Investor That Can See The Future

Chapter 383

Daryl’s announcement was a refreshing shock.

Even today, the price of an electric vehicle battery is comparable to that of a car. But how many times the capacity of a logistics truck would be awesome?

So the idea was to sell the car, but rent the battery for a monthly fee.

In this way, the consumer can significantly lower the initial cost, and the company can earn a stable monthly income.

“In the next 10 years, 80 percent of the logistics trucks on the road will be turned into unmanned electric trucks.”

In the case of a car used at home, the driving time is only one or two hours a day, and the driving distance per year is about 20,000 km at most.

But logistics trucks are a different story.

Except for loading, unloading, and refueling times, drivers take turns on the road all day. The mileage per year is often more than 200,000 km. As such, they deteriorate quickly, and most of them will be scrapped within 10 years.

Unmanned electric vehicles are more economical than existing logistics trucks and are environmentally friendly. Depending on the time of mass production, this statement can become a reality.

Several companies have already announced plans to develop electric trucks, and concept cars and prototypes have also been released. However, none of them led to actual mass production.

Daryl said as if he were professed.

“ADT1 is scheduled to be released in the second half of this year, and the process line has already been established. We will also establish 100 battery replacement centers in the United States before launch.”

Electricity is in short supply during peak hours and surplus at night. It aims to relieve the burden on the power grid by charging the discharged battery at night.

After the presentation was over, the participants stood up in unison and applauded.

* * *

[Caros ADT1, the beginning of the logistics revolution!][The era of driverless cars begins in earnest!][GM and Ford to cooperate with Karos in the commercial vehicle sector… … ][The concern and antipathy of driverless cars is not great][Experts estimate that the unmanned electric truck will contribute to logistics efficiency and price stability]

I was checking the articles that came up after the presentation, and Ellie asked.

“Why didn’t Jinhoo attend the presentation?”

“You can’t pay attention to me.”

It is the executives and developers who have worked hard for the new car announcement that deserves spotlight and applause. Even if the platooning technology was commercialized, it would be possible to create an unmanned electric truck so quickly.

In a way, it’s not a big change. It is simply that the existing logistics trucks are changed to be cheaper and more efficient. But in a different way, it was a revolution in logistics.

Logistics contributes to the efficient allocation of resources.

An object that is useless in one area becomes useful in another area. In one area, rice overflowed and rotted due to a bountiful harvest, while in another area, there were cases of starvation.

The delivery app has changed the way you call a restaurant directly to order and pay through the app. Consumers and restaurants remain the same, and even though ordering and payment has become easier, the number of orders at restaurants has increased significantly. And delivery apps have grown tremendously.

In this way, the added value of society as a whole is greatly enhanced just by activating logistics.

There was no need to explain this in my own words. The media already knew and poured out articles about the impact it would have on global logistics.

Improvements in inland logistics will also affect ship and air transport. As a result, the industry as a whole is on the alert and has revised its strategy for the future.

I spoke to Daryl.

“I enjoyed the presentation. Aren’t you overdoing it for me?”

[The staff suffered a little. I’m glad it ended safely though.]

“Go home early today and get some rest.”

Looking at his face at the presentation, dark circles were down to his chin. Anyone who sees will know that I am a vicious shareholder.

But Daryl said excitedly,

[Even though we have not yet received official reservations, hundreds of pre-orders are coming in from companies. Walmart says they will pay the full amount in advance and wait.]

When the battery rental cost and replacement cost are combined, the fuel cost is less than a third of the existing one, and there is no need for a driver. Compared to the existing diesel truck driven by the driver, it is possible to recover the cost within one year at the earliest.

“The problem is that you are unemployed.”

If five cars are platooning, only the leading car needs to be occupied in case of an emergency.

In the end, 4 out of 5 people will lose their jobs.

[We are discussing the matter with the government. As I said before, we have decided to hire drivers first at the factory we are expanding, and we plan to use a portion of the sales funds to pay unemployment benefits or help re-employment. We are discussing reducing the working hours and increasing the welfare of existing drivers with companies that buy Karos trucks.]

Unemployment is a problem, but we will find a way out somehow. ‘Cause it’s always been like that

After talking to Daryl, I got a call from the White House.

[I enjoyed the presentation. You made a great car again.]

After the presentation, he tweeted, “Another victory for American manufacturing.”

“What have I done? It’s all done by American technology.”

Ronald said congratulations and then brought the point.

[Right now, the Japanese side is lobbying a lot for mediation. Not long ago, the Japanese ambassador to the United States visited the Secretary of State and said he was going to die.]

I laughed bitterly.

“It’s strange. The sanctions were imposed by Japan, so what the hell are you going to do with South Korea?”

[That’s it.]

The big guy blew the buns. However, the guy I thought would be quiet if he got hit with one shot rushed to his death.

When this happened, the big guy lost his desire to fight. However, I hit him first, apologized and backed away, and I can see the kids watching.

The best thing is for the teacher to come and dry it. In addition to this, it would be better if you scold the person who got hit.

South Korea and Japan are important allies of the United States. Therefore, in the United States, no matter who did good or bad, as long as the two of you are friendly, it is enough.

Japan, which has weak diplomatic power compared to its economic power, has long been lobbying the US politicians. For this reason, the United States has largely neglected or sided with Japan in the disputes between Korea and Japan so far.

So, from the Japanese point of view, they also want to solve this issue with the help of the United States.

Of course you can’t leave it like that.

In fact, the current situation is not so bad for America. This is because some of the Korean companies that do a lot of business with Japan are negotiating with US companies.

Suseong Electronics and SSK Nicks decided to increase imports of US products for semiconductor equipment and materials, making Ronald happy.

“Children fight, but they always reconcile as if they did. Aren’t you familiar with the peculiarities of Korea-Japan relations?”

[Hmm, not really. Still, there is a lot of talk here and there.]

Even if it is economically profitable, the two main allies in East Asia are fighting, so there is no choice but to worry about the Washington political party.

I reassured Ronald.

“I’ll finish it soon so you don’t mind.”

* * *

While the executives of individual companies were negotiating with urgent items, I met with people from the German automobile industry with Chairman Im Jin-yong.

Tobias Hilbert, Chairman of the BMW Group, Günter Hartmann, Chairman of Daimler AG, and Georg Röer, Chairman of the Volkswagen Group.

There are dozens of brands that these three own, and if you add up their market capitalization… … Still, it’s not enough for Karos.

It’s my first time, but I’ve met Chairman Im Jin-yong a few times before. He greeted us friendly in German.

“Do you speak German?”

“I learned a little bit when I was young.”

After all, he was destined to inherit a business from the moment he was born, so he must have been educated.

After the greeting, Chairman Hilbert said:

“I enjoyed the ADT1 presentation. Congratulations.”

You probably got the information long before the announcement.

I told them.

“As Europe is connected as one continent, the logistics revolution caused by the driverless electric truck will strengthen the unity of the EU community and promote the economic development of European countries.”

Everyone said congratulations, but the inside seemed complicated.

Just because it’s a profit overall doesn’t mean everyone can benefit. Competitors, in particular, are likely to lose money.

You’re probably pounding the income statement hard in your head.

I spoke up first.

“These days, few people buy a smartphone because they do not have a smartphone, or who buys a car because they do not have a car. Most of the time, they just replace the existing product. But these days, the replacement cycle is getting longer and longer because the product is well made.”

Therefore, new functions that may or may not be useful are continuously added, and the existing products are made to look old and replaced.

However, there are times when replacement demand surges all at once. It is the moment when the paradigm of the product itself changes.

“You remember when smartphones first came out. Initially, it was used by professionals and some curious people. People who used to use feature phones didn’t even know why they needed it. There is a saying that new technology creates inconvenience, not convenience. The same is true for self-driving electric vehicles. Once you ride it, you realize just how uncomfortable the old car is. The car of the future is just the beginning. In the near future, the demand to switch from gasoline and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles will explode in an instant. And the future fate of the company will be determined by how much market share it takes.”

After my words were finished, Chairman Im Jin-yong said with a smile.

“Then let’s start talking, shall we?”

* * *

After Karos announced ADT1, Jinhoo Kang made a full-fledged move in Europe.(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

Kang Jin-hoo said openly that he would reduce dependence on trade with Japan and further strengthen economic cooperation with the EU.

It was also a new opportunity for Europe.

Korea is the 11th largest economy in the world. Among EU countries, only Germany, France, and Italy have a higher GDP than Korea (excluding the UK).

Compared to European countries, Korea has a faster and more dynamic economic growth. And above all else, as there is Jinhoo Kang, the expansion of trade with Korea was what Europe also wanted.

Unlike Korea, which was seeking a breakthrough, Japan was in turmoil.

In particular, the sense of crisis felt by automakers was serious. Germany and France alone have five of the world’s top 10 automakers.

With the announcement of the unmanned electric truck, Karos reached out to commercial vehicles as well as passenger cars.

What will happen if Jinhoo Kang uses self-driving technology and the supply of OTK batteries as bait to reduce the use of Japanese parts?

Companies will not be able to follow the instructions unconditionally, but they will not be able to avoid seeing Jin-hoo Kang, who has the capital and technology in his hands.

Japanese business groups all urged the politicians to normalize Korea-Japan relations.

Unlike Japan, who was upset, Korea did not even care about this incident at all. The Korean government silently proceeded with the seizure of assets against the judgment of compensation for forced labor without revealing any position. They did not even respond to the Japanese backlash as if they were doing what they had to do.

In a nutshell, the economic cooperation with the EU was also carried out by Kang Jin-hoo at will, and the Korean government had nothing to do with it.

Japanese politicians have even talked about filing a complaint with the WTO, but in a situation in which Japan imposed sanctions first, it is only like the person who beats him to the police station.

The Japanese government attempted to contact South Korea under the water for a solution.

Korea has been a colony of Japan for a long time, and has maintained close relations with Japan even after liberation. To that extent, pro-Japanese figures were widely spread out in the political and bureaucratic society. They’ve been lobbying hard for so long, so they’ll be happy to move for the sake of Japan.

But for some reason, everyone tried to avoid the meeting itself. When asked why, he said he doesn’t mind confronting the government, but he doesn’t want to get involved with Kang Jin-hoo.

Fortunately, the Liberal People’s Party was the only one that represented Japan’s position… … It didn’t help much.

Now the only thing they could count on was the US.

If the US orders it, South Korea has no choice but to follow. Japan tried to move the United States by mobilizing all its lobbying powers, but everyone did not move as they heard anything from above.

Meanwhile, Korean companies negotiated with European companies for precision machinery, core materials, and parts. Since many complex issues such as product specifications, production volume, transportation, and customs are intertwined, the actual contract will be made after reviewing the details, but MOUs, which can be called the pre-contract stage, have been signed one after another.

Jin-hoo Kang announced each item and amount each time an MOU was signed, as if he was making fun of Japan, and Japanese companies, whose supply contracts were cut off each time, screamed.

There were also rumors that it could drive all the additional production of OTK batteries to European companies in the future. If even German and French automakers turn to technical alliances with Karos, the isolation of the Japanese auto industry will become even more severe.

While the Japanese government was busy preparing countermeasures, another article appeared.

Just in time, the EU summit meeting was scheduled in Brussels, Belgium, and EU leaders gathered in Belgium one after another. And Jinhoo Kang was invited to the event.

Prime Minister Okazaki was shocked when he heard the news.

‘What else is this kid going to do there?’