Chapter 24

"The water and electricity here are fully equipped, and each factory building has its own electricity meter..."

Lin Lin Lin Jian continued.

"If I were to rent, what discounts are available?"

Lin Yi asked.

Lin Lin Lin Jian thought for a moment and said:

"Since you are a university student, if you start a business here, you can enjoy government rent reductions;

the actual rent required is only 80%, and you can also enjoy a three-year tax exemption policy. These are already the most favorable conditions at the Entrepreneurship Center...!"

Lin Yi calculated in his mind; according to this standard, renting this factory building would cost him only about 18,000 per month.

That amounts to 220,000 a year.

For a factory building of over a thousand square meters, this price was not considered expensive.

Lin Yi said:

"I haven't obtained my business license yet, so my move-in time might be slightly delayed!"

"That's no problem; as long as you pay the deposit and sign the contract, it's fine!"

Lin Lin Lin Jian replied.

"Alright then!" Lin Yi nodded.

"Your annual rent is 220,000; the contract must be signed for at least three years. Rent can be paid semi-annually or quarterly; just give a deposit of 100,000 directly!"

"Good!"

Thus, the two returned to the administrative office building of the Entrepreneurship Center.

Lin Yi swiped 100,000 yuan directly, then received a receipt and a lease contract.

Both parties agreed that the rent for the first quarter, covering four months, must be paid no later than next week.

When Lin Yi received the lease contract stamped with the official seal,

and looked at that factory building again, although it was still quite empty inside,

it represented the starting point of his career.

Unlike arms trading, which indeed brought Lin Yi huge sums of money but could never be brought into the open,

this factory could now be displayed openly and legitimately.

The feeling was completely different.

For the next two days, Lin Yi kept waiting for a phone call.

Meanwhile, his business license had also been processed.

A technology company named "Fengyi Technology" was established.

The reason for choosing this name was Lin Yi's hope that the company would soar high in the future as if equipped with wings.

Moreover, "Yi" sounds the same as "wing," giving the name extraordinary significance.

On October 9th,

Lin Yi, who was attending a specialized course, received a phone call.

It was from Zhao Zhao Xuebin.

In the call, he stated that he had concluded all his affairs in the United States and had arrived in Modu.

He hoped both parties could agree on a location to meet.

Therefore, Lin Yi did not hesitate at all and immediately skipped class to leave.

For him, even failing a course was preferable to neglecting talent recommended by the system.

To be honest, since failing three courses last semester, Lin Yi felt certain he would not receive his degree certificate,

and he wasn't even sure if he could obtain his graduation certificate.

He might even end up dropping out without graduating,

yet Lin Yi had no regrets about this.

Compared to a graduation certificate, earning money through part-time work held far greater significance for him.

Not to mention, he now possessed technology that surpassed the current era.

The two agreed to meet at a coffee shop in Songjiang University City.

After waiting in the coffee shop for over half an hour,

Lin Yi saw a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a suit, with graying hair at his temples.

Upon seeing this person, Lin Yi went up to him immediately and asked:

"You must be Dr. Zhao!"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhao Xuebin sized up Lin Yi and said with a smile:

"You must be Mr. Lin...!"

The two shook hands and then sat down.

Dr. Zhao ordered a cup of black coffee without sugar and then began chatting with Lin Yi.

"I heard that Mr. Lin intends to invest heavily in new energy batteries and has already achieved certain results; is this true?"

"Of course!"

Saying this, Lin Yi casually took a napkin and began writing on it.

At first, Dr. Zhao paid no attention, but soon he became surprised.

It was actually a new type of battery, a cobalt-free solid-state battery technology.

As everyone knows, there are currently two mainstream routes for new energy batteries: the lithium iron phosphate route and the ternary lithium battery route.

The "ternary" in ternary lithium batteries actually refers to three elements; the mainstream formula consists of lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

According to the latest data, given current technical capabilities, the energy density of lithium iron phosphate battery cells is limited to approximately 110Wh/kg, whereas ternary lithium battery cells can reach around 200Wh/kg.

Although ternary lithium batteries boast higher energy density than lithium iron phosphate batteries,

their defects are equally obvious: safety and cost.

In particular, the prices of lithium salts, nickel salts, and cobalt salts—the precursors for cathode materials—have been rising over the past two years, causing a substantial increase in cathode material costs.

Among these, cobalt accounts for a high proportion of the cost in ternary cathode materials; unlike nickel ores, which are widely distributed globally,

cobalt ores are dominated by a single nation: the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.

According to data released by the U.S. Geological Survey,

the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces over 60,000 tons of cobalt metal annually, accounting for approximately 66% of global cobalt output.

This figure alone approaches the total proven cobalt reserves of Dragon Country.

Therefore, driven by scarcity and the perennial geopolitical instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, futures prices remain in a state of long-term, rapid ascent.

Moreover, it is a scarce resource.

Consequently, cobalt resources have become a critical bottleneck for the cathode material industry.

Yet the design proposal Lin Yi now presents is a completely cobalt-free cathode battery technology.

"Do you have a sample? What is the energy density?" asked Dr. Zhao.

Hearing this, Lin Yi shook his head, then tucked away the napkin bearing partial technical details:

"No sample yet, but projections indicate this new battery's energy density could exceed 400Wh/kg,

with costs reduced by 30%. Furthermore, thanks to the use of solid-state electrolytes, it will be lighter, more compact, and offer significantly improved safety...!"

Upon hearing Lin Yi's words, Dr. Zhao's face lit up with excitement.

In his view, even if Lin Yi's claims were somewhat exaggerated,

the cobalt-free battery technology alone would herald a new direction in battery research.

(PS: New book seeking flowers, tips, and rating tickets—your support is the author's motivation!)

(PS: New book seeking flowers, tips, and review votes; your support is the author's motivation!)