Recently, in response to the news that Tesla intends to cooperate with CATL, CATL officially responded: Cooperation is not an "intentional agreement", and CATL has already signed a mass production supply agreement with Tesla. protocol.
Not surprising at all. Surprisingly, as soon as this news came out, BYD was actually chosen by Aite. The reason is that the main content of the cooperation between Tesla and CATL is to use lithium iron phosphate power batteries in the domestic Model 3, and lithium iron phosphate power batteries have always been the BYD is committed to the direction of research and development.
Netizens are indeed naughty.
However, if you think of BYD’s announcement on January 11 that it will soon launch blade batteries, it is enough to prove that the two largest vehicle manufacturers in the field of new energy vehicles have coincidentally focused on lithium iron phosphate, marking a sign that The technical route of power batteries is about to be reversed in 2020.
In the field of power batteries, BYD has always been at the forefront of domestic and even global leadership in terms of market size and technology. The launch of this blade battery has allowed BYD to once again demonstrate its strength in the new round of competition between power batteries and new energy vehicles, and also proved its ability to continue to lead global changes in new energy vehicle technology and products.
CTP, system process innovation based on high-quality battery cells
In the field of power batteries, lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries are the two most mainstream technical routes, but the first few Influenced by relevant national policies, ternary lithium batteries with high energy density advantages have been more applied.
However, as the new energy industry shifts from policy-oriented to market-oriented, car companies and battery manufacturers are paying more and more attention to the efficiency, safety and reliability of battery use, which has also led to renewed emphasis on lithium iron phosphate batteries. stand up.
At this time, BYD's leading position becomes even more prominent. After all, BYD has a long history of research and development on battery safety performance.
Within BYD, battery safety is defined as the highest level. Even for ternary lithium batteries, BYD did not blindly follow the high energy density solution of NCM811 batteries, which also achieved BYD's power battery safety accident record of zero.
At the same time, BYD has never given up on the application and technological iteration of lithium iron phosphate batteries. BYD, which has been deeply involved in the field for many years and has strong innovation capabilities and profound technological accumulation, has always been the leader, demonstrator and flag-bearer of lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Industry insiders believe that BYD’s “blade battery” technology is the most “beautiful” innovation by battery companies at the system level and will be important in increasing vehicle cruising range and improving the safety and reliability of new energy vehicles. significance. This time, BYD's "blade battery" technology has once again greatly expanded the application space of lithium iron phosphate batteries, making its energy density and cruising range closely catch up with ternary lithium batteries.
Specific to this technology, blade batteries are directly assembled into battery packs in a module-less manner. Based on the original battery chemical system, through the optimization of battery cell design and battery pack integration form , improving the original three-layer structure of cell-module-battery pack into a two-layer structure of cell-battery pack composed of large cells/large modules.
To put it simply, this BYD blade battery, called GCTP, is consistent in technical ideas with CATL’s CTP.
Improvement of group efficiency and safety performance
Technically speaking, BYD's "blade batteries" form battery packs and are compatible with both module and module-less forms. In the module-less mode, the battery core itself assumes part of the module functions, which increases the capacity, improves space utilization, and reduces materials and internal consumption; in the case of modules, the module structure does not include end plates and side panels. Board and other structures are also improved compared to traditional modules.
Moreover, multiple pole cores are connected in series inside the "blade battery". Compared with modules composed of battery cells, the voltage and capacity are also increased, but the outer shell and external installation structure are reduced, which improves space utilization and ensures the overall capacity of the power battery pack; at the same time, it also reduces the number of external power connectors Use to reduce internal consumption.
It is understood that BYD has launched a "blade battery" using lithium iron phosphate. Through the CTP battery solution, the cells are directly integrated into the battery pack, bypassing the module link, in order to accommodate more The battery cell saves space, and the system volume specific energy is increased by up to 50% to increase energy density. It is a typical "module-less" battery pack.
It can be said that the safety guarantee of blade batteries based on lithium iron phosphate technology has been greatly improved. Its runaway temperature is much higher than that of ternary lithium batteries. At the same time, the battery pack has higher overall rigidity, resistance to deformation and durability. The ability to squeeze and puncture is also stronger, and the chance of short circuit inside the battery pack is close to zero.
What's more, BYD also has an original seven-dimensional and four-layer battery safety system, with corresponding protective measures in each dimension and level. Among them, the four levels refer to cells, modules, battery packs and systems, and the seven dimensions include reliable connection, high voltage protection, collision, overcharge, short circuit and thermal runaway, all-round and effective protection of battery safety.
With both technology and system, BYD Blade Battery is bound to once again define a new global safety standard for power batteries.
Such efficiency and safety performance are clearly reflected in BYD Han, the first model with blade battery application.
On February 14, 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the second batch of recommended models for the promotion and application of new energy vehicles. BYD Han was among them, and some key parameters were also made public for the first time.
It is reported that BYD Han is a model that is comparable to Tesla Model S, but its maximum cruising range can reach 605Km and its acceleration performance is also excellent. This also makes BYD Han already have the same car as Model ?S the confidence and ability to compete head-on.
Obviously, BYD Han's long battery life, high safety and other performances indicate that BYD's blade battery is rewriting the future expectations of new energy vehicles.
Seize the initiative and dominate the future landscape
In the development of new energy vehicles, the technical dividing line between the main engine factory and the battery factory is generally at the battery pack level. Passenger car OEMs and commercial vehicle manufacturers with weaker technical capabilities will generally directly use battery packs delivered by battery factories; while OEMs with stronger technical capabilities will choose to lead the development of battery packs based on the battery modules delivered by battery factories.
BYD is a typical example of a company that started out as a battery company and has taken battery technology into its own hands.
It is reported that CTP technology means that at the battery pack level, battery manufacturers will regain the upper hand and their value in the industry chain will further increase. At present, the lithium iron phosphate technology route led by BYD has become China's mainstream power battery technology route. Through the research and development of battery technology, BYD is no longer subject to battery suppliers and has made its products more competitive.
In the future global wave of new energy vehicles, BYD's first-mover advantage is its huge advantages in products, technology and markets. In Wang Chuanfu's words, "In the field of new energy vehicles, it is currently the only automobile company in the world that independently masters core technologies such as new energy vehicle batteries, motors, electronic control and charging facilities, and vehicle manufacturing, as well as has mature market promotion experience."
It is true that current blade batteries are still facing technical and commercial challenges, but BYD’s CTP technology is undoubtedly worth looking forward to and is destined to become an important chapter in the era of change. Whether it is BYD Han, a more outstanding pure electric vehicle product, or the more competitive BYD brand, it will eventually stand out in the tide.
Looking forward to BYD’s further research and development and efforts.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.