A message from Sichuan car enthusiast Black Fox suddenly came to my phone half a month ago. The content was simple, with the core being only one sentence, “I may withdraw from OTA beta testing.” Previously, we joked that he was the branch secretary of the beta testing circle, enthusiastic and the second-highest proposal number among car owners. How could he suddenly withdraw from the beta testing?
Knowing this news, my mood was somewhat complex, I put down my work and talked to Black Fox on the phone for two hours. Now that his departure is already in the countdown, I think more people should know the reasons for his decision.
I bought it for its product quality, not because of Li Xiang
Black Fox was born in 1980, one year older than Li Xiang. When Li Xiang founded the website Bubble Net, Black Fox was still a forum moderator. When we talked about this, Black Fox emphasized that he was not a fan of Li Xiang and did not buy the Li Xiang ONE because of Li Xiang. “I just pay attention to him, know him, but I won’t spend more than 300,000 yuan just to support him.”
Black Fox’s car purchase decision process was actually quite long. He test drove it three times. In March 2020, Black Fox had his first test drive of the Li Xiang ONE. At that time, there was no Ideal retail center in Nanchong, Sichuan. Black Fox went to Chengdu specifically for the test drive, and the distance from Nanchong to Chengdu was nearly 300 kilometers round trip, requiring a whole day.
Black Fox is a slow-to-warm-up person. At the first test drive, Black Fox did not feel impulsive. “Maybe I had a prejudice against this car before, and over-glorified it.” But when he returned home and touched and sat in his own car, he felt somewhat disappointed, so he took the time to have another test drive in Chengdu. This time, the static and dynamic experiences combined for two hours, and Black Fox finally decided that this is the car he wants, a car that can meet the needs of the whole family.
Black Fox took his lover to have the third test drive during the Qingming Festival. After all, satisfying his family is the original intention of Black Fox changing cars. Before his lover arrived, he patiently introduced the configuration of the Li Xiang ONE to her several times. This was the first time she saw the actual car. The appearance was magnificent, and the interior was warm. When his lover sat in the car, Black Fox saw her different expression and knew that this matter had been settled. “Her evaluation of the Li Xiang ONE can be summarized in one sentence, this car is made for families.”On May 10th, 2020, it was the day when Black Fox received his ONE. He asked his lover to take pictures and videos of him and was as happy as a child. On the way back, Black Fox transformed the seats into a large bed mode to show his lover the ideal ONE’s hidden skill. “She slept comfortably all the way, feeling very satisfied. I looked at her and felt content.”
In August of last year, Black Fox also completed a nearly 3000-kilometer self-driving trip in Guizhou with his family, and one experience still remains vivid in his memory. “The original plan was to charge at the hotel, but the charging station was broken. I ran to a charging station 7 kilometers away and changed three plugs in a row, all of which were also broken. It was raining heavily at the time, and I was soaked like a chicken, and I was crushed. ” In anger, Black Fox filled up the gas at a nearby gas station, and never wanted to plan for charging again. “At that moment, I felt that choosing an extended-range was very, very correct. Beautiful places are difficult to reach, the charging station was not maintained properly, and time is so precious. If I still have to consider charging, it would be an extremely bad travel experience. Since then, I only refuel on long-distance trips.”
I have three goals in participating in OTA internal testing
Buying a car is just the beginning of Black Fox’s ideal life. Perhaps Black Fox himself did not expect that things related to this car would occupy half of his leisure time.
Because Black Fox has a high level of activity on the ideal community, he was selected in the first batch of OTA internal testing recruitments. Black Fox said that he initially came with personal aspirations. The first goal was to influence the ideal’s staff by this way and set up after-sales outlets in Nanchong, which was his primary purpose for joining the internal testing.
But later, Black Fox discovered that those in charge of OTA and those in charge of setting up after-sales outlets were not the same group of staff at all. If you want to open an after-sales outlet in a city, the number of ideal ONEs in that city is the most important prerequisite.
So, Black Fox started the rhythm of recommending ideal ONE while participating in the internal testing. Xianshuang is Black Fox’s product expert. If there are customers in Nanchong who want to experience ideal ONE, Xianshuang will communicate with Black Fox. As long as Black Fox has time, he will even drive his car to the user’s door for a test drive. Product introduction, sharing of actual usage experience, function display, Black Fox will even spend half an hour talking about the car on the spot. With his identity as a car owner, Black Fox’s invited new car buyers has reached 18 people.
In the process of selling cars, the relationship between Black Fox and Xianshuang has transformed from just sales and clients into supportive friends. “I told Xianshuang that their ideals are worth fighting for, and not to give up easily.” Today, Xianshuang has become a store manager, and as there are more and more car owners in Nanchong, IDEAL has set up a retail center and an authorized sheet metal spray center to meet the needs of local customers.
During the process of showcasing the vehicle, Black Fox gained a deeper understanding of the IDEAL ONE’s functions, and offered many valuable suggestions in the internal testing circle. The ability to implement their own ideas on the car’s computer is Black Fox’s second goal.
In the autumn of last year, a car owner fell asleep while using adaptive cruise control on the highway, which caused a collision. In response to this scenario, Black Fox came up with a great suggestion, “forcing the lane departure warning on, this is a life-saving feature during critical moments. Regardless of whether or not you have the lane departure warning turned on, when your car is in lane-keeping mode, it will be forced on.” After this feature was successfully launched, Black Fox felt a great sense of achievement.
Black Fox’s third goal is to learn new things. The car owners in the internal testing circle come from all over the country, and their collective learning has led to an increase in knowledge about cars. “Now we know what a smart car is, not as blurry as when we bought it, and we also know about the angles of the cameras, the types of radar, and the use of computing power, which makes me feel up to date.”
The IDEAL product managers are quite close to the internal testing car owners and communicate with them every day in the circle. Sometimes, car owners may express themselves too strongly, “When the internal testers communicate with them, they sometimes don’t pay much attention and get upset or complain. Some things the product managers can’t say due to work policies.” Speaking of this, Black Fox also blames himself for not controlling his emotions. In fact, IDEAL’s product managers understand the emotions of their clients and want to create excellent products. Besides self-motivation, they also need user feedback. “Every user provides suggestions, and the product managers have their own ideas. This requires balancing priorities, urgency, and pace. The inner testing of OTA has not been easy, and we’re truly grateful to all the product managers and operational personnel, including Shuai, Lao Gao, Lao Liang.”
Why I quit OTA internal testing?
Black Fox’s primary job is as a medical worker. In June of this year, the organization recruited village revitalization cadres to work in remote Tibetan areas, and as a Communist Party member, Black Fox signed up. “My wife will take care of the child, and she supports me. My mother opposes it a bit and worries that it will be too hard for me there.”
The village revitalization cadres are required to stay for at least two years, and the altitude in the Tibetan area is above 3,000 meters. The living conditions in the supportive villages are relatively poor, a huge challenge for anyone. “I can’t take my car with me since it’s inconvenient to use there, so I had to leave the OTA internal testing and choose to exit.”
Living on the plateau long-term may face some risks of diseases, such as cystic echinococcosis, tuberculosis, plague, etc., and because of the high altitude, it also affects the cardiovascular system, such as mitral regurgitation, hypertension, increased hemoglobin, etc. All of these cannot be ignored for Black Fox. “Around the beginning of August, rural revitalization work is a very important national policy for agriculture, rural areas and farmers. It is an honor for me to participate in it.”
How dangerous is it to stay in a village in the plateau region? According to media reports, in the precise poverty alleviation work from 2016 to 2020, 150 poverty alleviation officials sacrificed in Sichuan Province. In terms of age, the majority were between 40 and 60 years old, with the youngest being only 23 years old and the oldest being 68 years old. In terms of regional distribution, they mainly concentrated in Aba and Liangshan areas.
“Sacrifices must always be made. Compared with those who came before us, my sacrifice is nothing. Our country must have people making sacrifices to become better from generation to generation.” Two years is a short time, but also a long time. Black Fox has set a goal for herself. “Two years later, to verify my beliefs with my actions, I want to use my own and my organization’s strength to help the local people truly improve their living standards. If I can really achieve this, I can boast about it for a lifetime. I cannot create a company like Li Xiang did and make it public. However, I can be a brick in the city wall and do my best as a brick.”
What do you hope your ideal will look like in two years? This is the last question I asked Black Fox. “I hope the ideal ultra-fast charging technology has been mass-produced, and there are more advanced driver assistance technologies. When I come back in 2023, I hope to be able to buy better ideal products. Ideal must become a great company to improve the quality of people’s lives and travel, just as you said, to create a mobile home, to create a happy home.”
The two-hour call is condensed in this article. I don’t know how to end it. I am as entangled as in the beginning. In response to the actual situation that Black Fox has dropped out of the internal beta, after discussion, we decided to keep this beta slot reserved for Black Fox and wait for the day when he returns safely. Thank you, Black Fox, for your contributions during the internal beta. See you in two years!
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.