Chapter 663 474: 1243 km, a Disruptive Change! Ah Zhe: I Want 10 Chicken Butts

This was Napa, the famous wine region.

They were 120 kilometers from Palo Alto, and the central control screen now showed the battery at 91%.

Musk didn't stop to rest. He continued driving north for another 250 kilometers without a break, finally reaching Redding, California.

Perhaps he had too much champagne, as he couldn't hold it any longer. The moment he got out of the car, he bolted for the restroom.

The reporters stood guard by the car to prevent any Tesla employees from secretly charging it, ensuring the test's fairness.

The livestream camera focused on the Model S LR's large screen. The battery was still at 72%.

After a total of 370 kilometers, it hadn't even used up a third of its battery.

Netizens from all over the world were stunned!

Netizens from Hua Country felt a sense of shared glory. They knew the Model S LR's success was inseparable from the Deep Blue Battery.

The live event was a huge success, and its underlying significance was immense. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a milestone in the development of new energy vehicles.

In the past, users' impressions of electric vehicles were always stuck on their short range and inability to travel far. Now, that stereotype had been completely shattered.

An electric car's range could actually be better than a gasoline-powered one!

Ten minutes later, Musk set off from Redding, driving about 200 kilometers north to Medford, Oregon.

Outside the window, the night was thick and pitch-black.

The group took a short break, and after dinner, they started the car again, heading toward Eugene.

Next was Portland, with the final stop being Seattle.

By the time Musk drove into downtown Seattle, it was already 4:30 AM. The distant sky was faintly glowing, and the number of viewers in the livestream had dropped to just over a hundred thousand; most of the others had fallen asleep.

On the screen, the battery capacity was down to 4%, and the car's system was constantly displaying charging alerts.

Meanwhile, staff at a Tesla Supercharger station were already waiting ten kilometers away.

The glaring red low-battery warning was jarring, making people's hearts clench with the fear that Musk wouldn't make it to the Supercharger station.

But the final range figure on the dashboard was still climbing rapidly!

1231 kilometers!

1234 kilometers!

1239 kilometers!

...

The audience didn't breathe a collective sigh of relief until the charging station came into view.

A total of 1243 kilometers, and the final battery level was frozen at 2%!

Everyone was dumbfounded!

They never would have imagined that the Model S LR's actual range could truly reach 1200 kilometers!

And the Model S LR was equipped with only a 160 kWh battery pack. If it were swapped for a 200 kWh pack, the range could reach 1500 kilometers; with a 240 kWh pack, it could reach 1800 kilometers!

It was hard to imagine the impact on the global automotive industry when a purely electric car possessed an ultra-long range of nearly 2000 kilometers.

Furthermore, thanks to the high energy density of the 4890 lithium-sulfur battery, even increasing the battery pack's capacity to 200 kWh wouldn't significantly affect the car's load capacity or handling.

Before the livestream ended, Musk made a point to remind Tesla users, "When the battery drops to 20%, it's best to charge it as soon as possible to extend the battery's cycle life."

In an instant, sales of the Model S LR skyrocketed.

In just one morning, 800 new orders were placed in the North American Region, 70 in the Netherlands, and 54 in Norway.

That afternoon, Musk announced on Twitter that Tesla would enter the Asian market in the fourth quarter, with Hua Country as its first stop.

In the eyes of the higher-ups, Tesla was like a catfish—its presence might just revitalize the domestic new energy vehicle market.

Otherwise, the domestic companies would just remain complacent, spending all their time chasing government subsidies.

The total annual sales in the entire country were less than fifty thousand units. At this rate, when would the widespread adoption of new energy vehicles ever be achieved?

...

...

Xucheng, Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park.

Chen Yansen sat in his office, approving and replying to contracts for various projects one by one. Afterward, he opened his email to check Tesla's purchase orders.

At the Model S LR's current sales pace, the 1.5 billion US Dollar quota for Deep Blue Battery would likely be used up before November.

'The suckers in North America are so plentiful and ripe for the picking!'

Chen Yansen couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

The battery procurement cost for one Model S LR was 64,000 US dollars. After deducting material, after-sales, and sales costs, he could net a profit of 40,000 US dollars per car.

'It's more profitable than arms dealing!'

'As for Musk, he's basically just an employee working for Deep Blue Technology.'

Purchase orders from BAIC, Huqi, and Great Wall had also arrived in his inbox.

The biggest obstacle currently limiting Deep Blue Battery sales was production capacity!

Yuan Ruli of the Shencheng Central Control Department was bustling about. To get Deep Blue's second factory into production sooner, he had privately pulled quite a few strings to help Deep Blue Technology acquire equipment, set up production lines, and purchase raw mineral resources.

He had no choice; the Deep Blue Battery was simply too important for Shencheng City.

Putting aside the jobs it created, the annual industrial output of over a hundred billion yuan alone was enough to make Yuan Ruli go all out for Chen Yansen.

In the future, Deep Blue Technology's industrial output might even exceed a trillion yuan.

Therefore, Yuan Ruli knew in his heart that just by keeping Deep Blue Technology in Shencheng City, he had already won half the battle.

"DING-DONG! Hello, Master. I am Moss. It is now 5 PM. You've been working all day, so please be sure to rest."

The Moss M7 Smart Speaker on his desk suddenly chimed.

Chen Yansen's hands abruptly stopped moving. He then shut down his computer, stood up, and walked out the door.

There were plenty of other employees who, like him, disliked working overtime. People were trickling out of every office building, some driving home, others taking the company shuttle.

Of course, the majority, about sixty percent, still stayed behind to work overtime. After 8 PM, only twenty percent remained. These were Senlian Capital's "hardcore grinders."

Chen Yansen didn't go to the underground parking garage. Instead, he took the elevator to the first floor and got into his Aston Martin Rapide, which he hadn't driven in a long time.

A few minutes later, Tang Zhenzhe hopped into the passenger seat with a wide grin and said to Chen Yansen, "Brother Sen, Bo Bo is driving with Xiaopeng. We can just head straight to the restaurant."

Chen Yansen grunted in acknowledgment. After driving out of the Science and Technology Park, he headed toward the East Gate of Xuyuan.

Every year before the school term began, the guys from dorm 8302 would always find time to get together.

"Ah Zhe, what are your plans for after graduation?"

Chen Yansen asked casually.

Under his influence, the life trajectories of the other five from dorm 8302 had changed dramatically.

Song Yang, the introverted homebody, had actually become a well-known student entrepreneur at Xuyuan. With his campus courier business, he was able to earn over a hundred thousand a year.

Wang Zhengqiang, who should have been busy studying for the civil service exam, was now helping Song Yang manage the courier station.

Meng Xibo started as a part-time customer service rep and worked his way up to supervisor.

Although Zhu Xiaopeng's abilities couldn't match Meng Xibo's, after three years at FoxTao and Pinbei, he had also become a customer service team leader.

Tang Zhenzhe had been an intern in Orange Technology's branding department for two years, and Wang Shixiang was recently planning to promote him to team leader.

"Brother Sen, to be honest, I don't really have any plans. I used to want to go to grad school, but now I just want to make money and have fun. You know my family's old place was demolished, and we got four 107-square-meter apartments as compensation."

Tang Zhenzhe said with a shrug.

'This dog, why be so specific? Afraid I don't know how big your apartments are?'

Chen Yansen chuckled, at a loss for words.

However, he could understand Tang Zhenzhe. His parents both had pensions, he had an older sister, and Ah Zhe himself had two apartments in Luzhou all to himself. He hadn't even graduated yet, but he had already lost his ambition.

'The experts weren't wrong. Housing prices that are too low aren't conducive to motivating young people to strive. Just look at Tang Zhenzhe's lost expression.'

"Zhou Shouzhi is interested in expanding Orange Technology's business footprint in Southeast Asia. Are you interested in being a channel specialist?"

Chen Yansen said after a moment of thought.

"Southeast Asia? Brother Sen, where exactly?" Tang Zhenzhe pressed.

"The entire Southeast Asia region, of course. But I'd recommend you go to An Nan. The girls there have fair skin, great bodies, and good skills," Chen Yansen said with a wicked smile.

He was very familiar with Tang Zhenzhe's abilities. In his past life, the guy had been the channel director for a publicly listed company, mainly responsible for market development in Southeast Asia.

"I don't want one with 'good skills.' I prefer them inexperienced," Tang Zhenzhe said with a sly chuckle.

"Alright, I'll have a word with Lao Zhou later," Chen Yansen nodded.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of Shuangqing Restaurant.

Chen Yansen got out of the car, walked inside, and greeted the owner, "Lao Zhao, you should eat less. Your belly's gotten even bigger."

"Hey, President Chen is here! The moment I saw Boss Song book a private room, I knew you guys were having a get-together. The usual, right? I'll bring up two cases of beer to start."

Lao Zhao said with a wide grin as soon as he saw Chen Yansen.

"Make the braised chicken extra spicy, and throw in a few extra chicken butts," Tang Zhenzhe called out to Lao Zhao.

Chen Yansen had a look of disgust on his face, but he didn't say anything.

Ah Zhe just had a thing for them. Ever since they first met, he was always going on about how fragrant chicken butts were when roasted and how tender they were when stewed. He had to specially order them at every gathering, and there was no stopping him.

"I'll give you ten," Lao Zhao said, holding up his hands.

"Generous," Tang Zhenzhe said with satisfaction, giving a thumbs-up.

Chen Yansen ignored the two of them, went straight up to the second floor, and pushed open the door to the private room.