What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 686 Already in the Formation (4k)

Gao Huan made up his mind.

He wanted to decline the invitations from President Yu and the Silicon Carbon Group.

After much deliberation and discussion with his family, Gao Huan ultimately decided to stay in Ningde for the more secure option.

Besides the achievements already made in Ningde, one of the most important reasons is the uncertainty brought about by the use of range-extending technology by the Silicon Carbon Group.

The models produced by the Silicon Carbon Group are indeed the best in China right now. Although Mr. Yu is controversial, he is very good to his employees. The question is, how long can this technological excellence of the models last?
Gao Huan reviewed many different evaluations of the silicon carbon technology route, including the recent assessment by the CEO of Volkswagen that it was the "worst solution," and similar discussions have taken place within CATL.

The one who laughs last laughs best. Can silicon carbon laugh last?

Gao Huan found it difficult to judge, so he decided not to. After all, Ningde only needed to sell batteries.

After much deliberation, the enthusiasm for the invitation from Mr. Yu's superiors faded. Even if he couldn't match Wu Kai in Ningde, he could still take another step forward in the future. Why be so greedy and want more?

Contentment brings happiness.

Gao Huan was considering when to call and refuse President Yu, but a few days later he received a meeting invitation from the other party on the internal chat software CC of silicon carbon.

He didn't respond for a long time before a phone call came in.

Gao Huan took a deep breath and dialed a number: "President Yu, I won't participate..."

"Mr. Gao, we've invited Lian Yubo, He Long, and Sun Huajun from BYD to discuss battery technology. Why don't you come and listen too, and see if anyone has any new insights?" Yu Xing, regardless of what the other party wanted to say, first presented his own ideas.

Gao Huan abruptly took back the second half of his sentence. Although BYD's situation has only improved compared to two years ago and it is not selling batteries to external parties, CATL knows about its expertise in lithium iron phosphate.

Gao Huan, in particular, is mainly in charge of this area, and is naturally well-known in the industry. Lian Yubo is the technical head of BYD's batteries, He Long took over BYD's battery division in 04, and Sun Huajun is a key figure in BYD's manufacturing technology.

Such a lineup for the meeting should not be underestimated.

Gao Huan felt itchy to listen, thinking he shouldn't refuse their enthusiasm and decided to see what they could come up with.

Ten minutes later, he appeared in CC's online meeting room. In addition to the silicon carbon technology team he had already seen, he also saw colleagues whose nicknames were prefixed with BYD.

There was almost no small talk; they got straight to the point when the time came.

“We have no experience in integrated die casting, but structural design is the essence of CTB, which determines the feasibility of the technology and the upper limit of the vehicle’s performance. To achieve the integration of the battery and the body, a major challenge is to turn the battery cover into the body floor and use a sandwich structure to make the battery pack a rigid member of the body.”

"If we do this, the traditional battery pack's IP67 sealing standard cannot meet the stringent requirements after the vehicle body is integrated. We need to develop a dual sealing structure in terms of both structure and materials to achieve a higher sealing level. Otherwise, if the seal fails, it may cause the battery to short-circuit and catch fire. This is CTB's bottom line for safety."

Lian Yubo, BYD's technical director, spoke eloquently, outlining the key points according to their importance in internal discussions.

They had previously only discussed CTB as a future direction without considering its feasibility at this stage. However, by stepping outside their conventional thinking and looking at the technological strengths of silicon carbide, they were able to complement the weaknesses of CTB.

CTB combined with integrated die casting can solve the feasibility problem, and after the feasibility is confirmed, the stability of the process becomes the next step.

BYD has explored structural innovations in lithium iron phosphate earlier and more extensively. Led by Lian Yubo, with He Long describing and Sun Huajun supplementing, the CC conference room quickly became a discussion about the complementary technologies and implementation between the two parties.

Gao Huan was completely bewildered as he listened. How come, after just a few days of not participating in the discussion, the structural innovation of lithium iron phosphate had suddenly evolved to the integration of the battery cell and the vehicle body?
Where did the module go? Where did such a big module go?

CTB is a direction, but it's one that CATL doesn't prioritize because it abandons standardization and can't help suppliers sell batteries effectively.

but……

Gao Huan remained almost entirely silent throughout the interview, going from initial surprise to quiet contemplation. Regardless of the structural innovation, the most fundamental question remains: can this effectively improve the vehicle's range?
In short, is it possible?

Song Gang, the plant manager of the silicon carbon Lingang Plant, also attended the meeting. After listening to the main technical opinions, he also mentioned the current situation: "If we want to realize CTB technology, the cost is not low, which means that the pricing pressure of the models will be relatively high. We are okay, but BYD really needs to carefully consider this aspect."

"The cost of aluminum alloy materials is two to three times that of steel, and integrated construction requires the use of high-strength aluminum alloys that do not require heat treatment."

"The bad news is that it's an aluminum alloy, but the good news is also that it's an aluminum alloy. Fortunately, our preliminary assessment suggests that the aluminum alloy currently in use meets the standards, and testing will begin soon."

"We discussed this in a meeting yesterday. If BYD really needs it, we can cooperate on this patent."

Song Gang reassured his competitors.

The high cost of aluminum alloys is indeed bad news, but the worse news is that without suitable aluminum alloy materials, the cost is simply unattainable.

The initial development of the aluminum alloy suitable for integrated die casting by silicon carbide was a collaborative research effort with Professors Ding Wenjiang and Peng Liming and their team from Jiaotong University, and the patents are also in their hands.

Upon hearing this, Lian Yubo breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "President Song, this is indeed a perfect match. President Yu, after looking around, the most advanced technology is already within your company."

“This is a wonderful coincidence and accumulation,” Song Gang said. “We believe there is a path to achieve this, which means that we do need to scrap most of our previous R&D work and start over. The CTB-based direction may require the realization of a completely new platform for multi-power systems.”

Lian Yubo, understanding the implied meaning, said: "So silicon carbide is going to focus on pure electric vehicles, is that right?"

Song Gang laughed and said, "Everyone says we're always transitioning. When the time comes, we can launch both range-extended and pure electric vehicles at the same time, and people can buy whichever they want."

This trend is obviously not hard to guess.

Silicon carbon is eager to improve the range of lithium iron phosphate batteries in order to develop pure electric vehicles.

There is now a general consensus on the feasibility of CTB. The focus has shifted to what extent the existing design needs to be modified. Based on the technical characteristics of CTB, an architecture platform that is compatible with both pure electric and range-extended power forms has become a major requirement.

Silicon carbon requires a standardized core and modular expansion to solve this problem, so that range-extended or pure electric vehicles can be produced on the same production line.

The technological requirements of pure electric vehicles, in turn, drive vehicle development to match these requirements.

Gao Huan listened to the conversation between Silicon Carbon and BYD, and after a moment's thought, he understood everything: Silicon Carbon was going to make pure electric vehicles.

As for whether pure electric vehicles based on silicon carbide can sell well, the development based on CTB technology is obviously advanced in today's market. Even if this advancement is not well received by the market, the new platform that combines range extension and pure electric will not suffer too much loss, and it can still mass-produce popular range extension models.

The lively online meeting has come to an end.

Gao Huan savored the discussion between the two sides, feeling that there was still more to say.

He was certainly aware of his company's bet on ternary lithium batteries, but the structural innovations of carbon silicon and automakers like BYD could greatly improve battery range, effectively balancing density and safety.

If the density of a single battery cell cannot be solved for the time being, then the overall system density will be addressed.

Large modules can solve the density problem of small modules, and integrating modules can further increase battery density. But...

Gao Huan thought of Lian Yubo's comment: the strongest technology is indeed already in the formation.

Even if the aluminum alloys currently used in silicon carbide are not strong enough, moving in this direction won't be far off.

Gao Huangang's firm resolve was greatly shaken.

It's not just about work performance, but also about the pioneering spirit and sense of accomplishment that comes from combining new technologies and ideas.

As a key technical member of CATL's lithium iron phosphate division, he felt a tremor involuntarily when he simply thought about the problems that this direction could solve.

Even if I didn't switch jobs, even if silicon carbon development might make us competitors, a strange sense of joy still arose.

Moreover, the problem is easy to solve: simply move on to making silicon carbon a competitor to CATL, and you'll be happy, not bewildered.

Gao Huan was somewhat distraught after listening to the developments of lithium iron phosphate batteries in the automotive industry.

When he returned home that night, he pondered for a long time and solemnly said to his wife, "I've made up my mind, I'm going to Lingang."

The daughter-in-law looked completely bewildered: "Was I dreaming yesterday? Did I dream about it? How could you make such a decision again?"

Gao Huan licked his lips and began to talk at length about the latest lithium iron phosphate solutions.

His wife was used to this kind of answer, and patiently waited for him to finish before asking, "What about the child? What about school?"

Gao Huan said in a low voice, "I wonder if President Yu can solve this. Lingang is a bit remote, but it's still part of Shanghai. Shanghai has excellent educational resources, right? Should I ask him now?"

The daughter-in-law stopped talking and only gestured with her eyes.

Gao Huan took out his phone and nervously called President Yu. He wanted to ask about his child's education, but the moment the call connected, he unconsciously started asking about silicon carbide and BYD's vision for CTB.

“Mr. Gao, we are closely studying the feasibility of this,” Yu Xing replied directly. “It seems feasible at the moment. We have the technical conditions to make it happen. If there are no major problems, we will probably proceed in this direction. I am also waiting for their conclusion.”

Gao Huan paused for a moment before saying, "CTB is a good solution for car companies, but it is not easy to sell and the maintenance costs will be much higher. The joint venture in Lingang will probably only be able to do its own carbon silicon business for some time to come."

“This is a problem, but the solution to this problem does not lie in CTB. As long as we can improve the range of lithium iron phosphate at this stage, can’t its energy density be improved in the future?” Yu Xing said. “We are using solutions to buy time. As long as the energy density of lithium iron phosphate continues to improve, its low cost will become a great advantage in the future. Battery joint ventures are both now and in the future.”

The battery joint venture can solve the range problem that the silicon carbon group needs now, and can also enter the battery market after a breakthrough in energy density research and development.

Yu Xing continued, "Our efforts in open-sourcing systems, forming industry alliances, and reaching agreements with XPeng Motors and NIO on joint procurement of some parts are all laying the foundation for the future. Just like integrated die casting was the foundation laid in the past, it has yielded another achievement today."

Thinking about everything President Yu had said, Gao Huan felt that the future looked promising.

As he was thinking, he suddenly caught his wife's gaze and quickly brought up the issue of their child's education.

Yu Xing simply replied with four words: "It's not a problem."

Gao Huan slowly exhaled: "President Yu, then..."

He paused, then made up his mind: "Then I really want to achieve a breakthrough in lithium iron phosphate."

Hearing this somewhat euphemistic remark, Yu Xing smiled and said, "President Gao, welcome to Carbon Silicon, welcome to Lingang. We really need you."

Gao Huan felt that it was really nice to be needed.

Then, he will need to find an opportune moment to submit his resignation to General Manager Zeng.

After Gao Huan ended the call, the thought of resigning gave him a headache again.

He wasn't good at saying no, and he wasn't particularly tactful, but this did seem like an excellent opportunity.

On June 23, Gao Huan mustered up his courage and went to Zeng Yuqun's office.

At 3 p.m. that same day, which was 7 a.m. local time in the UK, the Brexit referendum was launched, and the results would be announced in 15 hours.

Li Song, who had just returned to Shanghai from Hong Kong, barely slept that night.

He tossed and turned in bed, looking at his phone, praying to God and Buddha for a successful Brexit.

At three o'clock in the morning, three hours before the referendum results were announced, Xu Xin, who was half asleep, suddenly felt Li Song's body stiffen. She instantly woke up and her first reaction was to check Li Song's breathing.

Thankfully, it didn't all pass at once.

Xu Xin rubbed her eyes and asked, "Are you out?"

“No.” Li Song’s voice was muffled. “The latest conclusion from British institutions is that we will successfully remain in the EU.”

Xu Xin yawned: "It might not be accurate."

Li Song's voice trembled slightly: "They made their inferences based on the local voting results. It's over, it's over, I'm finished! I'm going to be Yu Xing's scapegoat! It's all over, it's all over!"

Xu Xin listened to this series of "finished" and didn't know what to say.

Li Song muttered, "I shouldn't have agreed to Yu Xing's offer. Such a big fund, why would he ask me for help? What have I done to deserve this?! He's just too much of a gambler! He's a big short seller who just wants to gamble! He's using me as a shield! I can't do it, I can't do it!"

Xu Xin was even more speechless.

In the last three hours, he was filled with regret, whispered, and silent.

Before they knew it, it was six o'clock, and both of their phones suddenly vibrated, receiving the latest messages.

—The first constituency vote count in the UK is in, with Brexit in the lead!
Li Song froze for three seconds, then suddenly shouted, startling Xu Xin who was standing next to him.

He practically leaped up, shouting, "I'm the real stock market genius of Lingang!"

Looking at Li Song, who was laughing loudly, Xu Xin suspected that President Yu might have lost consciousness at home. He was indeed possessed by the true little stock god of Lingang.

　I recommend a book; check it out if you're interested: "You Call Yourself a Big Director?"

　
(End of this chapter)