From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 206 Why didn't you say so sooner?!
The conversation between the two parties.

It ended in a strange atmosphere.

Lei Jun felt as if this young man in front of him could resonate with his own thoughts.

This is weird.

Is this right?
"Mr. Lei, the fact that our competitors have taken over Polestar batteries will likely create significant competitive pressure."

On the way back, Wang Teng couldn't help but say.

"It's alright, we'll just stick to the original plan."

Lei Jun replied casually.

Although I feel a little disappointed about the battery issue, I'm still wondering where I let my guard down.
It's not just about chips.

Even when it came to building cars, he only had a rough idea.

It's uncertain whether or not to do it.

How come I feel recognized and accepted under the other person's gaze?

This inexplicable sense of disorientation made him temporarily forget all other thoughts.

……

"Mr. Xu, we've received a response from vivo. Their high-end phones this year are mainly featuring dual-engine flash charging, with battery capacity and charging speed being key selling points. They've expressed greater interest in our Polaris batteries."

Yu Nian walked over and said.

That's right.

Xingchen is not only in talks with Xiaomi, but also in contact with other mobile phone manufacturers.

Besides Xiaomi, vivo is the most interested.

Theoretically, either of these two companies would be fine.

After all, StarCenter's mobile phone battery cell production capacity is limited, and it would be good if it could supply a single brand this year.

Because the other side has higher requirements for technological controllability and also has its own battery cell technology reserves, the entry cycle is too long, so they are not very interested in expressing their stance.

Leaving aside the mobile phone industry, due to poor management, its market share has dropped to below 3%. The in-vehicle software department has also added a lot of technical personnel, becoming a haven for those who have left the mobile phone industry.

OPPO, like Xiaomi, has some disagreements regarding costs, and its full-screen flagship for the second half of the year is planned to be delayed, making it another option.

"In addition to requesting the technical inspection report, the head of vivo's supply chain also asked for a batch of samples for evaluation. If they meet the standards, they can fully accept our pricing."

“No problem, we can send it directly. This is our first foray into the mobile phone industry with Polestar batteries, and we need to build trust between us little by little.”

Xu Yi smiled.

Actually, he left some room for maneuver.

The cost of Polestar batteries is not that high.

However, it would be even better if we could enter the market with a high-end positioning.

Mobile phone testing mainly involves cycle life, high-temperature charging and discharging, overcharging and over-discharging, and drop testing.

Xingchen has already done it internally, and mobile phone manufacturers also have their own set of testing standards. These are all fixed procedures that supply chain manufacturers must follow.

……

Zhen Zhiqiang has finished the pre-mass production preparation meeting for the flagship mobile phone in the second half of the year.

The X20 and X20 Plus will be released in the second half of the year and are the key models for this year.

Most of the component suppliers in the supply chain have already been secured, and a large portion of them have entered the inventory preparation process.

Unless unforeseen circumstances arise, the supplier's plan will not be changed temporarily.

However, some time ago, he received a message.

Xingchen Automotive officially announced that the mobile phone battery cell developed in its internal laboratory has been successfully implemented, claiming to achieve the highest energy density in the industry.

Hear the news.

Two words came to Zhen Zhiqiang's mind—"unfamiliar".

No.

These days, even car manufacturers are making mobile phone batteries?

Well known.

Everyone knows that BYD is both a new energy vehicle company and a major supplier of mobile phone batteries.

But they actually started out making batteries; they only decided to switch to car manufacturing later.

of course.

Their team did contact them.

After reviewing the parameters and test reports sent by the other party, Zhen Zhiqiang still had doubts.

Vivo's year-round battery cell suppliers are ATL, BYD, and LG Chem.

ATL primarily supplies high-end flagship battery cells, while BYD mainly supplies mid-to-low-end cells. He believes that the battery cell manufacturing approach of new energy vehicle companies is more like leveraging existing resources and technological patent advantages to earn a contract manufacturing fee, rather than engaging in high-end research and development.

"Mr. Zhen, our internal inspection report on Polestar batteries is out."

Executive Director Song Sha walked in.

"How about it?"

"The results were unexpected. The test results were almost identical to the parameters submitted by the other party, and many samples even performed better!"

"What about security?"

"I was just about to tell you that the safety is absolutely off the charts. Can you believe that even when fully charged, it won't explode or catch fire when punctured by a needle, it will only produce smoke... This is not a gel battery, and its energy density is so high that it has surpassed that of LG Chem."

……

Song Sha's tone and expression were one of shock!

Some of vivo's ultra-thin models are custom-purchased from LG Chem in pursuit of ultra-high energy density.

The supplier's solution is also based on the manufacturer's needs.

It's not impossible to manufacture high-energy-density battery cells, but their stability may not be as strong.

It's the same principle as how high the charging power of fast charging will cause it to generate heat.

Zhen Zhiqiang took the test report and looked at it carefully.

My gaze kept sweeping across the screen; this was their own internal "6 Sigma" testing standard, which was even stricter than the industry's battery testing standards.

"Aside from not having time to conduct extensive testing on cycle life, we tried all sorts of more extreme tests, and the overall performance was excellent."

Furthermore, based on preliminary assessments, the cycle life figure should also be achievable through manipulation.

However, based on the pricing they revealed, I think the R&D premium is quite high, and it seems they're also in contact with other companies.

Song Sha continued to add.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Zhiqiang could no longer sit still.

"You didn't tell me earlier."

"Uh, I..."

-

Zhen Zhiqiang rushed to the boss's office with the report in his hand.

Chairman Shen Wei finished reading the report.

The report focuses on the 4100mAh capacity and the 30W flash charging capability that is compatible with their own solution.

I fell into thought.

The mobile phone manufacturers that have survived to this day are all cost-control monsters.

You're saying you're going to more than double the cost of something like battery cells, which doesn't have many technological bottlenecks.

Switching to any manufacturer would require a long period of consideration.

Moreover, the capacity increase is not that dramatic.

But then again.

vivo is undoubtedly one of the companies most willing to invest in product and technological innovation.

The X20 Plus, which is being prepared for internal release, has already been equipped with under-display fingerprint technology, making it the world's first phone with under-display fingerprint technology upon release.

This phone has a very generous battery capacity of 3900mAh.

It's like filling up all the space that can be stacked.

Now we have a battery solution that is similar in size, has a larger capacity, and charges faster.

It almost perfectly met their needs.

"Have they all been tested?" Shen Wei couldn't help but ask.

Zhen Zhiqiang said, "Yes, apart from the high technology premium, it seems to have no other problems. It's even better than LG Chem's high-rate custom soft-pack cells!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Why didn't you say so sooner!"

"Ah I……"

"Contact Xingchen immediately; we, vivo, want the first batch of this battery!"

Shen Wei said directly.

After saying that, he thought about it again.

"Fine, I'll go myself!"

……

(End of this chapter)