Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

226: Chapter 226 Semi-solid-state batteriesThe fourth product: Qingtian Generation 1 Semi-Solid State Battery (The Trump Card)

Gu Yanting took a deep breath.

”Finally, the highlight of today.”

He took a transparent box from his assistant. Inside was a pouch battery only 8mm thick, silver-gray, with subtle textures on the surface.

”Qingtian Generation 1 Semi-Solid State Battery, solid-liquid hybrid technology.”

Parameters popped up:

[Cell Energy Density] 300-360 Wh/kg

[System Energy Density] 260-300 Wh/kg

[Core Advantages] High energy density, improved safety

[Disadvantages] High cost, complex manufacturing process

[Range] Can achieve 1200km+ range for pure electric models

”Fully charged, it has a range of 1200 kilometers.” Gu Yanting paused, ”And—it won’t catch fire even if you shoot it with a gun.”

The whole venue was in an uproar.

Shooting a battery? This had never happened in the history of battery testing.

”I know you don’t believe it,” Gu Yanting said, ”So, we’ll demonstrate it live.”

Behind the stage, a specially made explosion-proof test chamber was pushed out. The chamber was made of transparent bulletproof glass, with cameras inside.

Staff fixed a Qingtian Generation 1 battery inside the chamber.

Then, a remote-controlled robotic arm entered holding a handgun—it was a real gun, 9mm caliber.

”For safety, we are conducting this inside the explosion-proof chamber,” Gu Yanting explained, ”But the entire process is being broadcast live, with no editing.”

He pressed the remote button.

The robotic arm aimed at the battery from a distance of three meters.

”Fire.”

Bang!

The gunshot was soundproofed but still clear.

The bullet hit the center of the battery, pierced the casing, and embedded itself inside.

Close-up on the monitoring screen: The battery was pierced, and the internal materials were exposed, but—there were no sparks, no flames, only a wisp of faint blue smoke rising.

Three seconds later, the smoke dissipated.

The voltage monitor showed: The voltage dropped from 3.7V to 3.5V and stabilized.

The temperature sensor: It rose from 25°C to 38°C, then began to drop.

”There is self-healing gel inside the battery,” Gu Yanting explained, ”When the casing is damaged, the gel automatically fills the gap, isolating the air to prevent thermal runaway.”

The venue was dead silent for ten seconds.

Then, the craziest applause and cheers of the day erupted.

Many people stood up, holding their hands high.

In the VIP area, Akio Toyoda’s face turned pale. He said to his assistant in Japanese, ”Our hydrogen energy route... might be finished. Contact Spark Power immediately after the press conference ends; we need to seek cooperation and technical licensing.”

The biggest selling points of hydrogen energy were safety and long range. But now, the Xinghuo battery was both safe and had a long range, and there was no need to build hydrogen refueling stations.

Volkswagen Group CEO Diess left his seat directly and made a call in the hallway: ”Stop all existing battery factory expansion plans! Re-evaluate! Immediately! Our original technology is already obsolete. We must reach a cooperation agreement with Spark Power, otherwise, we will be eliminated by the market.”

BYD’s Wang Chuanfu smiled and said to the people around him, ”What an admirable opponent, always one step ahead of us. Contact Xinghuo and ask about the terms for cooperation on the semi-solid state battery.”

The battery demonstration ended, but the press conference was not over yet.

”Having a powerful heart requires powerful limbs,” Gu Yanting said, ”Next is the electric drive system.”

Qingtian Generation 3 Super Power Electric Drive System

Parameters:

[Combined Peak Power] 425kW (Dual-motor four-wheel drive, front 175kW + rear 250kW)

[Combined Peak Torque] 768Nm

[Maximum System Efficiency] 95%

[Integration] Eight-in-one / Ten-in-one, volume reduced by 16%, weight reduced by 10%, cost reduced by 10%

[Voltage Platform] 800V, silicon carbide motor controller, OBC efficiency 95%+

Video demonstration: A Red Flag test car equipped with this system speeding on the Nürburgring track.

Final lap time: 6 minutes 48 seconds.

Subtitles showed: Porsche Taycan Turbo S Nürburgring lap time: 7 minutes 07 seconds.

19 seconds faster.

”This is not a modified car, but a mass-production version,” Gu Yanting said, ”The same system will be used on the Red Flag H7 and X2.”

Qingtian Generation 3 Motor

On-site disassembly demonstration:

The motor casing was opened, revealing the precise internal structure.

”8-layer flat wire winding, silicon carbide motor controller module.” Gu Yanting pointed to the interior, ”Power density is 4.8 kW/kg, which is 1.5 times the industry average. Maximum speed..., maximum efficiency 97.86%.”

He concluded, ”This electric powertrain system can allow a 2-ton SUV to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, achieve a range of 1200 kilometers, and add 400 kilometers of range with a 10-minute charge.”

”What does this mean?” Gu Yanting looked at the audience, ”It means all the shortcomings of electric vehicles—short range, slow charging, lack of safety—have all been addressed. From today on, electric vehicles are no longer a compromise for the sake of environmental protection, but a better choice that comprehensively surpasses gasoline vehicles.”

The applause lasted for a full three minutes. Many people were crying while clapping; it was the excitement of witnessing history.

Afterwards, Gu Yanting announced the end of the press conference, and the next part was the Q&A session with reporters.

After the demonstration of the four batteries and the electric drive system, Gu Yanting did not leave immediately but walked to the press briefing area. Over twenty cameras had already been set up there, and reporters from all over the world were waiting expectantly.

The host announced, ”Next is a 15-minute media Q&A session. Due to limited time, we will only accept questions from five reporters. Please raise your hands.”

Almost every reporter in the room raised their hand.

The first one: CCTV reporter (female, 35 years old)

”Hello, CEO Gu. I am a reporter from CCTV Finance. The shooting test just now was very shocking, but ordinary consumers are more concerned about safety in daily use. May I ask how the Qingtian Generation 1 Semi-Solid State Battery performs under extreme conditions such as nail penetration, crushing, and high temperatures? Are there any real test data?”

Gu Yanting nodded, signaling his assistant to pull up the data:

”We have a complete third-party test report. First is the nail penetration test—” The big screen played a video: a steel needle pierced the battery, the voltage slowly dropped from 3.7V to 3.2V, the temperature rose to a maximum of 52°C, and it did not catch fire.

”Crushing test: Under 30 tons of pressure, the battery deformation rate was 40%, and the internal structure remained intact. High-temperature test: Placed in a 150°C oven for 2 hours, no thermal runaway occurred.”

He emphasized, ”More importantly, we conducted a ’thermal runaway propagation blocking’ test—even if a single cell fails, it will not ignite adjacent cells. This technology has applied for 156 global patents.”

The CCTV reporter followed up, ”With such high safety, will the cost be very high? Will the final car price discourage consumers?”

”The initial cost is indeed quite high,” Gu Yanting admitted, ”But after mass production, we expect the cost of the semi-solid state battery to drop to 1.2 times that of current high-end ternary lithium batteries. Moreover, safety is priceless—we have calculated that the reduction in insurance costs and the extension of service life brought about by the improved battery safety will allow the price difference to be recovered within three years.”

The second one: Phoenix TV reporter (male, 40 years old)

”CEO Gu, I am a reporter from Phoenix TV. Two questions: First, is Spark Power considering manufacturing cars directly? After all, you already have the full chain technology for batteries, electric drives, and motor controllers. Second, the electric drive system released today has an efficiency of 95%, which is almost the theoretical limit. How did you achieve this?”

The scene quieted down. This was also a question that many car companies were worried about—would Xinghuo become their competitor?

Gu Yanting smiled, ”The first question: Xinghuo’s positioning is a technology provider, not a vehicle manufacturer. We will cooperate with all car companies to provide the best electric powertrain systems. As for Red Flag Automobile—that is a sister company within the xinghuo system, but the technology is open to all partners.”

”The second question: 95% system efficiency is indeed close to the theoretical limit.” He walked towards the electric drive system disassembly display stand, ”The key lies in three points: First, 8-layer flat wire winding to reduce copper loss; Second, silicon carbide motor controller module, reducing switching losses by 70%; Third, intelligent thermal management, allowing the system to always operate in the optimal temperature range.”

He picked up a motor controller module, ”This silicon carbide module was jointly developed by us and Spark Materials, with a voltage rating of 1700V, which is 5% more efficient than traditional IGBTs. This alone can increase the range by 3%.”