Investor That Can See The Future

Chapter 227

The arrest of the former president less than two months after leaving office was a social shock.

Most of them responded that they were self-employed, but some supporters protested sporadically in various places to claim Park Si-hyung’s innocence.

Some conservative media, including the Chojung Ilbo, published articles of political retaliation, and the Internet was noisy again.

– Haha, not the special prosecutor, but Kang Jun-hoo who arrested you.

– Otaku VS Sir. Otaku wins!

-If you hadn’t touched Jinhu Kang, you would have lived a happy old age with the money you’ve been hurting.

– All inmate management costs are tax. You usually pay taxes like that, and even after you retire, you pay for meals and meals with taxes.

-You oppose free meals like that, so you get free meals in prison.

-I will go to the detention center with the soup you like.

– You are not guilty! Disband the special prosecutor and release your Excellency immediately!

-Stop political retaliation immediately!

– Arrest the pro-North Leftist Kang Jin-hoo!

-what? Is the comment squad still there?

-Is it the NIS or the security guard?

– It’s like a remnant of ten grains.

* * *

Seoul Eastern Detention Center.

The president, who had led a country in the Blue House until recently, is now in custody under trial.

Park Si-hyung, who was not wearing his usual suit, but a shroud with a number on it, looked around him. Still, unlike other prisoners, he was given a spacious cell as a courtesy to the former president.

But to say that it is spacious, it is only three pyeong.

In the room, there was a folding mattress, a TV, a library, a desk and a dining table, and behind the partition there was a toilet and a sink.

The iron gate could not be opened from the inside, and the only place for sunlight to enter was a narrow window with iron grates.

I couldn’t believe this was real.

‘Why the hell am I here?’

The five years I served as president were a happy time like a dream. Everyone looked up to him, and everyone followed him.

Even when his tenure was over, he had no worries.

In the meantime, PAS became a large corporation with overseas factories and corporations, and the money stolen from various overseas resource development and national projects was accumulated in overseas accounts, and it seemed certain that the successor he nominated would become the president.

Everything was perfect, and I thought that all that was left was to spend a comfortable old age.

By the way… … .

The regime passed, and the PAS went bankrupt. And he himself was locked up in a detention center like this. The money in the overseas account is still there, but what’s the use of being locked up like this?

There are more than 20 allegations currently pending. Abuse of power, bribery, embezzlement, breach of trust, etc. Even if only a few of them are found guilty, they will have to spend 10 years in prison. If you make a mistake, you may have to live until you die.

The only thing you can count on is a pardon.

‘Why do you have to be like this? What did I do wrong?’

What’s wrong with where?

I’ve thought about it a few times, but there’s only one reason why this happened.

Park Si-hyung sharpened his teeth.

‘It’s all because of him. He wouldn’t have had any problems if it wasn’t for him.’

When it was time for bed, he turned off the night lights.

Park Si-hyung was lying on the mattress with a blanket on. Even if the lights were turned off for inmate management, the lights did not go out completely.

In the midst of the silence, the sound of footsteps from the guards intermittently echoed.

I promised myself that I would never cry, but I was so sad and embarrassed that tears came naturally to me.

Park Si-hyung mumbled tears while putting on a blanket.

“After the earthquake, you bastard… … The bad guy in the world… … Be a beggar because you’re going to be ruined.”

* * *

Forbes, a well-known American economic magazine, publishes the ranking of the richest people every year.

There are about 2200 billionaires worldwide.

What is noteworthy this year is that AMZ CEO Jake Byron overtook Microsoft’s Bill Gates to become the No. And my name went up to number three.

Taek-gyu said it was a pity.

“It was counted before the new car was released. If you counted after that, you would have been number one.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter that much.”

Since it is an unlisted company, it has no choice but to be at a disadvantage in the rankings. Actually, if you take all of this, Mansour should rise to the top.

I sat down with Taek-gyu and made a video call.

The Karos executives seen on the screen all had lively expressions on their faces. I’m excited that the car is selling well.

Currently, reservations for AD1 and AD2 are delayed by half a year. If you book now, you can receive it as soon as 6 months later.

“Prioritize quality control over production.”

AD1 and AD2 were the first cars made by Karos. If there is noise due to quality problems from the beginning, there is a risk that the image of the company may also deteriorate.

“Okay.”

Daryl reported the situation.

Premium brands classified as so-called three German companies were not hit hard. However, Toyota, GM, Ford, and Eunsung Motors saw a noticeable drop in sales of competing models with overlapping car classes.

On the other hand, our sales, which had bottomed out due to increased sales, soared rapidly, and profits soared.

“We continue to receive inquiries from foreign dealers.”

It is difficult to meet demand in the United States right now, but we need to start exporting in the future. Even now, export is possible except for the self-driving function, but who would buy this car because of the lack of autonomous driving?

Karos has applied for autonomous vehicle trials in several countries. Each country has different road traffic laws, so you must obtain a permit individually.

In Europe, it was issued without any problems. Korea and Japan entered the review, but China rejected the review, citing various reasons.

India has announced that the government will not allow any technology that could threaten the jobs of taxi drivers and transport drivers.

The more countries that have their own car brands, the more vigilant they are about new technologies. However, these markets cannot be abandoned.

That’s why I’m worried about the aftermath that self-driving cars will bring.

“How is the development of electric vehicles going?”

“Development is almost final. The key is, again, the battery.”

It is no exaggeration to say that all problems with electric vehicles start with batteries and end with batteries.

Currently, almost all automakers, including Eunsung Motors, are selling electric vehicles. But the quantity is not very large.

This is because of high battery prices and supply and demand problems.

Despite government subsidies, most of them, with the exception of a few, are either losing money or selling at cost. So, no matter how well they sell, they cannot easily increase their sales.

Karos’ car sold now is about $20,000 more expensive than other cars as it is equipped with various autonomous driving equipment. If it is made into an electric vehicle, the price will inevitably become more expensive.

Of course, even if the price is high, people will buy it, but the price is a sensitive factor as the company plans to completely convert to an electric vehicle rather than simply launching a car model.

One good thing is that TS Company, a battery maker, is under OTK Company. This is because it is possible to lower the price to a certain extent and meet the supply and demand stably just by procuring the battery on its own.

said Daryl.

“It would be nice if the OTK Research Institute could quickly make a new battery.”

It was quite an expectation.

Someday it will, but we don’t know when that will be. It’s not something that’s going to happen again.

After the meeting, I was going to have lunch with Taek-gyu when my phone rang.

It was none other than Professor Homin Kim.

I got a call.

[Long time no see.]

“Yes, Professor. How have you been?”

We met once after returning from the United States, and since then we haven’t contacted each other, so it’s been a few months since we talked on the phone.

Professor Ho-Min Kim said in a tone that was somewhat sad.

[Isn’t our CEO not very interested in research institutes?]

“Haha, aren’t you comfortable with that?”

I brought Professor Ho-Min Kim as the head of the research center and promised to allow me to study freely without any touch.

They only provided funds as promised, and they did not receive any reports on R&D and did not ask any questions.

It was because I was confident that if I looked closely, the research results would come out by itself.

[Can you come here now? I think I’ve solved the problem.]

I was surprised by that.

“What did you say?”

* * *

Nickel, cobalt, and manganese are contained in NCM batteries, so-called ternary systems. Among them, cobalt accounts for about 30% of the battery cost. Therefore, all battery makers are conducting research to reduce the cobalt content.

Last year, Professor Homin Kim shocked the world by developing a battery that does not use cobalt (although it is currently more expensive than using cobalt).

Even more surprising is that it more than doubled the battery capacity in the process. If only the stability problem is solved, it is a groundbreaking invention that can change the game of the industry.

I immediately got in the car with Taek-gyu and headed to the lab.

When we parked the car and went inside, Professor Ho-min Kim, with a scruffy hair and a scruffy look, greeted us.

We headed to the lab together. The researchers inside all looked exhausted, but only their expressions were bright.

“Are you really solving the stability problem?”

Professor Homin Kim nodded his head in response to my question.

“Lithium is light and highly conductive, but inherently unstable. So, there is a high risk of overheating due to defects or damage. Therefore, the key is to safely store lithium-ion batteries. So we continued to experiment with methods to increase safety. First, the microstructure of the lithium-excess transition metal oxide was changed. Originally, nickel had low structural stability, but it was synthesized at a high temperature to further lower it and then arranged it in the microstructure. However, there are clear limitations with conventional conventional batteries. In the end, the method I chose was a solid state battery. Because the electrolyte is fixed, it does not overheat or explode under any impact, and since there is no liquid in the electrolyte, it is possible to realize high voltage by stacking positive and negative electrodes layer by layer.”

When the explanation was over, I nodded vigorously.

“Ah! i See.”

“Five! What a great way!”

Seeing Taek-gyu admiring, I feel reassured that I am not the only one who did not understand.

I asked an important question.

“Then is mass production possible?”

“Since there is no need for surface treatment of the synthetic anode material, the post-processing process should be simpler.”

“Are you saying it’s possible?”

“right.”

I was about to shout cheers, but Professor Homin Kim said with an awkward smile.

“But the unit price is a bit of a problem.”

No matter how good a technology is, if it is expensive, it is impossible to commercialize it.

“How much?”

“There will be differences in how the production system is set up, but with the same capacity, it will not be significantly more expensive than other batteries.”

“Then there will be no problem.”(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

Currently, battery makers are at war on two issues. It’s just price and capacity.

If one 6000mAh is about the same price as two 3000mAh, that alone will give you an edge.

Wouldn’t it be possible to significantly lower the price in the process of manufacturing battery cells and battery packs as they have twice the capacity in the same volume?

Taek-gyu asked.

“How far can I go if I put this on an electric car?”

“It would be possible to exceed 1,000 kilometres.”

The maximum mileage of an electric vehicle currently on the market is about 500 km. However, this battery can be doubled.

This means that the mileage is longer than that of a diesel car.

“Another advantage is that the charging time is half of what it used to be. It can be charged up to 200 kilometers in 10 minutes with fast charging.”

“It’s amazing.”

Professor Homin Kim said confidently.

“This is the beginning. If technology is advanced, it is possible to further increase the capacity here.”

I swallowed my saliva.

What impact will this have in the future?

This isn’t just about electric cars. There are no wireless electronics that work without batteries. Therefore, the battery is the heart of all electronic devices.

Despite the recent trend of miniaturization and wirelessization of electronic devices, the development of batteries has been slow compared to the speed of technological development.

Electric vehicles can travel less than 500 kilometers, smartphones can last more than a day, and drones can only fly for a few hours.

All of this is due to the limitations of the battery.

However, he has obtained a technique that goes beyond that limit!

Taek-gyu raised his hand and asked a question.

“By the way, what is the name of the battery?”

A battery that does not contain cobalt cannot be called an NCM battery.

What should I say about this?

I told Professor Homin Kim.

“The professor developed it, so the professor should build it.”

“Hmm, the name… … .”

After thinking for a moment, Professor Homin Kim scratched his head and said.

“We just called it an OTK battery. Can’t we just call it that way in the future?”