On March 29, BYD defined the new technology with an extremely visual name - Blade.
The description of a blade is very appropriate: according to the currently disclosed patent information, the longest battery core can exceed two meters. Combined with the width of more than ten centimeters and the thickness of less than two centimeters, it really looks like a blade. . This technological innovation has become a new breakthrough in the development of the new energy industry amid the demands of safety, battery life, performance and cost reduction.
Blade batteries have obvious advantages
The reason why BYD invented such a special shape battery was to make up for the shortcomings of lithium iron phosphate and at the same time give full play to the strengths of lithium iron phosphate, and to cooperate with the three The Yuan Li camp is fighting. The volume specific energy density is 50% higher than that of traditional iron batteries, and the vehicle life span can reach more than one million kilometers.
According to BYD, through structural innovation, the "blade battery" can skip the "module" when forming a group, greatly improving the volume utilization, and ultimately achieving the goal of loading more batteries in the same space. design goals. Compared with traditional modular battery packs, the volume utilization of "blade batteries" has increased by more than 50%, and the cruising range has reached the same level as high-energy ternary lithium batteries. The length can be adjusted according to different models and battery pack shapes, ranging from 60cm to 250cm.
While greatly improving the mass energy density and volume energy density of the system, the complexity of the battery system has been greatly reduced due to the removal of the intermediate structure of the "module", which has also brought about more High product stability and lower failure rate.
After removing the module, the advantages of the blade battery are also obvious:
1. Higher energy density
As we can see from the table, the ternary Lithium batteries (nickel-cobalt-aluminum batteries or nickel-cobalt-manganese batteries) have higher energy density but lower safety. Lithium iron phosphate batteries have a relatively longer life and are safer, but their energy density is only about 80% of that of ternary lithium batteries. The blade battery combines the advantages of both. The blade battery adopts a long battery cell solution, which can greatly improve the volume utilization of the battery pack. The volume energy density is increased by up to 50, which solves the problem of low volume specific energy density of lithium iron phosphate batteries. question.
2. Lower cost, stronger endurance
As BYD said: the endurance can reach 600 kilometers, and the cost can be reduced by 30%. Battery life is directly proportional to power, and the cost reduction mainly lies in the fact that CTP technology can streamline the production process and improve production efficiency, thus significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of power batteries. According to calculations, the battery life cost of a 100,000 yuan BYD e2 can be reduced by about 10,000 yuan, while the cost of a 300,000 yuan BYD Tang EV can be reduced by 20,000 yuan.
The innovation of lithium iron phosphate batteries
“Completely erase the word ‘spontaneous combustion’ from the dictionary of new energy vehicles.” BYD Group Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu used the phrase “completely erase” "The two words as a qualification indicate that the most important driving significance of blade batteries is safety.
At the press conference, BYD did not introduce too much about the technical details and performance parameters of the blade battery. Instead, it used a "needle-pricking-fried-egg" method to show everyone how safe the blade battery is. BYD played a video comparing three types of battery acupuncture experiments: under the same test conditions, the ternary lithium battery experienced drastic temperature changes at the moment of acupuncture, with the surface temperature rapidly exceeding 500°C and extreme thermal runaway - Violent burning phenomenon, the eggs on the surface of the battery were blown away; the traditional block lithium iron phosphate battery had no open flame and smoke after being punctured, the surface temperature reached 200℃~400℃, and the eggs on the surface of the battery were scorched by the high temperature; BYD " "Blade battery" has no open flame or smoke after penetration. The temperature of the battery surface is only about 30-60°C. The eggs on the battery surface have not changed and are still in a flowable liquid state.
The blade battery with the lithium iron phosphate formula is not afraid of being "pricked". First, because of its thin sheet shape, the degree of short circuit after the steel needle is inserted is smaller, and less abnormal heat is generated. At the same time, It also has a larger heat dissipation area; secondly, because the lithium iron phosphate formula is inherently more stable than ternary lithium.
Furthermore, the blade battery is actually an optimization and innovation of lithium iron phosphate battery.
In the past few years, due to the relatively low energy density, lithium iron phosphate batteries have been replaced by third-generation batteries with higher energy density but poor thermal stability in the competition of new energy passenger vehicle manufacturers to pursue cruising range. Lithium-ion batteries are left behind. Due to better cruising range, ternary lithium batteries have gradually become the mainstream of new energy passenger vehicles, while lithium iron phosphate batteries are more used in commercial vehicles.
In the new energy passenger vehicle market, the vast majority of batteries use ternary lithium batteries, while the market share of lithium iron phosphate batteries continues to decline.
However, Tesla, which carries a ternary battery, became well known after the incident of burning down a Shanghai basement last year. Before that, in 2017?, an electric car of the Croatian supercar brand Rimac overturned and caught fire. It burned for a full 5 days, which was shocking. In addition, there are many cases of spontaneous combustion of electric vehicles in China. The safety caused by these spontaneous combustion incidents has become a major weakness of electric vehicles to please consumers.
BYD Han EV's proving ground
From a macro perspective of industry development, the birth of "blade batteries" redefines the safety standards of new energy vehicles, with higher products Stability and lower failure rate have led to a new level of global power battery safety.
Previously, BYD’s electrification capabilities have been recognized by the world’s top peers through its alliance with Daimler and Toyota. "Almost all car brands you can think of are discussing cooperation plans with us based on blade battery technology. I believe everyone will see and hear more exciting news about blade batteries soon." BYD Group Vice President, Fu He Long, chairman of DI Battery, said. At the same time, BYD announced the establishment of five "Fudi" subsidiaries - Fudi Battery, Fudi Power, Fudi Technology, Fudi Vision and Fudi Mold, to further accelerate the pace of global sales of core components for new energy vehicles. At this point, BYD has made it clear that all core technologies and components of BYD's "Fudi Series" will be open to the entire new energy vehicle industry to benefit the industry and consumers.
The launch of the "Blade Battery" is expected to accelerate BYD's opening-up strategy to bear fruit.
Not only is the external strategy a step up, internally, this revolutionary technology will be the first to be installed on the BYD Han EV model. As the flagship sedan that leads the "dynasty family", BYD Han EV is expected to be put into production and launched in June this year. In terms of appearance, the design of BYD Han EV is very dynamic and fashionable. Its front face has been upgraded to the Dragon Face design style. It has been replaced with a closed grille. The headlights have become sharp and slender and are closely connected with the grille. The front surround The lines on the car are cut out and simplified, and the entire car's exterior design is very avant-garde.
On the side of the body, the Han EV uses unique low-wind resistance rims, which is also a sporty five-spoke shape that consumers love; it is worth noting that the new car also uses a hidden door handle design.
As for the interior, according to previous official photos, it can be seen that the instrument panel and central control screen of the new car use large-size LCD screens. Judging from the buttons on the left side of the steering wheel and the details at the bottom of the central control screen, the screen still uses BYD's iconic rotatable design, continuing the consistent sense of technology in the interior of BYD family models.
In terms of power, BYD Han EV will provide single-motor two-wheel drive and dual-motor four-wheel drive models. The single-motor version is equipped with a maximum power of 163kW, an NEDC cruising range of 605km, and a power consumption of 14.1kWh/100km. ; The maximum power of the front/rear motors of the dual-motor version is 163kW and 200kW respectively, the NEDC cruising range is 550km, and the power consumption per 100 kilometers is 15.4kWh/100km.
New energy brands on the cusp of the storm are full of opportunities and challenges. In the face of a series of basic issues such as financing and delivery, BYD’s down-to-earth efforts in building cars and improving technology are commendable. With the precipitation of lithium iron phosphate technology As a ticket to the next stage, the transition window period for the electric vehicle industry is of great significance.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.