Knock, knock, knock—
Someone knocked on the office door.
Xu Yifan, sitting behind his desk, closed the game on his computer screen and said calmly, "Come in."
The door opened, and Lu Jingping walked in with a big smile.
"Boss, our battery lab has finally delivered. We've completed development of the new lithium iron phosphate battery!"
Although he already knew all the details of the technology thanks to the system, Xu Yifan still asked, "How does this battery perform?"
Lu Jingping briefly went over its specifications.
"Performance is excellent. Its energy density is 150 Wh/kg.
"It handles both high and low temperatures well, retaining 65% capacity at minus twenty degrees.
"Although the materials' inherent limitations mean it still can't quite match ternary lithium batteries, it's not far behind.
"As for cycle life, it still retains over 80% capacity after 5,000 cycles. You could say it's one of the best lithium iron phosphate batteries in the country right now!
"However, this was made under laboratory conditions. Once we factor in cost and manufacturing processes, the performance of the final mass-produced version may be just a little lower."
After listening carefully, Xu Yifan murmured, "Energy density... As I recall, most lithium iron phosphate batteries are limited by their materials and hover around 80–100 Wh/kg. Few can reach 110–130 Wh/kg.
"At 150 Wh/kg, ours is already top of the line!"
"It can retain 65% capacity in low temperatures? I remember looking into BYD before, and its battery technology only seemed to reach around 60%."
"And lithium iron phosphate performs better at high temperatures, too, making it safer. Even if there's a short circuit, it has to reach seven hundred degrees before it can ignite, so a short circuit is unlikely to cause a serious problem!"
"Producing lithium iron phosphate is much cheaper than manufacturing ternary lithium batteries. Ternary lithium batteries require the rare metals nickel and cobalt.
"Lithium iron phosphate materials are relatively easy and cheap to obtain. Other than lithium, all you need is Phosphate Rock and Iron Ore to synthesize them."
"Lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries each have their pros and cons. Ternary batteries have higher energy density and perform better in cold weather, but they're expensive, relatively unstable, and more prone to catching fire.
"Lithium iron phosphate batteries are heavier and cheaper, but they're less likely to catch fire. Their performance takes a bigger hit in winter, but they have more charging cycles.
"For Jiuzhou Automobile Factory right now, lithium iron phosphate batteries are a better fit. They're more stable, cheaper to manufacture, last longer, and don't require such advanced manufacturing technology."
"With 5,000 cycles, even if you charge it once a day, it'll last 5,000 days—that's over thirteen years. And after all that time, it'll still have 80% of a new car's range.
"Even with a range of just a hundred kilometers, an ordinary family would only need to charge every few days. So there's basically no need to worry about the battery's cycle life!"
"Rather than worrying about the battery, we should worry about other vehicle components failing after ten or twenty years. That's far more likely!"
Seeing the boss casually discuss battery technology that most people hadn't even paid attention to, Lu Jingping couldn't help praising him. "You're amazing, boss!"
Xu Yifan was delighted, unable to hide his smile. "With a battery this good, it'll be much easier to carry out the factory's development plans."
Compared with battery technology more than a decade later, this battery was only average.
But it was only 2009. It was already enough to put Jiuzhou Automobile far ahead of its competitors!
After discussing the new lithium iron phosphate battery's performance with Lu Jingping, Xu Yifan thought of the people who hadn't even gone home for the New Year and asked, "By the way, where are the guys now?"
"They're still in the lab, wrapping a few things up. As soon as the project was finished, I came straight over to tell you."
Then he sighed again. "Honestly, everyone still can't quite believe we managed to develop a new lithium iron phosphate battery in such a short time."
Lu Jingping smiled. "Everyone says your money offensive kept us going without getting tired, as if we had divine help!"
Xu Yifan chuckled and shook his head. "You're the ones who are talented. Without you, no matter how much money I spent, it would've been difficult to develop this technology in such a short time."
"Let's get everyone together tonight and celebrate with a proper feast. Barbecue, hot pot, foot massages—let's treat everyone well!"
"Take a count later and see what everyone wants to eat."
Lu Jingping grinned. "A few people in the group are really looking forward to you taking us out!"
Xu Yifan gave him a knowing smile, then continued, "By the way, about the work schedule going forward: I promised everyone they could take compensatory leave once the battery project was complete.
"Once everyone's work has been arranged, you can start taking time off.
"But let's stick to the plan we discussed: one group rests first, then the other group. We can't have everyone taking time off at once, or construction at the factory will have to stop.
"We're racing against time right now, so we can't let everyone get a proper rest just yet.
"The factory has only just gotten started. It won't take much for things to go wrong. I know everyone's been working hard and hasn't had a break in a long time.
"Once the factory is up and running, you'll have everything you should: annual leave, weekends off, better living quarters, and a better research environment."
Lu Jingping nodded to show he understood. "I've already talked to everyone about staggered leave, and they all understand.
"Everyone's already very satisfied with the working conditions. Of course, I'm sure they'd be delighted if things could be even better!"
Xu Yifan thought for a moment. "We also need to register the patents. I forgot to bring it up at the meeting a couple of days ago. As the factory grows, we'll need a full legal team, too.
"I'll ask Old Ma to put in some extra hours and get a basic legal department set up over the next couple of days.
"Once that's done, I'll take one of our guys along, and we'll work with the factory's legal team to get the patent for the new lithium iron phosphate battery registered."
"All right. Then let Qiu Haowei go with you. He's familiar with patent registration.
"And when we chatted before, he didn't seem particularly eager to rush home and rest. On the contrary, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to go out on business with the boss in a luxury car!"
Xu Yifan nodded slightly and thought it over. There didn't seem to be anything else he needed to arrange for now. "That should be about it."
"All right, go back and tell everyone about the work schedule. Get the lab cleaned up, and tonight we'll drink till we drop!"
Lu Jingping nodded and hurried out.
The office fell quiet again. Xu Yifan sat in silence.
He'd given all the necessary instructions, and each department was expanding at full speed and working toward its established goals.
All that remained was to take care of one last thing. After that, he could wait in peace.
In two or three months, Jiuzhou Automobile Factory would enter a period of major growth.
And the thing that had been holding the factory back all along was its production capacity.
It was time to visit several automobile factories in the province and discuss contract manufacturing.
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