Tesla is reportedly going to build Model Y with BYD blade batteries at Gigafactory Berlin

[Beast]

Tesla is reportedly going to build Model Y with BYD blade batteries at Gigafactory Berlin

After months of rumors that Tesla is going to use BYD’s blade batteries at Gigafactory Shanghai, there’s a surprising turn...

electrek.co

Fred Lambert
- Aug. 11th 2022 12:29 pm PT

@FredericLambert

130 Comments

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After months of rumors that Tesla is going to use BYD’s blade batteries at Gigafactory Shanghai, there’s a surprising turn of events that suggest Tesla is actually going to use the new battery cells at Gigafactory Berlin, and it reportedly already took delivery of the first cells.



In 2020, BYD, a China-based electric vehicle and battery company, introduced its new bladed battery cell. The new cells use LFP chemistry, but the new form factor, which looks like a blade, is the real innovation enabling a safer cell and higher energy density at the pack level, according to the company.
BYD wrote in a press release:

While undergoing nail penetration tests, the Blade Battery emitted neither smoke nor fire after being penetrated, and its surface temperature only reached 30 to 60°C. Under the same conditions, a ternary lithium battery exceeded 500°C and violently burned, and while a conventional lithium iron phosphate block battery did not openly emit flames or smoke, its surface temperature reached dangerous temperatures of 200 to 400°C. This implies that EVs equipped with the Blade Battery would be far less susceptible to catching fire – even when they are severely damaged.

While this feature obviously offers great safety advantages, it also delivers thermal management improvements, and BYD claims the form factor enables energy density improvements by eliminating the need for modules.

It goes directly from cell to pack, not unlike Tesla’s structural battery pack technology.
In 2021, we first heard rumors that Tesla was testing BYD’s new “blade batteries” for a potential supply partnership last year.

When the report came out last year about Tesla testing the new cell from BYD, it stated that Tesla already had the cells in test vehicles and that it could start deliveries for production in the second quarter of 2022.
Earlier this year, BYD confirmed that it is about to start supplying Tesla (TSLA) with battery cells. It was presumed that those cells would go to Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai.
Now a new report coming from Sina says that the cells are actually going to Gigafactory Berlin and that the first vehicles with the cells could roll off of the factory within a month (translated from Chinese):

On the afternoon of August 10, a number of people familiar with the matter revealed that the blade battery supplied by BYD has been delivered to Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin, Germany, which is also Tesla’s first super factory to use BYD batteries. Tesla vehicles can roll off the assembly line in as little as one month (that is, the end of August to the beginning of September). It was also learned from another source that the Shanghai Gigafactory, which has attracted much attention, has no plans to use BYD batteries for the time being.

This is a surprising turn of events if it turns out to be true, but neither Tesla nor BYD are confirming right now, though BYD has previously confirmed plans to supply Tesla with battery cells.

@Han Patriot @MH.Yang @ChineseTiger1986
@F-22Raptor @Hamartia Antidote

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Chinese battery is the best in the world.

 

[Beast]

Chinese battery is the best in the world.

I agree. BYD is a very solid company with many IP and technologies. If not, why greatest investor Warren Buffet invest in it?

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Chinese battery is the best in the world.

Not the BYD blade one in terms of being the best. It is underpowered but Tesla has such a backlog of orders it can't build batteries fast enough and is sourcing them from multiple suppliers

Berlin-made Tesla Model Y With 55 kWh BYD Batteries To Have 270 miles (440 km) Range

The European Union has approved production of the Tesla Model Y featuring 55 kWh BYD Blade batteries, which gives it a range of up to 270 miles (440 kilometers) between recharges.

www.torquenews.com

The German BYD one only does 270 miles.

While the current ones sold in the US do over 300.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

I agree. BYD is a very solid company with many IP and technologies. If not, why greatest investor Warren Buffet invest in it?

Simple because BYD said it could mass produce a 100% EV for the world market back in 2008. No other public car maker had a 100% EV.

But of course it was all typical Chinese hype. BYD couldn't make it work and Tesla went public 2 years later in 2010 and did exactly what BYD promised to do. Now Elon Musk goes down in history as the man behind EV selling worldwide instead of BYD.

Why Elon Musk Will Go Down in History

Elon Musk has already earned himself a spot in the pantheon of history’s great innovators, Walter Isaacson writes

time.com

14 years later and BYD is still struggling to build that 100% EV world car. Right now it is still stuck in the hybrid world desperately looking for a breakthrough model.

It was supposed to by the BYD Han EV...but it can barely sell over 10,000 of those a month..two years after going into production. The Dolphin and Seal are their next big hope.

 

[STREANH]

For Indians who want a "sasta Tesla" we get the BYD e6 for ~30 lacs INR with the same battery technology. It's an MPV though.

One of the reviews on the biggest automobile forum of India. https://www.team-bhp.com/news/brought-home-byd-e6-initial-impressions

The guy is getting 480 km range from the car for the similar price as a top model Innova.

 

[Clutch]

Not the BYD blade one. It is underpowered but Tesla has such a backlog of orders it can't build batteries fast enough and is sourcing them from multiple suppliers

Berlin-made Tesla Model Y With 55 kWh BYD Batteries To Have 270 miles (440 km) Range

The European Union has approved production of the Tesla Model Y featuring 55 kWh BYD Blade batteries, which gives it a range of up to 270 miles (440 kilometers) between recharges.

www.torquenews.com

The German one only does 270 miles.

While the current ones sold in the US do over 300.

From the noise around LFP batteries that BYD has patents for ...seems like they are the Holy Grail of cost reduction and density increase.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

From the noise around LFP batteries that BYD has patents for ...seems like they are the Holy Grail of cost reduction and density increase.

LFP wont be it. It's actually "LMFP" or also known as M3P which have greater capacity than LFP.

Chinese Firms Test Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate Batteries - AutoTech News

Chinese media outlet LatePost reported on July 12 that lithium manganese iron phosphate batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL),

autotech.news

 

[Clutch]

It's actually this "LMFP" or also known as M3P

Chinese Firms Test Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate Batteries - AutoTech News

Chinese media outlet LatePost reported on July 12 that lithium manganese iron phosphate batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL),

autotech.news

Yes... That's what I meant

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Yes... That's what I meant

Well it's not what BYD is using. Tesla and CATL have been working on it.


Likely Tesla's breakthrough 4680 battery design using LMFP is the Holy Grail.

BMW to reportedly adopt Tesla's 4680 battery format

BMW is reportedly going to adopt Tesla’s 4680 battery format with supply from EVE, a battery supplier that is also...

electrek.co

NIO copies Tesla's battery strategy; 4680 cells and LMFP​

 

[MH.Yang]

I remember Tesla usually uses CATL batteries.

Although both are Chinese battery enterprises, CATL and BYD are the biggest competitors of each other.

Does this mean that there is a problem in the cooperation between Tesla and CATL?

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

I remember Tesla usually uses CATL batteries.

Although both are Chinese battery enterprises, CATL and BYD are the biggest competitors of each other.

Does this mean that there is a problem in the cooperation between Tesla and CATL?

No, Tesla uses their own, Panasonic, LG, CATL, BYD, and numerous other battery supplier sources.

The problem is Tesla is in such high demand they simply can not make batteries fast enough and are pulling in any available source that has extra capacity.

Now they have cars with like 6 different types of batteries in them.

 

[Han Patriot]

Not the BYD blade one. It is underpowered but Tesla has such a backlog of orders it can't build batteries fast enough and is sourcing them from multiple suppliers

Berlin-made Tesla Model Y With 55 kWh BYD Batteries To Have 270 miles (440 km) Range

The European Union has approved production of the Tesla Model Y featuring 55 kWh BYD Blade batteries, which gives it a range of up to 270 miles (440 kilometers) between recharges.

www.torquenews.com

The German one only does 270 miles.

While the current ones sold in the US do over 300.

Hahhaahhahahah this guy must be smoking some copium.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

I remember Tesla usually uses CATL batteries.

Although both are Chinese battery enterprises, CATL and BYD are the biggest competitors of each other.

Does this mean that there is a problem in the cooperation between Tesla and CATL?

Nope it is just another battery variant. They just announced the car with CATL battery going on sale in Germany.

Tesla Model Y with RWD now available in Germany - electrive.com

www.electrive.com

"Shortly after rumours emerged that Tesla wants to use blade batteries from BYD in the Giga Berlin, the carmaker had also received EU type-approval for the model variant. The size of the battery was given as 55 kWh, the range as 440 kilometres.

The range specification is precisely the point, which is why it is presumably a different variant: Tesla had already received another EU type-approval for a Model Y with rear-wheel drive a year ago. According to the documents at the time, a 60 kWh battery from CATL is installed – with a range of exactly 455 kilometres."

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Tesla/Panasonic/LG 2170 Lithium Ion is the 514km one
CATL is the 60kw 455km one
Tesla 4680 449km
BYD is the 55KW 440km one