以下是对宁德时代（CATL）创始人兼首席执行官曾毓群（Robin Zhang）接受挪威主权财富基金首席执行官尼古拉·坦根（Nicola Tangyan）主持的“In Good Company”播客采访的摘要。宁德时代是全球最大的电池生产商。 曾毓群讨论了宁德时代的显著增长，仅用12年就取得了37.5%的市场份额。他将这一成功归功于其在锂离子电池行业长达四分之一世纪的经验，而不仅仅是过去的12年。公司最初专注于消费电子产品的电池，之后转向电动汽车（EV）和储能解决方案。宁德时代的两大主要产品线包括电动汽车电池（为全球数百万辆汽车提供动力）以及用于调节和稳定风能和太阳能等可再生能源的储能系统。 曾毓群认为宁德时代主要的“竞争对手”是自己，强调需要不断创新，尤其是在电化学和材料科学领域。他认为关键在于发明新的化学体系，以满足不同的消费者需求，例如提高低温性能。虽然承认市场上存在其他参与者，但曾毓群欢迎竞争，认为它是创新和创造力的催化剂，推动行业的健康发展。他认为，促进创新解决方案，而不是简单地复制现有方案，最终有利于消费者和原始设备制造商（OEM）。 访谈还涉及了国家支持在中国产业发展中的作用。曾毓群澄清说，中国原始设备制造商对消费者需求反应迅速，推动了快速创新和设计。这种以客户为中心的策略，加上技术熟练的劳动力，使得能够快速开发出适合市场的产品。宁德时代拥有一支由超过20,000名工程师组成的强大团队，其中包括数百名博士和众多硕士毕业生，他们专注于材料科学、结构、硅化、材料相互关系和未来化学等基础研究领域。他还强调了人工智能在发现新材料中的应用，以及电池管理系统和软件的重要性。 曾毓群还谈到了电池技术方面的人才差距，特别是在中国和西方之间。他回忆起与安格拉·默克尔（Angela Merkel）的一次对话，谈到为什么德国难以在电池生产领域竞争。曾毓群解释说，在中国，电化学虽然历史上被认为是低端领域，但由于替代职业选择有限，吸引了许多大学生。相比之下，在美国和德国，有才华的学生往往因更高的薪酬而涌向金融和半导体行业。他建议，如果美国和德国想要重获在电池技术方面的竞争优势，就必须加大对电化学领域教育和培训的投资。 讨论深入探讨了电池创新和规模化的挑战。曾毓群认为，理解电化学系统是最困难的方面。公司在锂离子技术领域25年的历史为它提供了深厚的知识基础。其他障碍包括在规模化生产过程中确保可靠性、安全性和成本效益。曾毓群指出，欧洲电池制造商面临的问题源于设计和流程上的缺陷，导致他们在扩大规模时，利用率、可靠性和安全性方面出现问题。 关于欧洲电池生产的前景，曾毓群持乐观态度，并建议潜在的合作，特别是与在可再生能源领域领先的挪威。他提议建立合作伙伴关系，利用宁德时代在电动汽车、卡车（换电）和船舶方面的技术，并结合挪威丰富的水力资源，将挪威转变为零碳社会。 访谈探讨了电池行业创新的加速。曾毓群指出，由于大量资源和人才投入其中，创新正在加速。他指出，该行业已经从线性创新转变为指数创新。宁德时代计划快速淘汰生产线，以促进固态电池等新兴技术的采用，由于扩散速率低于液体电解质，固-固界面仍然是最大的障碍。他还分享了关于钠离子电池和凝聚态电池的见解。 曾毓群强调，公司成功地引入了中国思维，鼓励员工精益求精、积极进取、力求改进和不断创新。曾毓群强调，公司的愿景是成为一家在世界范围内具有创新精神的公司，尤其是在可再生能源领域，为人类社会做出贡献。曾毓群表达了他个人分享财富和为可持续社会做出贡献的理念。他优先保持良好的身体状况，以保持他对创新和支持下一代成功的热情和动力。 在给年轻人的建议方面，他建议他们要有耐心，不断为成功而努力，因为他们的机会迟早会到来。

This is a summary of an interview with Robin Zhang, the founder and CEO of CATL, the world's largest battery producer, on the "In Good Company" podcast hosted by Nicola Tangyan, CEO of the Norwegian Wealth Fund. Zhang discusses the remarkable growth of CATL, achieving a dominant 37.5% market share in just 12 years. He attributes this success not just to the past 12 years but to a quarter-century of experience in the lithium-ion battery industry. The company initially focused on batteries for consumer electronics before transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage solutions. CATL's two primary product lines include batteries for electric vehicles, powering millions of cars globally, and energy storage systems used to regulate and stabilize renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. Zhang identifies CATL's primary "competitor" as itself, emphasizing the ongoing need for innovation, particularly in electrical chemistry and materials science. He believes the key lies in inventing new chemistries that cater to diverse consumer needs, such as improved low-temperature performance. While acknowledging other players in the market, Zhang welcomes competition as a catalyst for innovation and creativity, driving healthy growth in the industry. He believes that fostering inventive solutions, rather than simply copying existing ones, ultimately benefits consumers and OEMs. The interview touches on the role of state support in China's industrial development. Zhang clarifies that Chinese OEMs are highly responsive to consumer demands, driving rapid innovation and design. This customer-centric approach, combined with a skilled workforce, enables the quick development of market-suitable products. CATL boasts a talent pool of over 20,000 engineers, including hundreds of PhDs and numerous masters graduates, focused on fundamental research areas like materials science, structures, silations, material inter-relations, and future chemistry. He also highlights the use of AI to discover new materials and the importance of battery management systems and software. Zhang addresses the talent disparity in battery technology, particularly between China and the West. He recounts a conversation with Angela Merkel about why Germany struggled to compete in battery production. Zhang explained that in China, electrical chemistry, while historically considered a low-end field, attracted numerous university students due to limited alternative career options. In contrast, in the US and Germany, talented students often gravitated towards finance and semiconductors for higher pay. He suggests that if the US and Germany want to regain a competitive edge in battery technology, they must invest in education and training in electrical chemistry. The discussion delves into the challenges of battery innovation and scaling. Zhang identifies understanding the electrical-chemical system as the most difficult aspect. The company's 25-year history in lithium-ion technology provides a deep knowledge base. Other obstacles include ensuring reliability, safety, and cost-effectiveness during scale-up production. Zhang points out that European battery makers face issues stemming from flawed designs and processes, which lead to problems with utilization, reliability, and safety as they try to scale up. Regarding Europe's battery production prospects, Zhang is optimistic and suggests potential collaborations, especially with Norway, a leading nation in renewable energy. He proposes a partnership to transform Norway into a zero-carbon society, utilizing CATL's technologies for electric vehicles, trucks (battery swapping), and vessels, integrated with Norway's extensive hydropower resources. The interview explores the acceleration of innovation in the battery industry. Zhang notes that innovation is accelerating because significant resources and talent are focused on it. He notes that the sector went from line ar innovation to exponential. CATL plans to deprecate production lines quickly to facilitate the adoption of emerging technologies like solid-state batteries, the most significant obstacle remaining at the solid-solid interface, due to slower diffusion rates than liquid electrolytes. He also shares insights on sodium-ion and condensed matter batteries. Zhang emphasizes that the company has successfully introduced Chinese thinking which encourages its employees to refine, enable, strive for improvement, and be innovative. Zhang highlights the vision to be an innovative company in the world, especially with a focus on renewable energy that is contributed to human society. Zhang expresses his personal philosophy of sharing wealth and contributing to a sustainable society. He prioritizes maintaining a strong physical condition to sustain his passion and drive for innovation and supporting success for the next generation. In terms of advice for young people, he advises them to be patient and constantly strive for success because it's only a matter of time before their chance arrives.