According to Bloomberg, Apple and BYD collaborated around 2017 to develop a battery system using LFP cells. LFP cells are a technology designed to last longer and be safer than typical EV batteries at the time.
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) was secretly working on a long-range power battery with BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) before abandoning the car project earlier this year, according to a Bloomberg report today. It is said that there was
The iPhone maker and BYD partnered around 2017 to develop a battery system using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. The technology was designed to last longer and be safer than common electric vehicle (EV) batteries at the time, the report said, citing people involved. I am familiar with the matter.
Although Apple does not own the technology used in BYD’s current blade batteries, the report notes that the partnership is a testament to the company’s efforts in car production.
The technology that Apple and BYD were jointly developing will be highly customized to the planned vehicle. As part of the secret collaboration, Apple engineers brought advanced battery pack and thermal management expertise, and BYD contributed manufacturing techniques and advances using LFP cells, the report said.
Bloomberg reports that an Apple and BYD spokesperson declined to comment on the joint battery development, saying that BYD said in an emailed statement, “The blade battery concept was conceived by BYD engineers, and they developed this LFP blade battery independently. “We developed it,” he added. BYD retains full ownership and patent rights to the Blade battery. ”
According to Bloomberg, BYD’s entire lineup of cars now features the company’s signature blade battery system, and those involved in its development say the battery pack is based on lessons learned from Apple’s efforts. The design is said to be adopted.
In late February, Apple halted its decade-long EV manufacturing effort, abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the company’s history.
In late March, BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu met with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was visiting Shanghai at the time, at Apple’s China headquarters in Shanghai.
According to a Bloomberg report today, the seeds of Apple’s partnership with BYD were planted about a decade ago when the companies were looking for core technology for their cars.
BYD engineers showed Apple executives an early version of the defective battery and praised the technology’s safety and energy storage capabilities, the people said, adding that Apple ultimately decided to improve the EV’s range. He added that he was looking for customization to extend the distance. .
At the time, Apple was already working on several different batteries using elements such as nickel and alkali. The company also invested millions of dollars in the design and engineering of its battery packs to cram in as many cells as possible, according to the report.
The companies sought to combine separate pack and cell efforts to produce a safe, long-range battery system for Apple cars, according to the report.
Despite working with BYD for years, Apple ultimately backed away from the partnership and considered using systems from other battery manufacturers, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The entire car project suffered multiple delays, and ultimately the economics of the EV business proved extremely difficult, the report said.
Shenzhen-based BYD is the world’s largest new energy vehicle (NEV) maker and the world’s second-largest power battery maker.
According to data compiled by CnEVPost, the company sold 3,024,417 NEVs, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), in 2023, an increase of 62.30% year-on-year.
BYD’s NEV sales volume from January to September this year was 2,747,875 units, an increase of 32.13% compared to the same period last year.
The Chinese new energy electric vehicle maker overtook Tesla in BEV sales in the fourth quarter of 2023, the only time so far. Tesla only produces BEVs.
Tesla’s global deliveries in the third quarter were 462,890 units, continuing to outpace BYD’s BEV sales of 443,426 units.
Due to the rapid growth of NEV business, BYD’s battery business also grew rapidly. The company’s EV batteries are primarily used in its own vehicles, but they are also starting to be used in models such as Nio’s (NYSE:NIO) Onvo L60 and Xpeng’s (NYSE:XPEV) Mona M03.
According to South Korean market research company SNE Research, BYD captured a 16.4% share of the global EV battery market from January to August, ranking second behind CATL (SHE: 300750) with 37.1%.
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