Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 57 Three Promises
In a private room of the restaurant on the second floor of the west gate of Shenzhen University, a business contract with the Chinese character "中" (zhong) and belonging to an unremarkable company called Green Investment was placed in front of Chen Mo.

"In exchange for the catalyst formula, three promises will be made: a 500 million yuan bonus, a lifetime share of 0.1% after mass production, and access to the national-level laboratory in Shenzhen."

A prize of 500 million is a considerable income for Chen Mo right now.

Not only did it allow Chen Mo to pay off the debts he incurred for starting his business, but it also relieved Orange Technology, a small workshop, of its financial worries for a short period of time.

If he were to be even more aggressive, he could easily expand Orange Technology into a small factory.

After mass production, the 0.1% lifetime profit share is a long-term economic return.

With the large-scale production of catalysts, initially used for the construction of molten salt power plants in China, this portion of the profits may not be large.

The first five-year energy storage plan used 40 billion yuan and built about 100 molten salt energy storage power plants.

It is foreseeable that even if the price of catalysts purchased between state-owned enterprises is not high, such a large quantity would generate at least several million in revenue each year.

This isn't even the biggest part.
Last year, at the Copenhagen Climate Conference in 2009, Western countries formulated the ICPC agreement, intending to use the overt strategy of carbon neutrality to restrict developing countries.

They set a carbon emission target for 11 billion people in developed countries, which is 3.67 times that of the other 55 billion people.

If we really follow their requirements, our country would have to return to a fully agricultural era to possibly meet this standard.

The first-generation public intellectual, the Shiba Inu goddess, drove a large-displacement Mercedes-Benz and kept saying that, putting aside the fact that the West has polluted the past, the ICPC is certified by the mainstream West, so why should we continue to pollute? She also relentlessly attacked Academician Ding, who represented us at the conference.

Finally, Academician Ding had no choice but to ask a profound question: Aren't Chinese people human?

Just 15 years after the Copenhagen Climate Conference, its masters have contradicted it in the Baltimore Climate Agreement, with some withdrawing and others suspending it.

The reason?
They've trapped themselves in their own scheme; unable to understand the seemingly straightforward plan of carbon quotas, they're now resorting to dishonest means.

With the carbon reduction targets now seen as a deliberate strategy to suppress developing countries, China has begun actively developing new energy sources this year.

One of the achievements in new energy is the molten salt energy storage power station, which has been successfully entering the global commercial energy storage market since the establishment of the first demonstration energy storage center in Haiqing in 13.

That's a global energy storage market worth nearly a trillion dollars.

Even if the catalyst doesn't account for a large portion of the profit, if even a little bit leaks into Chen Mo's hands, it will still amount to a considerable sum.

Besides, Chen Mo wouldn't be stingy with the catalyst formula just to slap these foreigners and their dogs in the face.

The 0.1% lifetime commission offered above is intended to provide Chen Mo with a stable source of income.

According to the investigation by the National Security Bureau, Chen Mo was a young man with relatively upright values, who was somewhat impulsive and passionate.

After all, what composed person would go into debt halfway through graduate school to start a mobile phone manufacturing business?
They preferred to provide Chen Mo with a stable source of income rather than a large sum of money, taking into account Chen Mo's personality.

It's important to understand that many people who suddenly receive large sums of money due to land expropriation fail to adjust their mindset and ultimately become despondent.

This revenue-sharing model not only ensures Chen Mo's financial security but also provides him with more resources to rebuild his career after setbacks, support his research interests, and realize greater personal value.

The last one, which seems the least remarkable, is extremely helpful to Chen Mo's battery research.

The Shenzhen National Key Laboratory of New Energy has advanced experimental equipment, a professional research team, and abundant research resources, which can provide Chen Mo with better research conditions and platforms.

Yes! Compared to making mobile phones, the higher-ups clearly prefer that technical personnel like Chen Mo, who produce results, develop in the direction of scientific research.

Of course, the above is just a guide, not mandatory.

Chen Mo could use the 500 million yuan in funding and the subsequent 0.1% commission to support his own business.

Of course, Vice Dean Lin also made an implicit promise that goes without saying: if Chen Mo agreed, at least he wouldn't have any minor troubles from official channels in the future.

To be honest, Chen Mo was somewhat moved that the higher-ups had gone to such lengths for him, even for just a catalyst formula. He stared at the words "Green Investment" at the beginning of the document, while the mechanical notification sound of the system rang in his ears.

[System Notification: You are about to trigger the restrictions by disclosing or implying the existence of this system to anyone or in any way. This system will automatically unbind you.]

He took a deep breath: "Okay, Teacher Lin, I agree."

"But I have one condition—in the commercial sector, no one can use the same technology to steal the market."

"I thought of that already!" Vice Dean Lin grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth. "The patent office has already prepared an exclusive agreement. We can outsource the manufacturing to Ningde; I know that place well!"

Chen Mo was the pioneer of gaseous lithium batteries, so naturally the higher-ups wouldn't let others reap the benefits without contributing.

Afterwards, Vice Dean Lin mentioned the mass production process of lithium nitride polymer to Chen Mo. Chen Mo even handed over the catalyst formula, and naturally, he didn't hide the process.

At this point in time, Chen Mo could roughly guess what kind of nitride metal needed to be mass-produced.

I just didn't expect the country to act so quickly; the technical direction of phased array radar has already become clear so early.

After successfully completing his task, Vice Dean Lin suddenly lowered his voice and said, "There's one more thing. You should apply for the patent for that nitride solid-state battery technology."

He tapped the table with his chopsticks, his eyes revealing the caution of an industry veteran: "Fengtian has been frantically applying for patents on the path of sulfide solid-state batteries internationally recently. Who knows, they might use those patents to block our path one day."

Chen Mo's hand, which was holding a chopstick, froze in mid-air, his brows furrowing: "But Teacher Lin, I've been focusing all my attention on the mobile phone project lately. How could I have time to mess around with nitride batteries?"

As someone who has worked in the battery industry for many years, Chen Mo naturally recognized that the intermediate nitride provided by the system was an excellent cathode material for solid-state batteries, but...
"That technology is only a semi-finished product right now. It only has a cathode material. If we force it to be made, it will be garbage!"

"Fengtian's sulfide solid-state batteries are even worse than ordinary nickel-cobalt-manganese batteries on the market, aren't they garbage?"

Vice Dean Lin leisurely sipped some water and gently wiped the corner of his mouth.

"Besides! Who said you had to do it yourself?" He laughed. "You now have a pass to the Shenzhen National Key Laboratory! I'll go find Lao Jiang and have his graduate students come and help you."

"Isn't this going to be a bit of a hassle for Academician Jiang and his students?" Chen Mo said somewhat awkwardly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rim of the cup.

He knew the significance of Professor Lin's good friend, Academician Jiang, in the industry.

The development of sodium-ion solid-state batteries in later generations was inseparable from the help of others.

"Hey kid! Stop being so polite with me!" Vice Dean Lin chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Old Jiang keeps nagging me, saying he wants you to go and enlighten those kids. If you go, he'll be overjoyed!"

Then, Vice President Lin's smile gradually faded, and the old man's eyes became solemn.

“Xiao Chen! Fengtian has already blocked the path for sulfide solid-state batteries. Your gaseous battery is an ace in the hand, but the country also needs to have alternative plans. Leaving a technological way out for solid-state batteries is more important than anything else.”

We are a large country, and when it comes to technological routes, we can choose all of them. We don't need to learn from Japan, which is small and weak, and can only gamble on one technological route.

Many people don't know that we have also explored hydrogen energy technology in our new energy roadmap.

However, the new energy electricity market developed better in later generations, and hydrogen energy was only limited to certain areas.

Technological development is a spiral process; one technology finishes its phase and another takes center stage. Today, electricity technology may reach a bottleneck, but tomorrow hydrogen energy may achieve a major breakthrough, and the market will shift its technological focus.

Therefore, the country is also considering this in the field of batteries, and the mature technology on the market now is liquid lithium batteries.

The future market direction will be either gaseous lithium batteries with uncertain prospects or solid-state lithium batteries in laboratories.

We are a major power with the capability to pursue a comprehensive technological path, unlike smaller countries that gamble on markets and try to have it all.

(End of this chapter)