Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

Chapter 476: The battle over new energy strategies and the battle over routes

BMW moves quickly.

Phillips briefly communicated with the headquarters and prepared to go to Nanshan Battery to inspect it in person.

Based on this inspection situation, the next step will be to arrange technical experts from the headquarters to come over for inspection and exchange.

If Nanshan Battery can really meet the needs of BMW's electric vehicle development plan, then it will formally cooperate with Nanshan Battery.

When he received the news that BMW was coming to inspect, Lin Cheng was a little surprised and immediately came to Cao Yang's office to report in person.

"Mr. Cao, Nanshan Battery has not supplied batteries to any other manufacturer so far. Now BMW has suddenly shown interest in us. Could this be because they want to take this opportunity to understand our technical level?"

"After all, the draft for consultation on electric vehicle subsidies released by Yangcheng City has caused a relatively large response in the automobile industry. Many people are speculating why Yangcheng City has set the cruising range of electric vehicles to 400 kilometers."

"As long as we know more about the situation in Yangcheng, we will inevitably focus on our Nanshan battery."

"After all, Yangcheng has set this standard, and others know that it cannot be set inexplicably."

Although Lin Cheng politely agreed to BMW's visit, it would definitely be a lie to say that he didn't have any worries or doubts in his heart.

In fact, this is really not a big deal.

"After our lithium iron phosphate technology is updated in the future, the energy density can be further improved."

Otherwise, among so many people going to sea, why can they succeed?

Do you really think it's all luck?

"200 kilometers!"

The saying of driving a BMW and riding a Mercedes-Benz has become deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Just when Cao Yang was thinking about something, Lin Cheng quickly added his thoughts.

By then, if Nanshan Battery obtains an order from BMW and has supply performance to Xingchen Motors, Yangcheng Trumpchi and other car companies, it will be much easier to obtain further orders from other car companies.

"Mr. Li, we are still investigating how Nanshan Battery did this."

Li Zhen's question should be one that many people want to know the answer to.

"Nanshan Equipment has even specially deployed a group of technicians to develop battery production equipment, in order to improve Nanshan's battery production technology level and automation level to the most advanced level in the country."

But if you want to provide customers with batteries, if you can't let them know your capabilities, how can they decide to use you?

Historically, BMW should be the first foreign automobile giant to use batteries produced by Chinese battery manufacturers, right?

“That way we can take the lead when promoting our products.”

"Yes, I think so too."

For example, Sunwanda and Yiwei Lithium Energy are now focusing on consumer electronics such as mobile phones and computers.

You want to work on a project with Yangcheng City and you want to keep it completely confidential. How is that possible?

After all, at this time, the world's automotive battery suppliers are still relatively weak. As long as Nanshan Battery makes a slight push forward, it can take the world's No. [-] throne.

Even among luxury car companies, BMW has the fastest pace of electrification.

"Now we are ready to supply batteries to Yangcheng Trumpchi. BMW is interested. We just took this opportunity to start vigorously developing Nanshan batteries."

This special project has a very demanding schedule.

"Of course, you should also pay attention to other competitors. Whether it is BYD or Guoxuan Hi-Tech, they have a very good relationship with the local area. By then, the electric vehicle demonstration projects in these cities will most likely be won by them. .”

Although he is relatively young, he quickly became the director of the technical center by virtue of his proficiency in lithium iron phosphate technology.

Regarding Liu Tianwu's apology, Cao Yang naturally wanted to say that it didn't matter.

China has begun to worry about the development of electric vehicles.

From real estate to batteries, Li Zhen definitely hopes to make Guoxuan Hi-Tech No. [-] in the industry.

Cao Yang knew that Nanshan Battery’s actions this time would definitely be a stimulus to other battery manufacturers.

<divclass="contentadv">There are still very few domestic car battery manufacturers.

This makes it even more difficult for competitors to copy technology.

"When the time comes, we will take the lead and hopefully gain recognition from various car companies in a relatively short period of time."

Otherwise, there has been no experience in large-scale mass production, and it would be very difficult to continuously improve battery technology.

"So during this inspection, in addition to exploring the technical strength of Nanshan Battery, there should be the idea of ​​using Nanshan Battery as a battery supplier for BMW electric vehicles."

"At that time, these buses can be charged for a while at the bus station during shift change to meet the needs of the day, and then finally fully charged during the night break."

Whether you admit it or not, supply performance to luxury brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz is very important to suppliers.

"One of the targets of Nanshan Batteries is also these models, and there is a high probability that they will also use lithium iron phosphate batteries in buses."

"It would be best if it can be put into small batch production by the end of next year and run for a period of time."

Nanshan Battery can definitely borrow this kind of brand influence.

At this point in time, their MINIE has begun road testing in Europe.

In 2013, the BMW i3 was also officially launched.

Why do many suppliers in future generations still supply Tesla at the expense of losing money?

It's not just because of this supply opportunity that it can bring them more orders.

Shi Junhui's answer made it hard for people to find fault.

"Otherwise, it would be impossible to set the cruising range standard for electric buses even lower than that of electric taxis."

Especially on some new energy parts, this demonstration effect is even more obvious.

Anyway, the outside world will soon have some understanding of the technical level of Nanshan Battery.

"I think this is also an opportunity for Nanshan Battery."

If Cao Yang is really affected by his analysis and directly refuses BMW's visit, it will probably be a loss to Nanshan Battery.

But now the tide is beginning to change.

However, the answer to what technology is most suitable for electric vehicle batteries was obviously not available in 2008.

Even if some of them have been established, their main business is still batteries for consumer electronics.

"Well, I will personally communicate with the boss of Ankai Bus, and we will work together to get this electric bus project started as soon as possible."

Cao Yang had invested so much manpower and material resources in the development of Nanshan Battery, so he naturally had high expectations for it.

Li Zhen is not a battery expert. A few years ago, he didn't even know anything about batteries.

In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, BMW exhibited two 1602 Elektro-Antrieb electric cars.

Not all questions can give a satisfactory answer.

"However, according to our current technology, there should be no way for the buses to reach 300 kilometers of driving range, right?"

Now with the introduction of policies in Yangcheng, Shi Junhui realized that Nanshan Battery may be the most technologically advanced among these competitors.

"On the other hand, the cost of ternary lithium batteries is much higher than that of lithium iron phosphate, and the production difficulty is also much higher."

Otherwise, Cao Yang would not have asked Zhang Fugui to arrange funds to acquire upstream industries such as lithium mines and nickel mines.

"A 200-kilometer range is basically enough to drive for six or seven hours."

"In the future, as China introduces various subsidies and incentive policies for electric vehicles, various car companies will more or less begin to be involved in the research and development and production of electric vehicles."

"The best thing is for BMW to show full interest in us after this visit and introduce Nanshan batteries into BMW's supply system as soon as possible."

"As for the subsidy standards, this is actually easy to handle. Yangcheng has to set such high standards. We in Luzhou do not need to copy them completely."

The battery industry is indeed worthy of attention.

What technical route is the most suitable battery?

This question, even in 2023, will not have a standard answer.

CATL (Ning/De/Shi/dai, Ningwang, no additional remarks will be made in the future), which had no previous experience in supplying electric vehicle batteries, relied on the supporting opportunities provided by BMW to successfully enter the new track. In the end, by virtue of the opportunity to supply BMW, we successfully obtained supply opportunities from a series of other OEMs.

"Not talking about traffic jams, just driving normally, stop-and-go, the average speed is about 30 kilometers."

If the production of Nanshan batteries increases in the future, Nanshan Group may also consider investing in the production of other electrolytes, positive and negative electrode materials, etc.

Although he is an expert on lithium iron phosphate batteries, he is also an expert. The more he knows that the energy density of batteries needs to be improved, it is not that simple.

Cao Yang's decision made Lin Cheng feel a little surprised. In the past few years, when ordinary OEMs came to inspect, Cao Yang would only meet at the beginning and end, and the number of accompanying visits was very rare.

Although Lin Cheng's analysis is not completely unreasonable, it cannot be ruled out that the other party's inspection was for the purpose of understanding the strength of Nanshan Battery.

In 2010, BMW MINIE was officially launched.

“BMW cars move that fast?”

After all, the relationship between BMW and Nanshan Group has not been good in the past few years. Even if it eases this year, it will inevitably make people have some thoughts.

"Even with various subsidies, this cost is not acceptable for passenger cars."

His first pot of gold was actually earned in the real estate market.

"Otherwise, it would be impossible for electric taxis to have a cruising range of 400 kilometers."

The amount of loss on the order has long been earned back in the stock price.

As the director of the technology center of Guoxuan High-tech, Shi Junhui joined Guoxuan High-tech after graduating from the Chinese Academy of Sciences with a doctorate.

Shi Junhui's main task now is to achieve large-scale mass production of the company's lithium iron phosphate batteries.

"I think the progress of this project needs to be accelerated. The best thing is to launch the product on the market before Nangoat City commercial vehicles."

"We will try to put electric buses and electric taxis into trial operation next year."

There are many real estate properties in Luzhou, all developed by Guoxuan Group.

But it is definitely impossible for Guoxuan Hi-Tech to give him more time.

Previously, they had been paying attention to domestic and international competitors such as BYD Battery, Panasonic Battery and LG Battery.

This involves a series of things, and it is difficult to break through without a certain amount of time accumulation.

Cao Yang agreed to Lin Cheng's plan without any hesitation.

"These vehicles have enough space to carry a large number of batteries, and their charging needs are relatively fixed. They are undoubtedly the easiest targets for promotion."

"According to what we know, the electric buses and electric taxis being prepared in Yangcheng are likely to use two different technologies, lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries respectively."

Although Shi Junhui is engaged in technology, he also knows the importance of publicity.

When others inquired about information from Liu Tianwu, he naturally turned to the other party to inquire about some information.

Li Zhen was not very satisfied with Shi Junhui's answer and asked directly: "The subsidy standard announced by Yangcheng is 300 kilometers, which shows that Nanshan batteries can meet this requirement."

It was not until 2005 that Li Zhen came into contact with lithium iron phosphate batteries for the first time when he visited the University of Science and Technology of China. Later, he specially arranged personnel to study this technology.

"During this period, we happened to be discussing electric buses with Ankai Bus, and we thought of working together with Nanshan Battery."

While Cao Yang and Liu Tianwu were talking about the project arrangements for electric buses and electric taxis, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, which was also targeting the electric vehicle market, was also discussing the electric bus projects in Nanshan Battery and Yangcheng.

Many of the top ten domestic battery manufacturers in later generations have not yet been established.

Now that the boss of BMW China came over, Cao Yang also took the initiative to participate in the reception, which made Lin Cheng feel a different atmosphere.

"Nanshan Battery is currently developing lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries together. Which development route do you think will be successful in this battery technology?"

For example, more than ten years ago, no matter what kind of electric vehicle you came up with, it was impossible to achieve any particularly good results in terms of publicity.

"I heard that many places are also preparing to launch similar electric bus projects, and ministries and commissions are also discussing the 'Ten Cities Thousands' electric bus demonstration plan."

"If this is the case, then we simply take this opportunity to showcase our technical advantages and let BMW know that Nanshan Battery's products are the best in the industry?"

This can effectively promote them to obtain new orders from other OEMs.

This is also an important reason why Tesla can continue to cut prices and maintain a good rate of return.

"Mr. Cao, the BMW cars are indeed moving a bit fast, and their motives are a bit questionable, but I think they still need to be received, otherwise it would be a pity to just give up."

"In addition to Yangcheng, other cities such as Shencheng, Imperial Capital, Magic Capital, Luzhou, Spring City, Shuangqing, etc. may also participate."

"But for buses, 200 kilometers of driving range is basically enough."

After listening to Lin Cheng's words, Cao Yang immediately started thinking about the development information of BMW electric vehicles in his mind.

"Leader, this is not a secret that cannot be told. We are also thinking of holding a project launch ceremony when the time comes. You should take the time to attend."

However, there haven’t been many impressive results so far.

"Judging from the current situation, most domestic battery manufacturers believe that lithium iron phosphate batteries are most suitable for electric vehicles, and ternary lithium batteries are most suitable for mobile phones and computers."

However, as a technical expert on lithium iron phosphate batteries, Shi Junhui will definitely answer this question from the perspective that is most beneficial to him.

"In this regard, is there any way we can catch up?"

"Mr. Cao, do you also want to participate in this BMW tour?"

"On the one hand, lithium iron phosphate batteries are safer and less likely to catch fire and explode."

And those who can find Liu Tianwu will not be at a very low level.

Finally, Guoxuan Hi-Tech entered the battery industry.

The success of publicity is sometimes not just a matter of the level of publicity, but has a lot to do with the strength and timing of your company.

Even before BYD launched F3DM, batteries were supplied to mobile phone and computer manufacturers such as Motorola.

Shi Junhui briefly answered Li Zhen's question, and then immediately changed the subject.

Otherwise, if someone from a Mercedes-Benz or Audi car comes to inspect, Cao Yang will probably just let Lin Cheng deal with the arrangements.

"Leader, I need your help to advance Lingnan Province's subsidy policy."

Not to mention that for listed auto parts companies, obtaining orders from Tesla is often good news that increases stock prices.

If the electric buses cooperated by Guoxuan Hi-Tech and Ankai Bus also have a cruising range of 300 kilometers, let alone launching them in 2010 according to the original plan, even if they are given another two years, they may not be able to complete it. .

"In addition to the core material formula and processing technology, the introduction materials related to battery performance can be well displayed."

People like them can become the trendsetters of the times, and their IQ is not bad. It can even be said that their IQ and EQ are very high.

"Mr. Li, although Nanshan Battery has only supplied hybrid batteries to Xingchen Motors so far, according to the information we have learned, Nanshan Group has invested a lot of manpower and material resources in Nanshan Battery in recent years."

But not all questions in this world have standard answers.

"According to our current technology, we can only achieve a maximum range of 200 kilometers, and that's without turning on the air conditioner."

Liu Tianwu was obviously very satisfied with Cao Yang's arrangement.

Of course, this is also because he knows the development trajectory of BMW and knows that they really want to find suitable battery manufacturers in China.

For this reason, Liu Tianwu even called Cao Yang to explain.

"BMW is paying more attention to electric vehicles now. They should have plans to introduce electric vehicles in the country, or even develop electric vehicles specifically for the Chinese market."

Naturally, many people from Liu Tianwu's side also came to inquire about the news.

"When the time comes for large-scale promotion during the Asian Games, the risk will be very low."

It is impossible to learn the core technology of Nanshan Battery in a simple visit.

However, the battery life of this electric car should only be 160 kilometers, which is still relatively weak in future generations.

"Our company should focus on commercial vehicles first and conquer the passenger car and bus markets."

"I believe that when other cities introduce relevant subsidy standards, they will definitely not directly copy Yangcheng's standards."

“In the future, we will further establish Nanshan Battery’s core position in the battery field.”

"It seems that the new energy subsidy related policies of the ministries and commissions will be introduced soon."

As a result, word spread naturally about Yangcheng's desire to develop electric buses and electric taxis.

"It doesn't matter if the cost is higher when using ternary lithium batteries for mobile phones and batteries. After all, the batteries are small."

Regarding Nanshan Battery, although there has been some investigation, the information known is not very much.

A stable supply chain plays a very important role at critical moments.

In particular, most of the production equipment used by Nanshan Batteries is specially customized by Nanshan Equipment and cannot be purchased outside.

At this time, whether the publicity is in place or not has a great bearing on the development of an enterprise.

This somewhat dispelled some of Li Zhen's concerns.

Especially when production capacity is tight, this is an important competitive advantage for you.

Now that we see that there is hope to extend the range of electric vehicles to 400 kilometers, whether it is true or not, BMW should be really interested in learning about it.

Otherwise, how could Yangcheng dare to set the battery life standard so high?

"The electric taxi market is indeed a very suitable target for electric vehicles. However, passenger cars need to install batteries. The space is too limited and there are many restrictions. It is difficult to balance the needs of all aspects."

Not to mention, this time Liu Tianwu really got some useful information for Nanshan Group.

"You must receive a reception, and you must receive it sincerely and well."

"When the time comes, just adjust the standard to 200 kilometers."

Unless someone of the same level as the global president of BMW Motors comes to visit, it is possible for Cao Yang to accompany him throughout the whole process.

"At that time, I will also free up time to meet with people from BMW China in person to see if we can reach some more extensive cooperation."

That is to say, a few manufacturers such as Guoxuan Hi-Tech focused on cars from the beginning.

It can be said that among mainstream car brands, BMW’s pace of electrification is not slow.

Although Li Zhen does not have a technical background, the company has been working on batteries for several years. He has heard many related reports and has some knowledge about batteries.

Although Xingchen Motors' sales in China this year have surpassed BMW's, it is obviously unrealistic to completely crush BMW.

Yangcheng’s policy this time has attracted so much attention.

"But if it is used in electric vehicles, the battery cost of a passenger car may directly reach more than 30 to [-] yuan."

Otherwise, if you can just make money in real estate, why engage in high technology?

Even if Tesla loses money, there is still a chance to make it back with other customers.

Even the electric buses are planned to be handed over to Nanyangcheng Commercial Vehicles, and the electric taxis are a cooperation between Nanshan Battery and Yangcheng Trumpchi, and it is also known by interested people.

Li Zhen knew this well, so after hearing Shi Junhui's answer, he didn't feel too entangled.

Guoxuan High-tech currently does very little research on ternary lithium batteries, and even if Li Zhen has any ideas, it is of no use.

You can’t change the route now, right?