Rebirth 2004: I can make money by writing.

"Lithium batteries, the current development direction is mainly lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and ternary lithium batteries.

Especially for ternary lithium batteries, the energy density announced by foreign four-star and LG laboratory tests can currently reach more than 150wh/kg, and may even have exceeded 200wh/kg.

However, there is a technical problem that is difficult to solve, which is its flammability and explosiveness.

Lithium iron phosphate is relatively safer, but has a lower energy density… If it's hit, it's equally unsafe, quickly bursting into flames and difficult to extinguish,” Professor Zhong recounted.

Energy density wh/kg: the amount of energy that can be released per kilogram of battery (such as ternary lithium battery materials: cathode material lithium nickel cobalt manganese + anode graphite + diaphragm + electrolyte + shell, etc.);

1kWh = 1000wh, which is commonly known as the battery capacity of one kilowatt-hour.

Hao Qiang listened carefully. He thought of the electric cars of later generations. The batteries would quickly catch fire after being hit. No matter whether water or dry powder fire extinguishers were used, it was impossible to put out the fire.

For example, if a certain celebrity was hit by a tram and the public had not provided timely assistance, the consequences would have been disastrous, and the vehicle and its passengers would have been reduced to ashes.

But it must be said that the energy density of lithium batteries is much higher than that of lead-acid batteries, and they have great development prospects.

In later generations, CATL focused on the research, development and production of ternary lithium batteries, while BYD focused on lithium iron phosphate. Both have their own unique advantages and potential problems.

The advantages of lead-acid batteries are stable quality, safety, strong reliability, and recyclability. Their price is relatively high compared to lithium batteries, but they are bulky and have a lifespan of only about two years.

The life of lithium batteries is more than six years, and their specific energy is large. The future market application technology of ternary lithium can reach more than 250wh/kg, and lithium iron phosphate can also reach more than 150wh/kg.

If it is laboratory technology, it will definitely be higher.

The specific energy of lead-acid batteries is much lower.

In fact, it can be calculated through calculation.

With the technology of 2020, a 60v20ah lead-acid battery (capacity (kWh) is equivalent to 60*20=1200Wh=1.2kWh=1.2 kWh) is about 5 batteries (12v per battery pack, connected in series, the current remains unchanged, the voltage increases), the total weight of the battery pack is about 30 kilograms, the market sales price is 750 yuan, and the recycling price is 50%.

In terms of specific energy, it is only 40wh/kg!

For a lithium battery with the same capacity, i.e. 1.2 kWh, if the technology level can reach 200wh/kg, the weight of the lithium battery pack will be equal to = 1200/200 = 6kg.

Just 6 kilograms.

Of course, the market price is over 1200 yuan per kilowatt-hour, and a 1.2-kilowatt-hour lithium battery costs 1450 yuan, which is twice as expensive, and it cannot be recycled or replaced (the technology is not yet available).

For example, for a ternary lithium battery pack for a car with a capacity of 70 kWh, the market price of the battery cell is normally 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, which is why new energy vehicles are expensive.

The engine of a car priced at around 20 yuan is not as expensive as a ternary lithium battery pack.

Electric motorcycles use lithium batteries, which are mainly used in high-end vehicles. The market price of the whole vehicle is generally more than 3,000 yuan.

These information and data are the conclusions that Hao Qiang drew based on his own knowledge of his previous life and Professor Zhong's explanation.

Should we enter the lithium battery industry?

Hao Qiang feels that there is great potential.

Even if lithium batteries are developed, it is not realistic to use them in the automotive industry at present. After all, the technology level is low and the energy density is low. If it is a lithium battery with 50 to 60 degrees of electricity, the cost of the battery alone may be 100,000 yuan, and the battery pack will be very heavy. Who would buy such a car?

But if it is used in electric motorcycles, it is different, after all, the battery pack used is not large.

The terminal selling price of a 1.2 kWh lithium battery is only 700 to 800 yuan more expensive than a lead-acid battery, but the car is much lighter and the range is more than ten to twenty kilometers longer.

For example, lead-acid batteries like 48V20ah and 48V24ah weigh more than 28 kilograms. In the future, the new national standard stipulates that the weight limit of electric bicycles is 55 kilograms, and the weight of the battery alone accounts for more than half. Therefore, this model of lead-acid battery has been eliminated due to its overweight.

Maybe electric motorcycles don’t have a weight limit in this regard, but using lead-acid batteries is equivalent to carrying an extra child, and the battery life is much shorter than that of a lithium battery car with the same capacity.

Of course, Hao Qiang is not very optimistic either.

The biggest problem with lithium batteries, as Professor Zhong said, is their flammability and explosiveness!

Even in later generations, such problems still arise frequently.

Of course, compared to its large size, there are not many accidents.

If you want to work in the lithium battery industry, when registering a company, it is best not to register it yourself, but find someone else to replace you.

At the same time, if there is sufficient capital and resources, one can invest in lithium mineral resources to ensure the stability of the supply chain and cost control.

Next, Hao Qiang asked Professor Zhong a lot of questions about electric motorcycles.

The old and the young had a pleasant conversation for a long time. Professor Zhong also liked students like Hao Qiang who loved to discuss technology.

After chatting for more than an hour, Hao Qiang knew that Professor Zhong was not feeling well, so he had to find an excuse to leave.

The master's wife warmly invited Hao Qiang to stay for dinner, but he was too embarrassed to do so and politely declined.

"Professor Zhong, thank you very much for your careful guidance. I have benefited a lot from it." Hao Qiang stood at the door and bowed slightly to Professor Zhong again to express his gratitude.

Professor Zhong looked at Hao Qiang with a pleased smile on his face: "Xiao Hao, you're welcome. Come often when you have time."

"I certainly will. Professor, please take care of yourself." Hao Qiang smiled and waved goodbye, taking the gift he brought.

He originally wanted to invite Professor Zhong to dinner, but Professor Zhong was in poor health, couldn't drink alcohol, and refused to accept gifts, so how could he agree to have dinner with him?

It is estimated that only when the relationship between the two sides becomes deeper will Professor Zhong no longer care about these details.

After leaving the faculty and staff apartment complex, Hao Qiang got in his car and went to the cafeteria to quickly have lunch.

After returning to my rented apartment, I calmed down and thought carefully about which technology industry to choose as my development direction.

After repeated consideration, he basically decided on the lithium battery industry.

In the third-level technology store, if he chooses the second technical field "Battery Manufacturing Technology and Process", he will no longer be able to choose other technical fields.

However, in the secondary technical shop, he can choose the field of motorcycle parts manufacturing technology and process.

At each level of the technology store, he can choose two adjacent technologies.

For the secondary technology shop, Hao Qiang plans to choose vehicle frame and charging technology as his research focus.

In the third-level technology store, he plans to focus on ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries.

The components of electric vehicles include frames, plastic parts, motors, batteries, controllers, wheels, front forks, brakes, lamps and internal wiring, among which battery technology, motor technology, controller technology and charging technology are the core technologies of electric vehicles.

However, motor and controller technology is not available in the Level 2 technology shop.

But it doesn’t matter, you can buy both the motor and the controller.

If conditions permit, it is best to develop the controller yourself.

Charging technology and battery technology are matched and complement each other. We cannot only have battery technology without charging technology.

Many electric motorcycle companies design and produce their own frames, while other components are customized and outsourced.

If Hao Qiang develops electric lithium batteries, he can also sell them to other electric motorcycle companies.

Through communication with Professor Zhong, Hao Qiang gained a general understanding of the profit situation of electric motorcycles.

The electric motorcycle currently sold on the market for 3,000 yuan has a manufacturer cost of about 1800 yuan and a factory price of about 2500 yuan.

This means that there is a profit margin of about 500 yuan in terminal sales.

Of course, there are some differences in manufacturing costs among manufacturers, and sellers may also raise prices, but the data are generally not much different and will not be too outrageous.

Therefore, selling electric motorcycles is still very profitable these days. It is normal to sell dozens or even hundreds of them a month, with a gross profit of tens of thousands of yuan.

Of course, the investment is not small, and just holding back on goods is not something that ordinary businessmen can afford.

As the electric motorcycle market matured, more than a decade later, the number of stores increased and competition intensified, profit margins gradually shrank, and making money became more difficult.