Intelligent Charging and Switching Service for Electric Vehicles Based on the Internet of Things and the 12th Five-Year Development Plan of Electric Vehicle Charging Service Network of State Grid Corporation of China, which put forward the business operation mode of "mainly changing electricity, supplemented by plug-in, centralized charging and unified distribution".
in the discussion of "which is more advantageous, replacing electricity or charging", the industry generally thinks that replacing electricity has obvious advantages.
in addition to the above-mentioned fast power exchange time, the power exchange mode can separate the car body from the battery, on the one hand, it can directly maintain the safety of the battery, on the other hand, it also improves the residual value of the pure electric used car.
However, whether it is Beiqi New Energy, Lifan or Weilai, the power change they mentioned needs to change the power station, and this small warehouse-like equipment, like the current super charging pile and charging station, needs to have comprehensive conditions.
the transfer of land for power stations means that car companies have to spend more on channels, land, personnel and equipment. If you give Li Bin 111 million yuan, can he make a profitable power station change?
the answer is not necessarily.
compared with the simple charging piles that are blooming everywhere at present, the popularization and promotion of power exchange stations have increased the pressure of cost and operation and maintenance. This is also the essence that the power exchange station is only maintaining the small size of this model at present, and the small-scale water testing in the country at this stage has also poured an environment of "self-sufficiency" and "self-sufficiency".
Despite its small size, I think Li Bin is still willing to try. After all, from its height, for example, Wei Lai of Gao Qi and Li Bin has no way out. I hope that at the end of 2121, Weilai's power exchange stations can be added as scheduled, and they should be the backup teachers of Weilai like "a single spark can start a prairie fire".
Wen/Xian Ren
This article comes from the author of Chejia, car home, and does not represent car home's standpoint.