Chapter 210: The Fall
The aides behind Seong-hwan manipulated the screen to display Tae-joon’s feed.
Soon, the KTalk Feed screen appeared prominently on the screen.
[KTalk Feed] - @Kang Tae-joon | Followers: 108,182,536
A tragic accident occurred recently.
I understand the concerns it has raised.
To alleviate market worries, I aim to publicly demonstrate the stability of Prime and EV-Nova.
This video is a real-time, unedited test.
#100% #Real #ExtremeTest
The attached video appeared to be shot with a high-definition drone camera.
The video began to play.
[Dojin Frontier Research Center - Next-Generation Battery Stability Test Lab]
In the center of the spacious lab stood a white PRIME prototype vehicle.
The vehicle’s underside had been intentionally removed to expose the battery pack below.
Fire trucks and emergency personnel were stationed around, heightening the tension.
- The upcoming test simulates an extreme scenario where physical impact and electrical overload are simultaneously applied to a battery cell.
As the explanation appeared on screen, the experiment began.
First, a robotic arm positioned itself precisely under the battery pack and inserted a powerful metal drill into a designated cell.
The drill rotated rapidly, penetrating deep into the cell.
- One battery cell is now damaged.
On the left side of the screen, the battery’s temperature graph and voltage status were displayed in real-time.
As the drill pierced the cell, the temperature rose sharply.
However, cooling channels connected to the surrounding cells activated instantly, reducing the temperature immediately.
- The multi-stack integrated BMS and active thermal isolation cell blocks automatically engaged, preventing thermal runaway.
The second test followed.
- Next, we’ll conduct an electrical overload test.
Intentionally sending high-voltage overcurrent through the entire battery pack caused the current value on the displayed graph to spike.
Some surrounding cells exhibited rapid thermal reactions.
Instantly, the fuse system and thermally sensitive insulators activated, perfectly insulating individual cells one by one.
- As you can see, even in overload conditions, there is no chain reaction leading to explosions or fire. Even if an issue arises, the damage is contained and does not spread to other cells.
Finally, the most extreme test was prepared.
- The final test involves applying a powerful impact to the entire battery pack.
The robotic arm lifted a large steel ball high.
Moments later, the large metal ball dropped, striking the center of the battery pack with precision.
Crash!
With a loud impact, the vehicle shook momentarily.
However, the battery pack in the video showed no abnormalities other than a temperature rise.
As the camera panned under the vehicle, the battery pack remained intact in its place.
- The next-generation batteries used in Prime and EV-Nova pose no risk of explosion or fire, even in such extreme conditions. This is Dojin Frontier’s technology, prioritizing customer safety above all.
As the video ended, the briefing room fell silent.
Seong-hwan took the microphone again and looked at Jung Soo-chan from Central Media.
“Even now, do you think I’m conducting this briefing unfairly?”
Jung Soo-chan seemed momentarily taken aback by the unexpected turn but quickly responded with his usual sarcastic expression.
“Isn’t this level of impact something most car batteries can withstand? Even Ahsung Motors’ batteries could easily handle this…”
Before Jung Soo-chan could finish, another post appeared on the feed.
[KTalk Feed] - @Kang Tae-joon | Followers: 108,592,172
The second video is a battery test with a different structure.
#Serious #UrgentImprovementNeeded #JunkBattery
As the video began to play, the entire conference room fell silent.
Not a single breath could be heard.
It was the same test lab.
However, the vehicle was covered with cloth, and the battery pack was also concealed under a gray tarp.
Despite the exterior being completely covered, the silhouette was unmistakable to anyone in the automotive industry.
└LOL, that’s the EV-Beta.
└They tried to cover it, but it’s too obvious.
└From the front grille, wheel design, even the license plate size, it’s clearly the EV-Beta.
Journalists in the briefing room seemed to recognize the vehicle, exchanging glances and nodding.
Shortly after, the experiment began.
[Experiment 1: Cell Puncture - Physical Damage]
The robotic arm on screen pressed a metal drill into the same position as before.
As soon as the drill pierced the battery pack under the gray tarp, a warning alarm sounded.
Beep-beep-beep.
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Rapid temperature rise detected.
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Abnormal internal cell pressure.
Then, with a metallic burst, the tarp bulged from the inside.
In an instant,
Whoosh!
Flames erupted, and the video quickly switched to a drone’s distant perspective.
From above, yellow smoke rose from the test site, with consecutive explosions occurring beneath the vehicle.
[Experiment halted. Rescue team deployed.]
Firefighters rushed in to extinguish the flames.
However, over 70% of the battery pack had already been charred.
The screen then zoomed in on the remnants of the experiment.
Blackened wires, melted aluminum frames, and a cell block split open were clearly visible.
Most shocking was that where the BMS circuit should have been, there was no sign of any operational traces.
“That looks like… just a simple parallel connection with no safety measures at all.”
As a tech-specialized journalist attending the briefing muttered,
Subtitles appeared on the screen.
This video was conducted under identical conditions, using the same equipment and environment.
While the first vehicle burned up, preventing the second and third extreme tests from being completed,
The outcome was not difficult to imagine.
As the feed fell silent, the comments section erupted.
└Wow… The EV-Beta really is a rolling murder weapon.
└The BMS isn’t functioning at all.
└Is this… possibly staged?
└Do you really think Tae-joon would go that far?
└Ahsung and Dojin don’t get along at all. I think it’s entirely possible.
└Just now, ‘Teardown’ said on their channel they’ll try to replicate the experiment.
└Who’s Teardown?
└You don’t know Teardown? They’re a million-follower influencer.
└Oh, that Teardown. But when did they become a million-follower influencer?
People flocked to Teardown’s channel in an instant.
There, a similar experiment to the one conducted by Dojin was underway, with identical results.
Jo Seong-hwan, having watched the experiment to the end, took the microphone again.
“I don’t see the difference between these two batteries as merely a gap in technological capability. This is a difference in philosophy.”
“Dojin designed the battery in the most complex and challenging way possible to protect the life of every single user.”
“In contrast, Ahsung omitted even the most basic safety measures in pursuit of simple efficiency and cost reduction. Of course, whether this was intentional or a result of technological limitations, I cannot say for sure. However, what I can assert is…”
Jo Seong-hwan paused, then declared firmly,
[I promise you, as the Director of Advanced Industrial Policy, that I will establish enhanced safety standards for electric vehicles produced and sold in South Korea, starting with a thorough investigation into this incident.]
After concluding the briefing, Jo Seong-hwan glanced at Jung Soo-chan from Central Media, but he remained silent, avoiding eye contact.
In the days that followed,
‘Kang Tae-joon’s Feed’ and ‘EV-Beta Experiment’ topped portal search rankings for days,
And Dojin Frontier’s stock price, which had been declining after the battery fire incident, successfully rebounded.
Then, shortly after, another issue emerged regarding Ahsung Motors.
[Breaking News] Ahsung Motors CEO Moon Yong-wook Arrested on Charges of Slush Fund Creation and Embezzlement
On a quiet afternoon,
Sudden breaking news threw each media outlet’s newsroom into instant chaos.
On TV, footage of CEO Moon Yong-wook in handcuffs in front of the prosecutor’s office was broadcast live.
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Mr. Moon, do you admit to the slush fund charges?
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Is the slush fund related to the ongoing management rights dispute?
As reporters bombarded him with questions, Moon Yong-wook remained silent, avoiding the cameras.
…
…
…
“What on earth is going on?”
Cheon Jun-young shouted at Choi Ha-rim, who had just entered his office.
“It’s… so sudden that I’m still trying to understand the situation.”
“How did the prosecutors find our slush fund? We were told it was impossible to discover.”
Choi Ha-rim was equally bewildered.
‘It should have been impossible to find.’
Prosecutor Jung Woo-min had once again uncovered their intricately designed slush fund route with surprising ease.
Just like the last time, when they traced funds transferred to Room 39 through a paper company.
The situation was utterly incomprehensible.
“It seems… someone on the prosecution side must have provided the information.”
There was no other way the prosecutors could have found the slush fund so easily.
Choi Ha-rim attempted to mobilize the Strategic Planning Division to devise countermeasures.
But before they could even begin,
Issues erupted one after another at a frantic pace.
“The stock price… is plummeting through the floor.”
“Shareholders are gathering in front of the headquarters, demanding the management’s… resignation.”