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BYD becomes Tesla’s supplier. The Model Y produced by the Gigafactory in Berlin will carry the new batteries made up of blade cells developed by the Chinese company. Safer, they also offer a higher energy density.
© Erick Fontaine / Digital
For a few months there had been a rumor that the Chinese BYD, whose particularity is to be both a battery manufacturer and a car manufacturer, had been chosen as the third supplier of batteries for the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai. The latter, whose annual production capacity is 750,000 vehicles (Model 3 and Model Y), is supplied in battery packs by CATL (70%) and LG Energy Solution (30%).
Already in 2021, the Electrek site had heard rumors that “Tesla was testing BYD’s new blade batteries for potential supply partnershipAnother clue, a Chinese media, Cailin, revealed on October 21, 2021 that BYD had received an order for 10 GWh of LFP batteries from Tesla (source CLS).
Finally, it is on the side of Europe, and more particularly with the Gigafactory in Berlin, that BYD deposited its batteries. Indeed, the Chinese equipment manufacturer has already delivered the first battery packs used on the Model Y produced by the German factory. The first cars with BYD batteries will roll off the production lines between late August and early September.
In addition to Tesla, Toyota has also been using these new BYD batteries since 2021 on its electrified models sold in China.
BYD supplier of new blade batteries for the Tesla Model Y. © BYD
But the novelty does not stop there. Indeed, batteries signed BYD use new blade cells (blade), name given because of their shape. Using LFP (LiFePO4) chemistry, these new cells would have the advantage of being safer and having a higher energy density.
According to BYD, tests have shown that these new blade cells emit no smoke and do not start fires after being pierced by nails. As for the surface temperature, it would have varied from 30 to 60°C.
BYD says it performed the same test on a ternary lithium battery and on a conventional lithium-ion battery. As a result, the first reached 500°C before “burn violently“, while the second saw its surface temperatures increase to 200, even 400°C (source BYD).
For the Chinese supplier, this means that electric vehicles with its new batteries would be much less likely to catch fire, even when badly damaged. Finally, the design in question would not only improve energy density, but also reduce the number of modules in a pack, thus offering weight savings. Indeed, the cells in question are arranged over the entire width of the pack.
A Model Y with a 55 kWh battery and a range of 440 km
Based on a leaked official document, teslamag.de, a German site dedicated to the Tesla universe, indicates that the Tesla Model Y equipped with the new BYD batteries would have received its approval from the European Union.
This approval was issued on July 1, 2022 by the Dutch Vehicle Authority (RDW), the usual channel of the American manufacturer. We learn in particular that this “new” Model Y, listed internally under the name Y7CR, has a battery with a capacity of 55 kWh for a range of 440 km.
Until now, Tesla only produced Model Y Great Autonomy (Long Range) and Performance. This approval confirms the registration, in 2021, of a Model Y with a single electric motor (propulsion) and a lower capacity battery. This is reminiscent of the Model 3, equipped with a battery pack signed CATL with a capacity of 60 kWh for 455 km of autonomy.
If Tesla has not commented on this choice, teslamag.de points out that the Model Y equipped with BYD batteries sees its total weight reduced by 60 kg, or 2087 kg on the scale against 2153 kg for a Model Y equipped with a battery of 60 kWh. Another advantage is reduced combined cycle fuel consumption of 15.5 kWh/km.