Leading American automaker Tesla now equips Giga Berlin-made Model Y units with the renowned BYD Blade batteries, increasing the crossovers’ charging speeds.
In hindsight, Tesla only sourced its batteries from another Chinese firm CATL for its Model Y production in Europe. However, May reports suggest that Tesla has begun utilizing BYD’s battery tech.
BYD Blade batteries boost Tesla car’s charging speeds
Interestingly, BYD Blade battery-equipped Model Y units demonstrated a remarkable peak charging speed substantially higher than CATL’s Kirin battery, per the data shared on the German forum Tesla Fahrer und Freunde.
It is worth noting that both batteries from the two Chinese power battery giants are lithium iron phosphate (LFP) based. However, BYD can charge at a higher speed for the full charging duration.
BYD Blade-equipped Tesla Model Ys can apparently sustain peak 172 kW charging speeds until reaching 50% before tapering off, Notebook Check reports.
“The Model Y with 62 kWh CATL battery, on the other hand, wasn’t able to maintain 172 kW charging speeds, and dropped off almost immediately, gradually reaching 50 kW at the 90% mark.”
Notebook Check
About the Blade battery
The Driven noted that BYD’s Blade battery tech was initially unveiled in 2020, marketed as having higher charging speeds without affecting the battery’s longevity.
BYD uses the battery tech on its Tang SUV, Han, and Atto 3 models.
“The Blade Battery tops 1.2 million km after 3,000 cycles of charging / discharging, while headline performance figures for the Blade Battery-powered BYD Tang include a single-charge range of 505km (NEDC) and acceleration from 0-100 km/h in just 4.6-seconds,.
The BYD Tang’s Blade Battery installation recharges from 30% to 80% of full capacity in an impressively short 30-minutes, with DC power output of 110kW.”
BYD
Competition
Despite the current advantage of BYD Blade batteries over CATL’s version, the latter’s upcoming MP3 battery may catch up. According to the report, it will start production in 2023.
CATL promotes the new MP3 battery with higher energy density and better performance than its li-ion phosphate batteries. Interestingly, it is quite similar to the upgraded LFP battery chemistry but has additional manganese.
“While little is known about CATL’s exact M3P battery specs, insider sources have revealed that the cells have higher energy density than LMFP batteries while providing similar longevity and charging speed improvements.”
Notebook Check
Apart from that, CATL also introduced its new “Condensed Batetry” at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show. It claims the innovative battery tech is safe and strong enough to power an electric passenger aircraft.
See Also:
- EV battery market leader CATL reported shares decline in January, BYD increases
- BYD can surpass CATL as the leader in battery manufacturing
- Tesla Gigafactory Berlin finally hits 5,000 unit/week target
- Tesla starts shipping Berlin-made Model Ys to Taiwan
- CATL presents its new “Condensed Battery” at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show
All that said, we will certainly witness significant advancements in energy density, charging speeds, and endurance thanks to the rapidly increasing battery tech developments. In effect, it will further boost the global electric vehicle industry.
