Chapter 447: Chapter 231: Dimensional-Crushing Suspension
The scene quickly cuts to images of precise measurements, robot welding, and engineers modeling on computers inside the workshop, with a stable and professional background music, followed by footage of the manufacturer’s representatives facing the camera.
"Recently I came across a video of a streamer trying to independently modify a Unimog RV. First, I have to give a thumbs up for this courage and love for travel."
"But as someone who has been immersed in Unimog modifications for over a decade, I couldn’t help but want to say a few words from a professional standpoint—I must say that modifying a Unimog RV is truly not something that can be accomplished by strong DIY skills alone."
"Let’s talk about the most core issue, the chassis problem."
"The flexible frame of the Unimog is its off-road soul, capable of generating a 15 to 30-degree twist under extreme conditions, allowing the wheels to remain grounded."
"However, the RV box is rigid, and if you directly weld the box onto the chassis, in a pothole on the road to Tibet, the chassis might twist while the box doesn’t, leading to either cracks in the box, or tearing down all the internal furniture and pipelines."
"We spent three years iterating the secondary suspension technology, just to allow the box to float on the chassis with enough travel distance to offset the torsional force. This is not something that can be cobbled together by buying a set of suspension kits."
"Let’s also talk about the safety details that are most easily overlooked by everyone."
"In privately modified RVs, the most common issue is chaotic circuitry. The refrigerator, air conditioner, and water heater in the RV rely entirely on electricity, and the 12V system’s current can approach 8A. The sparks generated by frequent start-stop of pressure switches can trigger fires in an instant."
"Our circuits adopt a modular design, where each loop has independent relays and fuses and must pass high-low temperature and vibration tests. Not to mention the braking system, adding a box weighing several tons means that the original brakes are definitely insufficient. We recalibrate brake torque, upgrade calipers and brake discs, which directly pertains to the life and death safety on the 318 road."
"Not to pour cold water, but having seen far too many private RV modification cases, for example, the water pump failed on the road to Tibet, turned out it was the pressure switch contacts that burned and stuck together, box leaks during rainy days due to lack of structural sealing, some owners even encountered increased braking distance by 5 meters out of nowhere due to altered weight distribution."
"These problems can be barely fixed in the city, but in the 318 wilderness, it would really be a cry in vain."
"Leave professional matters to professionals, not for monopoly but to minimize risks in your travels. After all, nobody wants their much-anticipated journey to turn into a non-stop repair ordeal."
At the end of the video, scenes of the manufacturer-modified Unimog RV passing off-road and rain-testing are shown, with subtitles reading "Legal Compliance · Safe and Reliable".
Li Younan silently watched the video.
He naturally understood the tricks played by the RV manufacturer behind filming this video. Although there was basically nothing wrong with the content, the true purpose was still those few...
Establishing a professional image, seizing users’ mindshare, highlighting its technical barriers in the industry by dissecting technical difficulties that ordinary people find hard to grasp, shaping the perception that modifying a Unimog must be done by professional manufacturers, leveraging hot topics to attract traffic, converting potential customers.
Certainly, some motive might be to avoid negative industry risks, as if Li Younan’s modifications resulted in safety incidents or legal disputes, it could lead to a trust crisis in the Unimog RV category among the public.
By pointing out the risks and illegality of private modifications in advance, they can differentiate themselves from non-professional modifications and indirectly emphasize the necessity of authorized manufacturers, maintaining industry reputation.
Of course, regardless of the motives of the other party, they actually don’t affect Li Younan.
Although the current online sentiment is somewhat unfavorable for him, as long as he grasps the primary contradiction of matters—that is, he indeed possesses the capability, there’s no need for excessive concern.
It’s a time to let the bullet fly for a while, since the greater the current turbulence, the better the effect when the situation reverses later.
These issues can be easily resolved if the capability is solid and strong.
...
As stated in the video released by the Unimog RV manufacturer, the first issue Li Younan needs to solve is the secondary connection between the box and the vehicle chassis.
If this area is not well handled, as mentioned by the other party, it indeed could cause deformation of the whole box due to bumps.
Do not overlook the whole aluminum alloy box, but in reality, the greater advantage of the whole aluminum alloy is lightweight rather than rigidity.
Certainly, there is a simple solution: directly purchase the connection suspensions from the Unimog RV manufacturer that collaborates with Li Younan, which can solve this problem.
In fact, the RV manufacturer truly thinks so, which is why upon Li Younan’s first arrival at the factory, the manager of this Unimog vehicle factory started pitching their connection suspension to Li Younan.
At this moment, another boss’s car had just arrived, and the staff at the parking lot were introducing their connection suspension to that boss, the manager then took Li Younan along to listen as well.
"Boss Zhou, rest assured, our secondary suspension is absolutely stable, capable of controlling bumps within a very small range, and it even utilizes air springs, reaching the industry’s leading level."
The boss listened to the staff’s chatter and shook his head: "I don’t quite understand this, just make sure it’s done well for me."
The staff chuckled: "Rest assured, boss."
At this moment, the manager then looked towards Li Younan and said: "Teacher Li, surely you can’t solve this suspension yourself, we saw that video, no need to mind what was said, we can handle this suspension for you."
However, regarding this suspension, Li Younan had already formed his own ideas, he smiled and shook his head saying: "Your suspension is quite good, but for this suspension, I plan to design it myself."
The corner of the manager’s mouth slightly twitched: "Teacher Li, this suspension..."
He assumed Li Younan planned to purchase suspension from other manufacturers, wanting to say more.
But Li Younan did not elaborate further.
...
On that day, Li Younan flew to BYD’s headquarters.
He had long set a target for how the suspension should be designed.
In fact, the second-order suspensions designed by those Unimog RV manufacturers were quite good, but for him, it was still not top-notch.
These suspensions are passive, and no matter how well they control the bumps, they are still noticeably felt inside the cabin.
And a lot will be placed inside the cabin; if not secured, those bumps could easily cause issues with some equipment.
Although the probability is relatively small, Li Younan believes that if it’s to be done, it should be done the best.
The most advanced suspension technology in China is currently at BYD.
Chatting with Li Younan is a straightforward matter; there’s no need for convolutions. Leveraging his influence, he successfully arranged a meeting with the engineer before him.
After Li Younan briefly explained his intentions, the few people present at BYD exchanged glances. The renowned suspension engineer in the industry frowned slightly: "You mean to use our Yunnei Z electromagnetic suspension system as the Unimog’s second-order suspension?"
Li Younan nodded: "Yes."
This was his vision—BYD’s Yunnei Z electromagnetic suspension!
Currently, this suspension is mounted on the Yangwang U7.
As an off-road vehicle, Unimog definitely cannot use electromagnetic suspension as its main suspension.
For one, Unimog is ultimately a fuel vehicle; for another, in harsh road conditions, it’s still necessary for metal structures to be more stable, and also easier to find replacement parts.
But as a second-order suspension connecting the chassis and the frame, Yunnei Z has unmatched advantages!
Because it doesn’t need to directly contact rough roads, the drawbacks of the Yunnei Z electromagnetic suspension are offset.
What’s left are all advantages.
First, the response speed of this suspension is extremely fast, with high control precision, almost hundreds or thousands of times that of traditional active suspensions, not to mention comparing with those manufacturers’ passive suspensions.
Completely products of two eras.
If adjusted, it can almost allow the entire Unimog cabin to move without any bumps, as if on flat ground.
Even better than the experience brought by the original suspension on the Yangwang U7!
Moreover, in emergencies, Yunnei Z can actively raise the side of the vehicle body that is impacted, dispersing collision energy, greatly enhancing the safety for Unimog, which frequently embarks on long-distance off-road journeys.
Meanwhile, when Li Younan drives the Unimog in the wild, Yunnei Z’s linear motor can convert the kinetic energy of bumps into electrical energy and recharge the battery.
Find a girlfriend, even turning certain indescribable actions at night into electrical energy.
With his physical fitness, it might not generate a fraction of a degree of electricity in one night!
Ahem... Digressing.
Yunnei Z electromagnetic suspension has had over a thousand PhDs invested in it, with a total of more than ten thousand people involved in its development, far beyond what the so-called second-order suspensions self-developed by those small RV manufacturers can touch.
In every sense, if Yunnei Z electromagnetic suspension can be applied to his Unimog, his second-order suspension would be a dimension-reduction strike against any other RV brands!
However, after considering for a moment, BYD’s engineer slowly shook his head.
Li Younan’s eyebrow slightly rose, and he quickly said, "Price is not an issue, could even help promote your company’s Yunnei Z."
The engineer smiled without saying anything, but the Yangwang General Manager next to him spoke: "Teacher Li, you misunderstand, we’re not concerned about that... It’s just that, you might not be aware of how this suspension works; it requires adaptation."
Then the engineer picked up the conversation, adjusted his glasses, and said: "That’s right, indeed. Yunnei Z is not something you buy and can use directly."
"To install Yunnei Z, the electrical control assembly needs to be redesigned for the new application scenario, and even new control programs need to be specially programmed."
The manager then sighed slightly, smiling, and said: "So, Teacher Li, if you want to buy our Yunnei Z electromagnetic suspension, strictly speaking, it’s not just about buying a set of suspensions. You also need a team consisting of electrical engineers and program engineers to fully participate in your vehicle’s modification..."
"As for this part of the cost... Even if we give you a discount, it would still be in the starting 7 digits! For you, this cost is too high, so we don’t recommend using our Yunnei Z electromagnetic suspension."
Li Younan listened to the reasoning, somewhat moved, and shook his head, saying, "No need to worry, I have a way to adapt."
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