Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Let's Flip the World on Its Head
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Solid-state batteries were the crown jewel of future industries.
They were called batteries, but they were so much more.
They were poised to have a market size rivaling that of semiconductors in the future.
The reason lay in their unique properties. Their high energy density could dramatically increase the driving range of electric vehicles, and charging times could be drastically reduced.
On top of that, the lack of risk of explosion from impact or overheating—a common issue with lithium-ion batteries—was an incredibly powerful advantage.
‘And that’s not all. Since they can be molded into ultra-thin films, it’s even possible to create flexible batteries.’
In truth, the list of advantages for solid-state batteries was endless.
But what would happen if such an incredible technology were commercialized in this era?
It would likely usher in a new paradigm across all industries that rely on electric power.
It would revolutionize not only the electric vehicle market but also the consumer electronics market, including cell phones and laptops.
There would be virtually no field where it couldn't be applied, even extending to the defense industry.
‘But why is this classified as incomplete?’
The thought suddenly crossed my mind.
In my memory, solid-state battery technology had definitely been successfully developed.
Japan did it in 2024.
And while Samjung and LS were aiming for commercialization by 2027, Samjung ultimately succeeded in 2025.
That's why, before I returned, our military had even decided to equip the next-generation conventional submarines with solid-state batteries.
‘Ah…’
I found the answer at the end of the file.
The problem was that they hadn't yet been able to sufficiently increase ion conductivity at room temperature.
Solid-state batteries inherently have low ion conductivity at temperatures around 25°C. Because of this, it would be difficult to use them immediately in cell phones or other electronics. It seemed their application was limited to areas where temperature could be controlled, like energy storage systems or electric vehicles.
‘Well, I can just continue the development.’
My body trembled with excitement.
No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem impossible.
Besides, with the acquisition of Samjung Techwin, I already owned an affiliated chemical company.
If I establish a dedicated battery department there and pursue continuous development, I felt a solution that could expand into the consumer electronics sector could be found within five years.
‘If that happens, I’ll have secured a massive cash cow.’
That wasn't an exaggeration. The automotive battery market of the 2020s was worth tens of billions.
What's funny is that the market reached that size even while being held back by issues with charging and driving range. What would happen once solid-state batteries, which solve those problems, entered the scene?
At the very least, the market was certain to become enormous, rivaling the semiconductor industry.
‘No. More than that, I could just dominate the electric car market myself.’
The scope of my imagination continued to expand.
When I actually thought about it, it wasn't impossible.
With the biggest hurdle—the battery—cleared, the only remaining piece was securing a drive motor. If I could solve that, there was nothing else standing in my way.
‘It’s not like I need advanced features like autonomous driving right away, anyway.’
As that thought took hold, a sense of urgency washed over me.
Now, the important thing was whether the technology for a high-output motor really existed.
About ten minutes passed.
I finally found the folder I had been searching for so desperately.
‘Found it!’
The manufacturing technology for a drive motor boasting an output of a whopping 300 horsepower.
*******
“You look terrible.”
The next day, I immediately barged into Jin Hyun-cheol’s house.
A holiday. He seemed flustered by my visit so early in the morning and greeted me while repeatedly rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“What is it now? By the way, did you not sleep a wink last night?”
Jin Hyun-cheol headed to the kitchen with a worried expression.
As he put a kettle on, seemingly to make tea, I casually threw out a remark.
“It should be possible to establish a battery business division in the chemical company that came with Samjung Techwin, right?”
“What’s to stop us? We’ve already secured researchers in that field.”
“What if we don’t just research, but build an entire factory?”
“If we have the money, that’s not impossible either. It’s not like Techwin owns just one or two plots of land and buildings, and I think we can get the equipment set up within a year at most. But why the sudden talk about batteries?”
“To enter the market, of course.”
“The battery market? That’ll be tough… The market dominance of existing domestic companies, not to mention Japanese ones, is incredibly high. Without the technology to surpass them in one fell swoop, it could just be like pouring water into a cracked pot.”
“What if there’s a way to ensure they can’t catch up even after decades?”
“…”
Jin Hyun-cheol looked at me as if asking what kind of nonsense I was spouting.
I then went on to explain the 300-horsepower motor and the solid-state battery, on the premise that their development at the institute was complete. Jin Hyun-cheol’s eyes grew wider and wider as I spoke.
Slowly.
After a while, his gaze shifted to his cell phone on the table.
The first thing anyone would think of when they heard the word ‘battery.’
He soon turned his gaze back to me and spoke with a dazed expression.
“Do you have any idea how incredible what you’re saying is? If a battery like that is successfully commercialized, we’ll dominate the world’s energy storage market.”
“Unfortunately, we’ll have to exclude the consumer electronics sector for the time being. It’s difficult to achieve the same level of ion conductivity as existing lithium-ion batteries at room temperature right now. Still, as you said, we can turn the market upside down across all industries. The automotive market, in particular, could see its entire paradigm shifted.”
“The automotive market?”
Hyun-cheol expressed doubt at that.
“Electric vehicles. Powered by motors and batteries, not internal combustion engines.”
“Then the motor you mentioned earlier is for that…”
It must have felt unfamiliar to him.
After all, in this era, the concept of electric cars was nothing more than a futuristic idea.
Even Tesla, which played a pioneering role in breaking the public’s preconceptions, wouldn’t be founded for another three years.
“Are you serious?”
“What’s to stop us? The two most important hurdles have already been cleared. The remaining problem is how quickly we can establish the infrastructure, but that should be possible within ten years at most.”
Well, if worst comes to worst, we can take the lead in building it ourselves, just like Tesla did.
“…”
Jin Hyun-cheol’s expression was still serious.
If there was one difference from before, it was that he was no longer looking at me like I was a madman.
No, judging by his gradually flushing face, he seemed to be giving more weight to the possibility.
“Over 1,000 kilometers on a single charge?”
“Not only that, the charging time can also be drastically reduced. Plus, there’s no risk of explosion like with lithium-ion batteries.”
“Damn it, what are you hesitating for? We need to jump on this right away.”
Hyun-cheol finally let go of the last thread of negativity he was holding onto.
He was certainly a man whose pioneering spirit had to be admired.
In truth, there probably weren’t many people besides Hyun-cheol and me who would hear such a crazy story and immediately want to jump in.
Oh, come to think of it, there was Minister Kim's son, Kim Ji-hoon.
Maybe this is a good opportunity to place him in this business sector?
“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re the chairman, anyway. If you’ve made a decision, just push forward. What’s there to worry about?”
That was true, but a problem remained.
Namely, that I didn't have anyone who could manage this according to my vision.
I was already struggling to handle the scattered businesses alone; if I took this on as well, I might as well dig my own grave.
“So, about that… I need you to take charge of the chemical company’s management.”
“…”
“I know it’s a burden. But please, just until the attack helicopter development project is over.”
“It’s not that it’s a burden. I’m just hesitating because I’m not sure if I can lead it successfully.”
He was probably referring to the Motor Sich case.
He still didn't trust his own judgment.
But I couldn't let him stay like this forever.
At least for my sake.
“I plan to be involved in the important decisions anyway. In other words, you don’t have to worry about the business failing due to your misjudgment. And honestly, this is something I can only entrust to family. Right now, you’re the only person I can trust.”
At those words, Hyun-cheol’s eyes wavered.
The word ‘family’ coming from my mouth.
It seemed to have struck him as something new and unexpected.
“Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to hesitate when my family needs me. When are you planning to start?”
“We need to start right away. First, the battery business.”
“Tsk, looks like I won’t be getting much sleep for a while.”
“You can sleep all you want when you’re in the grave, so no need to feel too bad about it. Oh, and there’s one more thing I need you to do.”
“…”
“Entering the automotive market is one thing, but first, please establish a specialized high-output motor development division at Wooyoung.”
“A high-output motor? 300 horsepower is more than enough for commercial vehicles.”
At his words, I immediately took out a document and showed it to him.
No, it was more of a concept diagram than a document.
After staring at it for a long time, Hyun-cheol gasped and looked at me.
“You want to make the power packs for tanks and self-propelled guns with electric propulsion?”
It was only natural for him to be surprised.
In an era where even electric cars hadn't appeared yet, wanting to power massive tanks and self-propelled guns with motors was an idea that would earn you the label of a madman.
But for tanks and self-propelled guns where torque is crucial, a motor-based system could be a means to increase survivability by securing faster response times. In fact, the ADD had once conducted a lot of research for that very purpose.
“To be honest, more research is needed. Unfortunately, the power of currently feasible motors isn’t enough to surpass the internal combustion engines of tanks and self-propelled guns.”
If there was a problem, that was it.
But that was a problem that could be solved with continued development.
For example, considering that the motor developed by Nomak, an electric supercar manufacturer, had a power output close to 2000 horsepower, we had a good chance of developing one ourselves.
“Even so, how are you going to charge tanks or self-propelled guns in the field?”
“As I said, solid-state batteries can be fully charged in a short time. On top of that, if we make multiple terminals, the charging time will be shortened even more. Therefore, it can be solved by developing a charging vehicle alongside them. If not that, we could go with a design where the battery can be swapped.”
“Swap the battery of a self-propelled gun?”
“The idea is to make it in a modular form for easy swapping. This is a perfectly feasible scenario because it has the advantage of being smaller in volume than conventional lithium batteries.”
“Hmm…”
Hyun-cheol had a dazed expression.
For a clearer understanding, I quickly added an explanation.
“Anyway, the reason our military went with a German-style power pack for the tank’s powertrain was to secure fast response times and ease of maintenance.”
“…You could say that.”
“But in terms of response time, an electric propulsion system is something an internal combustion engine can’t even dream of matching, and the ease of maintenance is also incomparable. That means an increase in operational capability in the field.”
“…”
“Ah! Of course, it will take quite some time. First, we have to develop a motor with that much power. Because of that, applying it to tanks right away is practically difficult.”
Suddenly!
Before I could even finish, he shot up from his seat.
His face was already flushed with excitement.
“Let’s do it anyway. What the hell. Whether it’s an electric car or an electric tank, let’s build it and flip the world on its head.”
His last words struck a chord deep within me.
Flipping the world on its head.
In fact, wasn't that the very ambition I had when I first returned to this era?
It was a resolution I had forgotten while running around frantically, but today, I felt it surging up again.
‘Yes, the time has come to properly flip the world on its head.’