Chapter 56

On the day of his discharge, Zuo Xutong and Liu Xia both came. In order not to cause trouble for his "roommate," Peng Kun insisted on moving back to the nursing home. Upon hearing this, Liu Xia immediately said, "Okay, I can take care of you when you go back."

“I can take care of you too,” Zuo Xutong added immediately.

Peng Kun frowned: "If you take care of me, who will take care of the company?"

Zuo Xutong was stumped by the question. Taking care of people was indeed not her forte, but she was not giving up and said, "I can also drive, so we can go to and from get off work together."

"You can leave the car there, I'll take a taxi myself." Peng Kun goes to the hospital twice a week for rehabilitation, so she can't be his personal driver.

Zuo Xutong wanted to persuade her again, but Liu Xia interrupted her: "Um... I can drive too, I have a driver's license."

Zuo Xutong gave her a resentful look and muttered under her breath, "Can't we repay your kindness in another way..."

Ultimately, Peng Kun returned to the nursing home. He didn't want to cause her any trouble, and there was another reason: a European automaker had previously requested a second batch of MEA samples, totaling 600 pieces, to be assembled into batteries for performance and reliability verification. To ensure timely delivery, only 20% of these samples could be fully inspected, with the remaining 80% undergoing rapid screening.

Another overseas MEA manufacturer also provided samples this time. Their platinum loading reached 0.13 mg/cm2. Although the cost is a bit higher, the performance may be better.

Therefore, Peng Kun is somewhat concerned that while reducing platinum loading can significantly lower the cost of the membrane electrode assembly and thus control the cost of the battery stack, excessively low platinum loading can hinder oxygen transport and affect battery performance. Generally, automakers would rather sacrifice some cost to choose suppliers with more mature technology and lower risk.

If there had been no hope from the start, he wouldn't be so anxious. It's like having already qualified for a competition; with fewer competitors, the wait for the results is even more agonizing. If they can secure this order, Huacheng could potentially enter the overseas market, paving the way for future financing.

He found Zuo Xutong and asked her all sorts of questions about the technical solutions she used to maintain stable performance during the research and development process. Zuo Xutong was in a hurry to go to the laboratory downstairs, so she threw him several thick research and development notebooks and told him to look through them himself.

Peng Kun spent most of the day browsing through her research notes from beginning to end, and the results shocked him greatly. In fact, she had already produced a CCM-type membrane electrode with a platinum loading of 0.15 mg/cm2 two years ago, so why didn't she publish her results and instead insisted on reducing the platinum loading to below 0.1 mg/cm2?

While he was working overtime that night, he called her into his office again and asked, puzzled, "I've looked at your notes. You developed a 0.15 membrane two years ago. Why didn't you test it or apply for a patent back then? Even now, 0.15 is still a leading level in China."

"0.15 is the ceiling in China, but not the world's leading level. Since it is technically possible to achieve below 0.1, why should I stop at 0.15? If I had ended the research and development back then, foreign countries might have soon produced membrane electrodes with even lower platinum loading." Her tone was calm, as if those days of being so poor that they had to eat dirt were just a dream.

Peng Kun recalled their first encounter. She was selling goods at a street stall on the overpass of Yuanjiang Road. It was the darkest moment of her life; she had no research funding, no laboratory, and even eating was a problem. He couldn't help but wonder, "Six years, what made you persevere for so long?"

"Perhaps it can be explained by a quote from Camus: 'The struggle to climb to the summit is enough to fill a person's heart; we must imagine Sisyphus as happy,'" she said.

That's right. If she had only achieved 0.15 at the time, not to mention whether she could have secured the previous funding from Tianjie, just based on this sample comparison, their competitor's platinum loading was 0.13, and they would probably have already lost.

It turns out that everything you thought was a coincidence was actually a predetermined path set by fate. You only needed to choose whether to go left or right. But often, the easier path is downhill. If you chose to climb upwards, you should have a broad mind and unwavering will, because the road ahead is too rugged and bumpy; you will fall countless times and fail countless times. Extreme joy or sorrow, and the fear of loss, will cause you to collapse in desperate situations, and will cause you to fall off a cliff when you are complacent. You must remain calm and composed, watching the wind and sand rise and the clouds drift, your heart as still as an ancient well. Only in this way can you persevere, and persevere a little longer, when you can't see hope...

Five months later, Huacheng's prototype, with its superior performance and lower cost, outperformed its competitors, passed the verification of European automakers, and signed a framework cooperation agreement.

Huacheng Technology rose to fame overnight, becoming a dark horse in the industry. They achieved world-leading ultra-low platinum MEA technology and laid the foundation for the company's commercialization and revenue conversion in this direction.

To celebrate, Peng Kun invited several of his key contributors to a Cantonese restaurant. Zuo Xutong walked into the private room and looked around. All the people present were the founding members of Huacheng Technology. Although Dong Jue had left, leaving only five of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan, with her and Peng Kun, they made a total of seven people.

"Everyone, thank you for not giving up during the difficult period of the company's transformation. After nearly a year of hard work, we survived!" After saying this, Peng Kun raised his glass and drank the wine in one gulp.

At this moment, Luo Qiang, who was always outspoken, said loudly, "It wasn't us who saved the company, it was Director Zuo's patent. You should thank her."

Peng Kun nodded and raised his glass again, but Zuo Xutong, who was sitting next to him, stopped him, saying, "Your hand is still injured, drink less."

"That makes it sound like we're all cold-blooded..." Luo Qiang was about to complain when he suddenly stopped, widened his eyes, and asked, "You two aren't dating, are you?"

Peng Kun looked at his right hand, which he couldn't straighten, his eyes dimmed, and after a long while, he uttered two words: "No."

“That’s a good idea.” Zuo Xutong quoted a line from a skit, and everyone laughed. Only Peng Kun knew in his heart that this was not a joke, but he could only laugh it off like the others.

More than six months have passed since his surgery, and the optimal rehabilitation period has also passed. Every rehabilitation session is excruciating, leaving him drenched in cold sweat, yet he has persevered for five months. However, despite all this rehabilitation, his right hand remains bent, unable to clench his fist, and his fingers are difficult to close. The shape of his right hand has also undergone visible changes; due to muscle atrophy, the thenar eminence is gradually becoming sunken. If this continues, it may develop into a permanent hand deformity, which has a cruel medical name: "ape hand."

Once, while pouring water, he accidentally spilled hot water on the back of his hand, scalding a large area red. However, he didn't feel any particular pain; the scalded area only felt vaguely warm. He knew that his right hand would never regain its original function.

He began practicing using his left hand to hold chopsticks, write, and operate the mouse. In short, he had completely given up on his fantasies and was preparing to adapt to his new life. And in his new life plan, there was no place for emotions.

Thinking of this, his expression turned cold, as if he wanted to disappoint those who cared about him. He stubbornly raised his glass and said seriously, "Director Zuo, I must toast you with this glass. You have made great contributions to the company's success today."

He used a title to draw a line between them. Zuo Xutong suppressed her smile, helplessly filled her glass with wine, and replied businesslike, "This is all thanks to the correct strategic direction you formulated at that time. Currently, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are still in the demonstration phase. The country is focusing on developing hydrogen commercial vehicles, especially long-distance heavy-duty trucks. It is estimated that the global market size for hydrogen heavy-duty trucks will reach hundreds of billions of US dollars in the future."

“Yes, by the end of next year, Longjin City will deploy another 100 hydrogen-powered tractor vehicles, 150 hydrogen-powered sanitation vehicles, and 200 hydrogen-powered logistics vehicles,” Yuan Liang continued. “The policy is being promoted very strongly now, and it is said that some provinces will implement a toll-free policy for hydrogen vehicles on highways in the future.”

"The situation is similar abroad. The growth rate of hydrogen-powered passenger vehicles in the United States has also slowed down, and their focus has shifted to commercial vehicles," Fang Zeduan remarked.

Luo Qiang nodded in agreement: "The fast charging technology for pure electric vehicles has developed too rapidly. In comparison, the advantages of hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles in terms of long range and fast refueling are no longer so obvious."

"However, compared to electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles still have potential advantages in cold northern regions, where the range of pure electric vehicles decreases significantly in severe cold environments. Last winter's blizzard left many electric vehicles stranded in the snow in Longjin City," Yuan Liang said.

Luo Qiang sighed: "However, the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is still in the early stages of industrialization, mainly relying on policy support and commercial financing. Whether it can smoothly transition to market-driven development is still unknown."

“That’s right, our commercial profit model is still unclear. Fuel cell vehicles may just be the precursor to the development of hydrogen energy. In the future, the hydrogen energy industry will take the transportation sector as a breakthrough, driving the construction of infrastructure and industrial chains such as hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and refueling, and promoting the gradual expansion of hydrogen energy to a larger scale of application areas,” Peng Kun said.

"Hydrogen energy is a truly clean and efficient energy source. A 49-ton hydrogen-powered heavy truck using green hydrogen can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of tons per year. Why isn't there a large influx of capital into it?" Qu Hui asked, puzzled.

"Don't expect to attract investment just by relying on sentiment. Investors value a company's technology and strength. Just as we cannot expect humanity to improve the Earth's environment solely through moral self-discipline," Fang Zeduan said, shaking his head. After all, few people would change their diet or automatically choose energy-saving and emission-reducing modes of transportation like their CEO Peng, simply because beef has higher carbon emissions than pork.

“That’s right, that’s right,” Yuan Liang pointed at Luo Qiang and couldn’t help but complain, “Last summer, I went to visit him. He had the air conditioner set to 16 degrees and was lying on the bed playing on his phone under a thick quilt. I suggested that he turn the temperature up, but he retorted that I wasn’t paying for his electricity, so why was he worrying so much?”

"Therefore, economic costs are the driving force behind changes in behavior. If the price of one kilowatt-hour of electricity rises to eight yuan, do you think he would still dare to turn on the air conditioner while covered by a quilt?" Zuo Xutong said.

"Ultimately, the main challenge in promoting hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is still the cost issue, namely the purchase cost and the operating cost. To put it bluntly, it's about making them affordable for consumers to buy and use. Whether hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be widely applied in the market in the future depends on whether their total cost of ownership (TCO) can catch up with that of diesel and pure electric vehicles," Peng Kun concluded.

“Our current focus is on reducing the cost and ensuring the reliability of fuel cell stacks. We aim to achieve stable mass production of ultra-low platinum MEAs while maintaining power density, durability, and consistency. Our next step is to create more competitive fuel cell stacks. In the future, the company can also expand into application scenarios and develop higher-power products. Besides commercial vehicles, we can gradually explore applications in stationary generators, ships, and rail transportation.” Peng Kun understands that for the company to continue to develop, it must anticipate future market demands, research future technological routes, adapt to expanding application scenarios, enhance its independent R&D capabilities, and achieve continuous technological breakthroughs.

Everyone was discussing industry trends, but Zheng Xiaohai remained silent. He was usually quiet, and everyone was used to it.

Zheng Xiaohai has had a stutter since childhood, and he can't speak when he's nervous. Every time people see him turn red in the face and neck from holding his breath, they get anxious too. Over time, he becomes even less inclined to talk.

At this moment, he huddled alone in a corner, pouring himself one glass after another. Soon his cheeks turned red, and his movements as he poured the wine became increasingly slow.

At this moment, a waiter brought in a large porcelain bowl to serve the dishes, and there was a brief silence in the private room. Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but Zheng Xiaohai suddenly blurted out, "President Peng, everyone else goes to team building activities to celebrate, and you just treat us to a meal?"

Everyone was stunned. This guy was truly a man who, when he spoke, said something astonishing, and this time he didn't stutter at all.

"Zheng Xiaohai, have you had too much to drink?" Qu Hui said.

"President Peng, you've even forced the mute to speak, aren't you going to take us on a team-building trip?" Luo Qiang said, and everyone burst into laughter.

Peng Kun smiled and asked, "Okay, where do you want to go?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qiang thought that since the miser had finally managed to get some money back, he might as well take the opportunity to squeeze out as much as possible. So he shamelessly suggested, "I heard there's a Macedonian manor near Longjin City that's quite fun. There are band performances at night, and you can also soak in hot springs."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xutong's hair stood on end. She was about to say something, but everyone was so enthusiastic that they all agreed. In the end, Peng Kun made the decision on the spot: "Then let's do as you say. We'll meet at the nursing home tomorrow afternoon and set off together."