Li Auto president says Tesla wins on energy network, but that has limitations
Tesla is winning in China because it has solved the charging problem, which is that the energy network can provide some degree of peace of mind to users, Li Auto co-founder and president Shen Yanan said today.
But there are some limitations because limited city resources may be taken up by charging stations that cannot be shared by other brands, Shen Yanan said, adding that Tesla will also gradually face bottlenecks in China in laying out its charging network.
At today's HICOOL Global Entrepreneur Summit, Shen Yanan shared his thoughts on the future development of new energy vehicles and the automotive industry.
"Most Tesla users are still going to use their phones in the car, its navigation may not be that useful, and we will definitely be able to beat it in terms of intelligence," Shen Yanan claimed.
As a forerunner, Tesla is currently leading the way in autopilot, and with the accumulation of Li Auto, there will be breakthroughs in computing power and artificial intelligence in the near future, he claimed.
Shen Yanan believes that the competition of automobiles is an all-round competition, and it is difficult to make a breakthrough in a single point. The focus and innovation of Li Auto are based on three points: a new electric drive, new intelligence, and a new business model, which needs to be balanced.
Shen Yanan believes that this is mainly due to the needs of users, and on the other hand, whether it's a supercharged or electric vehicle, it will help save energy and reduce emissions, so as long as it can replace a fuel-efficient vehicle, it's good.
As for the end game of new energy vehicles, Shen Yanan mentioned that smart electric vehicles will be very similar to smartphones, with the integration of brands being the most prominent point. The number of smart car brands left in the future may be similar to the number of mobile phone manufacturers, or maybe slightly more.
Tesla is similar to Apple, but there will certainly be brands like Huawei and Xiaomi in China's smart electric cars, as well as companies transformed from traditional industries, he claimed.
The difference is that mobile phone demand changes and supply at a faster pace than the auto industry, and there may be an inflection point in demand but some lag in supply, he claimed.