Chapter 36: Test Drive

A few days later, He Xingzhou completed the first design iteration of the maglev motor. However, it was not yet practical; after consulting with the team of expert engineers, he realized his design had to be grounded in the realities of current industrial manufacturing capabilities.

In the realm of high-end industrial manufacturing and precision engineering, countries like Germany, the United States, and Japan still held a significant lead. Consequently, He Xingzhou revised the design several times until he finalized a maglev motor that satisfied manufacturing requirements while remaining cost-effective.

The blueprints were sent to an automotive parts factory in the Northeast, where professional engineers began the fabrication process.

A week later, at the Sentry Research Institute, Guo Cheng, an engineer from the First Automotive Group, sent a message to He Xingzhou via the communication terminal: "Chief Engineer He, the maglev motor has been manufactured and is ready for testing!"

"Chief Engineer He" was the new title everyone used for him. Given his youth, people found it awkward to address him as "Comrade He Xingzhou," which felt too distant. Considering he was the chief designer of the Great Steel Wall Project, they followed engineering protocol and addressed him as Chief Engineer He.

"Understood, I’ll be there immediately!" He Xingzhou replied.

"Brother Ding, arrange for a plane at once. I need to head to the automotive factory in the Northeast!" He Xingzhou called out into his communicator.

"Standing by!" Ding Yue immediately headed to the tarmac to prepare the aircraft.

The resources required for the Xuanwu Project were vast, and it was impossible to conduct all research, development, and manufacturing at the Sentry Research Institute alone. Many tasks required borrowing facilities from other institutes or factories. To facilitate this, the Xuanwu executives had assigned He Xingzhou a private aircraft for his command and mobility.

This was a modified armed helicopter equipped with military flight clearance, allowing it to fly directly across the country and access various military bases. As a professional special forces operative, piloting the craft was second nature to Ding Yue.

Over an hour later, He Xingzhou arrived at the factory, where the automotive engineers were waiting in a state of nervous anticipation.

In the testing workshop, He Xingzhou met Guo Cheng, who was responsible for the maglev motor and electromagnetic vehicle chassis design, as well as Feng Yue, a senior vice president of the China First Automotive Group. It is worth noting that Feng Yue was not part of the Xuanwu Project and thus unaware of He Xingzhou’s true objectives; he only knew that He Xingzhou was a researcher sent by the National Academy of Sciences to develop a new type of electric vehicle motor.

"Chief Engineer He, welcome to our factory!" When Feng Yue saw He Xingzhou, his mind was filled with questions. He had met academicians from the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering before, most of whom were over fifty. What kind of status did someone as young as He Xingzhou hold to be treated with such importance? The group headquarters had even issued a directive requiring the entire organization to cooperate with his research! Moreover, at his age, how had he managed to develop the metal-air battery?

"Vice President Feng," He Xingzhou said, shaking his hand. Beside them, Guo Cheng added, "Chief Engineer He, the finished maglev motor is in the test workshop and ready for a trial run whenever you are."

"Excellent, let's begin," He Xingzhou said.

He followed him into the workshop, where a group of engineers and technicians were waiting.

"This electromagnetic levitation motor is different from traditional maglev motors. It not only possesses magnetic bearing levitation but also generates a powerful repulsive force that keeps the entire structure in a state of suspension."

"Rather than just a maglev motor, it is more accurate to call it a maglev motor assembly. It integrates the battery, the motor, the electromagnetic converter, and other components. It is the very soul of the electromagnetic levitation vehicle!"

He Xingzhou spoke these words while facing a camera; he intended to edit the test footage into his next video. His first video had received an enthusiastic response, proving highly beneficial for both him and the research institute. According to Xu Zhilan, the battery technology licensing contracts already signed exceeded two billion, with more currently under negotiation.

The current stance of the Xuanwu Project executives was that while the project itself must remain strictly confidential, He Xingzhou’s efforts to promote science could continue. As for external speculation and confusion, they were to be ignored for the time being. They would wait until they were fully prepared before announcing the Xuanwu Project to the nation and the world.

The maglev motor assembly lay before He Xingzhou. It resembled a vehicle chassis, mounted with battery packs, the motor, and electromagnetic converters.

Guo Cheng explained, "According to our design, the chassis structure is made of magnetic materials. When the motor starts, it conducts magnetic force, creating a repulsive force against the magnetic materials on the ground to achieve levitation."

"The higher the motor power, the greater the levitation height and the faster the operational speed!"

He Xingzhou carefully inspected the unit. The design of this assembly had been further optimized since his original draft. Confirming everything was in order, he said, "Let's begin!"

"Maglev motor assembly, prepare for testing!" Guo Cheng shouted.

The assembly was placed onto a specialized circular magnetic track. Everyone grew tense.

The people present were all top-tier automotive engineers, mechanical engineers, and dynamics experts, yet they felt as anxious as students awaiting the results of their university entrance exams.

In the automotive industry, precision engine technology had long been monopolized by foreign countries; domestic engines had consistently failed to match the performance of their foreign counterparts. Consequently, foreign brands dominated the automotive market, capturing the majority of the industry's profits. The wealth of the Chinese people flowed continuously into the pockets of Western nations through these products.

For decades, countless engineers had struggled to catch up, yet the goal remained elusive. Not a day went by that they did not dream of breaking this cycle. Some in the industry had even fallen into despair, believing that relying solely on developing combustion engines was a dead end and that they had to use electric motors to overtake the competition. Aside from cleanliness and environmental benefits, this was one of the reasons the state was vigorously promoting electric vehicles.

Now, this maglev motor assembly represented yet another height in the automotive field. Once the test proved successful, it would inevitably transform the entire industry.

This new force—the maglev motor—would seize the high ground of automotive propulsion, granting domestic vehicles and related industries a voice on the international stage!

Within minutes, the technical team was ready.

Feng Yue felt his palms sweating with tension.

"Three, two, one, activate!" He Xingzhou commanded. As he pressed the specially designed wireless signal device, the maglev motor assembly began to hum.

The lithium-air power battery supplied electricity to rotate the motor, which then converted the electrical energy into electromagnetic force, creating a magnetic field through the magnetic materials.

The force from this magnetic field repelled the circular magnetic track, and the "chassis" slowly lifted, hovering about ten centimeters above the ground.

During normal operation, it wouldn't need to hover this high, as it would be more energy-intensive; it was only hovering this high now because the motor was currently unloaded.

"It's levitating!" an engineer shouted, filled with anticipation.