At Kove, Zhang wanted to build an in-house engine, while his partners wanted to sell existing models and count profits. When they balked at the risk, Zhang borrowed 10 million yuan (1.45 million dollars) from the company personally, promising to repay every cent if it failed. The engine worked, but the tension didn"t go away.

　　In March 2024, Zhang resigned from the company he built, walking away from substantial equity. "After careful consideration, I have decided to pursue my own path among the stars and the sea," he wrote on social media.

　　He started ZXMOTO within a month. Within a year, the company unveiled its first production model, the 500RR, and began deliveries. By the end of the year, its output value reached 750 million yuan (104 million dollars).

　　"We"re professional, we"re efficient," Zhang said. "Our company only holds one regular meeting every two years. Any problem that comes up, I can be at the site immediately."

　　Just before the 500RR launch, however, the company nearly died. It was February 2025, one month before the scheduled release. Zhang could not pay March salaries.

　　"I borrowed from my landlord, from my friends, from my suppliers," he said. "If I knew you, I"d ask you too."

　　He scraped together the money, paid his people, and sold the first batch of bikes. The company survived. When asked if that counted as a huge difficulty, Zhang shrugged. "Not really. You just figure it out."

　　Gao Yang, who joined the company after being recruited personally by Zhang, described the work environment with a mix of admiration and exhaustion.

　　"He"s very intense. He"s in a battle every day. One time he called me at 2 a.m. When I got to the office at 8 a.m., he was already sitting there," Gao recalled.