Chapter 607 - 434: A Gem Despite Its Flaws! An Epoch-making Technology! Accelerating the Commercialization Process

Sun Huamin of the Yanjing Institute of Physical Chemistry pushed up his glasses and stated with scholarly precision.

"I agree with Sun Gong’s suggestion!"

"Seconded!"

"We should leave at once!"

The rest of the group chimed in with their agreement.

A name carries weight.

Ever since Senlian Capital developed the Orange Z1 Instruction Set and the Aurora Future Operating System, they had been on the Huake Science Association’s radar.

For any other company, this group of industry titans would never have personally made a trip to Shencheng City.

But the applicant on the documents was Senlian Capital, so they had no choice but to take it seriously.

’What if... this technology is actually viable?’

That evening, Cao Dahua received a call from Yuan Ruli, who told him to prepare the necessary materials and equipment for an experiment.

In two hours, several chief scientists from the Huake Science Association and the Yanjing Institute of Physical Chemistry would be arriving.

’The Deep Blue Battery?’

Cao Dahua immediately understood and readily agreed.

He then relayed the news to Chen Yansen.

"You can cooperate with them, but guard the MOF separator and electrolyte formula," Chen Yansen instructed.

"Boss, I understand," Cao Dahua replied, his expression full of excitement.

He hadn’t expected that the seven or eight hundred million yuan invested in R&D last year would actually yield results.

Chen Yansen put down his phone and lay on the sofa at Ye Qiuping’s house, waiting contentedly for dinner.

「Meanwhile.」

After arriving in Shencheng City, Sun Huamin and the others headed straight for Orange Technology’s laboratory.

The group had a clear division of labor. Along with their assistants, they began a comprehensive inspection of the Deep Blue Battery, including tests for capacity, voltage, internal resistance, power, and high- and low-temperature performance.

The results were staggering!

Although the Deep Blue Battery’s practical efficiency was only 61% to 63% under normal temperatures and high-rate discharge conditions, with a noticeable decay rate, you couldn’t ignore its energy density of 600 watt-hours per kilogram.

It might not achieve triple the energy storage, but doubling it was a piece of cake.

Whether applied in civilian or military fields, a device’s battery life could be doubled.

"What are the Deep Blue Battery’s five-year and ten-year decay rates?" Sun Huamin asked curiously.

Generally, battery decay rates aren’t tested by waiting for the actual time to pass. Accelerated aging tests are almost always used.

By simulating extreme conditions—such as high temperatures, high-rate charging and discharging, and specific states of charge—and then combining that with mathematical models to extrapolate long-term decay trends, one can quickly assess the decay rate over five years, or even longer.

Sun Huamin knew in his heart that Orange Technology’s R&D personnel had definitely performed these tests.

"The five-year capacity decay rate is around 20%, which equates to a cycle life of 1,200 cycles. Over ten years of use, the capacity decay can be kept within 30%."

A lead engineer answered.

He was the head of the laboratory, a senior R&D engineer poached by Chen Yansen from Sion Power, and a leading expert in the field of lithium-sulfur batteries: Zeng Jiweng.

"That decay rate is a bit high," Sun Huamin said with a sigh.

"Lithium polysulfides are prone to side reactions on the anode surface, which consumes a large amount of active material and causes rapid capacity decay. Sion Power’s lithium-sulfur batteries drop to 50% capacity after just 100 cycles in practical applications. In terms of resisting decay, the Deep Blue Battery is a whole generation ahead of North America."

Zeng Jiweng retorted bluntly.

"You’re a researcher from Sion Power?" Sun Huamin asked.

"A *former* Sion Power researcher. I am now the project lead for the Deep Blue Battery," Zeng Jiweng replied with a nod.

Sion Power was a battery supplier in the Lighthouse Country with significant achievements in the field of lithium-sulfur batteries. In a laboratory environment, they had once raised the maximum energy density to 390 watt-hours per kilogram.

As an industry insider, Sun Huamin had of course heard of them.

"Its virtues more than make up for its flaws," Sun Huamin commented. "Compared to ordinary lithium-ion batteries, the advantages of the Deep Blue Battery completely outweigh its drawbacks."

After speaking, he scanned the laboratory. From temperature and humidity to cleanliness, safety, and electromagnetic compatibility, everything was under strict, systematic control.

Success doesn’t happen by chance!

Senlian Capital had clearly poured a considerable amount of manpower, material resources, and capital into lithium-sulfur batteries.

Especially considering Zeng Jiweng had been one of Sion Power’s core members.

’He really couldn’t figure it out. How on earth did Chen Yansen recruit talent of this caliber?’

After all, Sion Power had been continuously receiving funding from the Lighthouse Country’s Energy Association since 2009.

To put it bluntly, it was a lithium-sulfur battery R&D company with official government backing.

After Sun Huamin’s group left, the matter was reported up through the proper channels. Less than half an hour later, people from the local Inspection Institute and the Peace Association showed up and, without any room for argument, had Zeng Jiweng and the others sign non-disclosure agreements.

A total of 17 director-level engineers were all incorporated into the classified information system.

Although the Deep Blue Battery’s technology didn’t quite reach the level of a national defense patent, it was on the borderline.

The final verdict from above was that it was a sensitive technology patent.

Even if other battery factories obtained a patent license, they would not be qualified to access the MOF separator material and electrolyte formula.

The supply of materials would be classified and supervised by the Peace Association.

Yuan Ruli convened a Central Bureau meeting overnight to find suitable industrial land in Shencheng City for Senlian Capital to build a production base.

However, Chen Yansen was more inclined to first acquire an existing battery production plant. They would only need to upgrade the coating and packaging processes to enter the production phase.

Selecting a site and building a new factory could also proceed simultaneously.

After a moment’s thought, Yuan Ruli agreed to Chen Yansen’s plan.

The long-bankrupt You Pu Battery factory was the first to enter their sights.

This was the very factory that had deliberately supplied a batch of batteries that didn’t meet production specifications back when Orange Mobile Phone was just starting out, and was subsequently blacklisted by Chen Yansen.

After that, You Pu Battery products were involved in three separate explosion incidents in Africa, and the company quickly went out of business.

The factory complex covered 210,000 square meters and was once the largest supplier of batteries for knockoff phones in Huaqiang North. Companies like Big Pineapple, Transsion, OPPO, and Meizu had all been its customers, but now it was overgrown with weeds and completely deserted.

After surveying the site, Cao Dahua reported the actual situation to Chen Yansen.

"It’s not like we can’t use it. Hurry up and get it cleaned and leveled. We need to get moving on setting up the production lines and hiring," Chen Yansen replied.

At the same time, Yuan Ruli picked out an 800,000-square-meter plot of land for him in Ping Mountain.

The land could be used for free!

But there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Shencheng City’s government naturally had its own agenda. They offered the land and 3 billion yuan in capital in exchange for a 15% stake in the Deep Blue Battery company.

Chen Yansen didn’t refuse. There was no shame in cozying up to a powerful backer.

With someone powerful watching your back, you can get twice the results with half the effort!

Of this 3 billion yuan, 2.5 billion came from Shencheng State-Owned Assets and 500 million from the Social Security Fund.

’In the future, anyone who dares to mess with the Deep Blue Battery will have to ask Shencheng City and the Social Security Fund for permission first!’

「Meanwhile.」

Companies like BYD, Xinwangda, Desai, and BTR also received the news, but they initially dismissed it.

But when they learned that Yuan Ruli had given Senlian Capital an 800,000-square-meter plot of industrial land for free, they were suddenly lost in thought.

’Could the Deep Blue Battery have really solved the limitations of lithium-sulfur batteries?’

’No way!’

In the Lighthouse Country, Sion Power, PolyPlus, and the Oak Ridge Laboratory had actually developed lithium-sulfur batteries with over 400 watt-hours per kilogram long ago.

But their cycle life was mostly between 100 and 200 cycles, and that was under ideal laboratory conditions, far below commercial standards.

Furthermore, using metallic lithium as the anode causes lithium dendrites to form during charging and discharging, which can then pierce the separator, lead to an internal short circuit, and trigger thermal runaway.

’Who doesn’t know about the high energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries?’

’But they have a short lifespan, decay quickly, and are prone to leaking and catching fire!’

’Unless... the Deep Blue Battery has solved all of these problems!’

Wang Chuanfu asked someone to make inquiries, but after a short while, the middleman reported back, "The patent is classified. I can’t get any more detailed data."

He immediately got the message, understanding that the Deep Blue Battery’s design was likely beyond anything he had imagined.

Otherwise, Shencheng City’s government and Senlian Capital wouldn’t be in such a hurry to push the Deep Blue Battery into the commercialization phase.

The immediate question was, what was the Deep Blue Battery’s actual practical efficiency, and would it have an impact on BYD?