Tesla has started producing the new Model Y with BYD’s battery at the automaker’s Gigafactory Berlin-Bradenburg, local media platform Teslamag reports.
The electric car is apparently a rear-wheel drive version of the famous model. However, as mentioned, the battery will be provided by Chinese automaker and power battery giant BYD.
The report also pointed out that BYD is now the fourth battery supplier of the Musk-led automaker after Panasonic, LGES, and CATL.
How did it start?
Tesla sought and was granted European-type clearance for the Model Y’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery in August of last year. The report stated that at the time, it had a capacity of 55-kWh capacity and a WLTP range of 440 km.
The Model Y now has a 430 km WLTP range with 20-inch wheels and 455 km with regular rims.
CnEVPost mentioned February 2022 speculations that Tesla ordered 204,000 Blade batteries per year from BYD’s production unit, FinDreams Battery.
Moreover, Giga Berlin reportedly started receiving its supply of BYD blade batteries on August 10, 2022, according to various sources referenced by the Chinese media portal Sina Tech.
However, South Korea’s Korea Economic Daily claimed on March 13 that the automaker canceled plans to use BYD’s batteries. It referred to quality issues brought on by numerous fire occurrences involving BYD’s LFP batteries. CEO Elon Musk responded that the information was untrue and that the relationship between Tesla and BYD was “positive.”
See Also:
- Global passenger EV battery market grew 70% to 488.3 GWh in 2022
- China NEV insurance registrations for Jan 16-Jan 29: BYD 29,988, Tesla 10,852, NIO 3,435
- Top OEMs of all-electric cars by sales in 2022: BYD goes after Tesla
- BYD and Tesla dominate as EV sales reach 10% worldwide
- China: Power battery installations grew 29.7% YoY in March 2023
It is worth noting that BYD is now among the leading battery maker globally, apart from dominating the auto industry. It has deployed a battery capacity of 21.5 GWh in Q1 2023, accounting for 16.2% of the global market. With these remarkable figures, the Chinese tech firm secured the second spot in the global ranking for top power battery makers.
Meanwhile, another Chinese company CATL remains unbeatable, with a 35% market share.
