Free Web NovelChapter 1512: Chapter 715: Flying Car Debuts at Exhibition!_2
This explanation slightly eased the concerns of the senior leaders, but the thought of riding in a spaceship being used for testing still made them feel very depressed. They were reluctant to agree, but considering that Zhao Yi dared to test it and would also be riding in the spaceship, an outright refusal might seem like they were afraid of death?
"Forget it! Let it be dangerous." The senior leader agreed helplessly.
The technology test was actually very simple, involving only the installation of two spatial link devices beneath a fixed room. The devices didn’t take up much space and were easily installed.
Once the Xuanhuang was officially launched into space, dedicated technicians would be responsible for activating the two devices for testing.
Zhao Yi was also very excited.
His last journey on the sightseeing ship wasn’t very comfortable, so he insisted on conducting tests on the Xuanhuang, hoping that there would be a gravity chamber on the spaceship.
Even if it was just one-tenth of Earth’s gravity, it would allow people to stand firmly on their feet, rather than drifting aimlessly on the spaceship for more than ten hours.
It was truly an unpleasant feeling.
——
One day, the focus of public opinion suddenly shifted to the international auto show held in Hong Kong.
The current auto show wasn’t very impressive, as technological developments were advancing rapidly, and what everyone looked forward to was an upgrade of the Unlimited Power Automobile or a significant price reduction to become more widespread.
Unfortunately, the price of Unlimited Power Automobiles remained high, with current selling prices still above one million, and luxury configurations even exceeding 1.8 million. Thankfully, the domestic economy was growing rapidly, and many people keeping up with the times saw significant increases in their incomes, which allowed for a larger market for Unlimited Power Automobiles.
Another piece of good news was that Unlimited Power Automobiles were no longer a monopoly, as Yixing Technology had opened up licensing. Other manufacturers could also purchase space transmission devices to serve as an endless power source and manufacture their own Unlimited Power Automobiles.
When there was competition, prices would become more consumer-friendly.
The market price for Unlimited Power Automobiles had already dropped to the "million line," but further price reductions were not easy.
One reason was the high cost of the space transmission devices, and high costs meant that the products could not be too cheap.
Secondly, policies and the economy did not allow for the rapid popularization of Unlimited Power Automobiles, mainly due to the limited number of Energy-Gathering Satellites. Even with high solar energy transmission power, it was not possible to meet the entire auto market needs, and considerations also had to be made for other automobile manufacturers, as it wouldn’t be feasible to pursue the popularization of Unlimited Power Automobiles at the expense of the closure of many related manufacturers.
And so on.
This was a very complex issue. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
But regardless, what attracted the most attention at the international auto show was Unlimited Power.
As the show approached, a piece of news made the event very heated. The news came suddenly: The transportation department, in collaboration with the aviation department, decided to relax the scrutiny of flying cars and established experimental areas for them.
The transportation and aviation departments jointly planned sixty-seven areas where flying cars could fly autonomously, mainly covering sparsely populated regions and some coastal towns. The only restriction was that flying cars were only allowed to fly outside of town areas.
Obviously, this was a pilot decision, but it was enough to ignite public opinion.
Although the vast majority of regions prohibited car flights, the fact that some areas allowed it was enough to attract many people. Many people dreamt of piloting an airplane, especially a nimble fighter jet, but it was a hopeless wish in a lifetime.
Now, they had a better option than fighter jets: flying cars. Even if not for everyday use, having one as a big toy was very appealing.
These were cars that could fly, usually only seen on TV. Driving a flying car was much cooler than driving a sports car or riding in a helicopter.
Who could refuse a car that could fly?
Many celebrities were full of anticipation, expressing their hopes to own a flying car, preferably to pilot it themselves, rather than just being a passenger.
For them, fulfilling this dream was still not easy.
One reason was that acquiring a flying car license was extremely difficult. The transportation department had teamed up with the aviation administration and the technological group from Yixing, drafting regulations for flying licenses specifically tailored for flying cars. The process of obtaining a license was very challenging.
First and foremost, the cost of learning was exorbitant. Since flying cars were very expensive and their numbers were extremely limited, the cost of learning was also significantly high, with the lowest expense exceeding one million.
Another factor was the lengthy learning process. Driving a flying car required high standards; much of the learning was focused on driving rules, understanding the flying car, and emergency responses. The physical requirements for drivers were also very stringent. Those with underlying health conditions or the elderly had virtually no chance of obtaining a license.
Moreover, individuals with criminal records were likewise ineligible for a license.
Many of the drafted emergency tests would eliminate those with slower reactions.
And so on.
According to the draft driving requirements, managing to get a flying license in four months was already considered excellent, while the average person commonly needed more than six months.
But regardless, having hope was better than having none at all.
Public opinion was ablaze with heated discussions on the topic, which captured widespread attention both domestically and internationally.
Abroad, there was considerable envy. Many voiced their wishes to also be able to purchase flying cars, as they were far more impressive than any sports car. Owning a flying car could even eliminate the need to fly on airplanes, easily enabling long-distance travel.
Zhao Yi was also studying. Like everyone else, he hoped to be able to pilot a flying car.
Even though he had designed the flying car, designing and actually driving were different matters. He might have been the first person preparing to take the driving test. While others wishing to take the test had no access to registration, he could receive guidance from the most professional personnel, and when the time came to actually take the test, he would follow an official procedure to obtain his flying license. freёweɓnovel.com
Zhao Yi, under the guidance of professionals, was captured in a photo sitting in the cockpit and controlling the flying car, which was then posted online.
This was also part of the publicity.
In fact, others who wanted to obtain their license would still have to wait a considerable time, and the wait to purchase a flying car would be even longer.
Currently, only thirteen flying cars had been seen, and it was not yet possible to mass-produce them as continuous technological improvements were being made.
Out of the cars produced, two were taken for testing, three were continuously assembled and disassembled in the lab as experimental units, and three were used by the aerospace, aviation, and transportation departments. Even within Yixing’s facility, there were only five cars.
Yixing’s plan, after the exhibition, was to rapidly produce a batch of cars, keeping the scale to under one thousand units.
This batch of cars would be the first to enter the market, but their prices were sure to be very high. The conservative pricing was more than twenty million Renminbi.
Twenty million was not an untouchable price, but considering the production of over a thousand units, the price was relatively very high.
If the thousands of cars were all sold, the revenue would exceed twenty billion.
However, for Yixing Company, a revenue of twenty billion was insignificant. They already had orders for eleven spaceships, including two cargo ships and nine sightseeing ships. The lowest single order was valued at one hundred eighty billion.
Finally, the exhibition began.
Many who had obtained tickets swarmed in, surrounding the red car in the very center of the city.
The red car’s appearance was incredibly cool. Unlike other sports cars, the front and sides of the car had foldable wings, and the complex construction of the tires made people feel the thrill of technology.
In front of the display, a representative from Yixing Technology continued to give an introduction, "This is the first flying car launched by Yixing! The car that Academician Zhao was driving in the pictures that went viral on the internet is this very one."
"The car’s chassis is equipped with a mini anti-gravity system, which is the most compact anti-thrust system available."
"This is very advanced technology that can lift the car to float, and there are also two micro-turbine engines underneath, working in conjunction with the tires to propel the car forward quickly—"
