BYD, A major manufacturer in the world of electric vehicles has announced its latest breakthrough in battery technology. Their new Blade battery is set to be a game-changer in the world of electric vehicles. BYD is confident that their Blade battery is going to solve problems electric cars are currently facing, such as charging time, range safety measurements, environmental impacts, and even the price.
So how exactly will BYD's new blade battery change the world of electric vehicles? The battery was unveiled in March 2020 and was mainly advertised with its improved safety measurements over a normal standard lithium-ion battery. In a nail penetration test that BYD did with its new blade battery. No signs of smoke or fire were detected during and after the penetration, as well as the surface level temperature only changed about 30 to 60 Celsius or 90 to 140 Fahrenheit. And in the same test with a standard ternary lithium battery. As soon as being penetrated, the battery burst into flames and exceeds temperatures over 500 degrees Celsius, or 940 Fahrenheit. I think that in comparison, I would feel just a tiny bit safer with the first battery under my belt.
The Blade battery also passed a handful of other tests, such as being crushed, bent, heated in a furnace, overcharged by 260 degrees, and every other cruel method that not even lithium batteries would dare to speak of while sitting around a campfire. Even in these extreme conditions, the battery kept its cool and didn't cause any smoke, fire, or explosions.
Now, let's take a look at the battery's design. The battery's design may remind you of a saw blade or a sword. This is not just too. The battery could have a cool name like Blade, but also to make the battery cells act as structural support within the battery pack arranged within the pack. Like honeycombs, the individual batteries support their neighboring battery like a support beam, thus adding strength and stability to the whole package. The cells are thinner than the industry's current standards. This means that you can cover more cells within the same space as before.
In addition to that, up until now, EV car batteries had to be supported by huge water cooling systems to prevent the cells from overheating due to the thin design and large surface area of the battery. Heat can escape quicker and thus eliminates the need for an additional cooling system. The battery is just being cooled by the air flowing in between the cells. This means that not only can we fit more energy within the same volume, but it also eliminates the need for complex cooling systems, which frees up about 50% of available space compared to a lithium-ion battery. But all of this, of course, doesn't mean anything.
If the car doesn't go fast, fast and fast, it goes big sedan. The horn is already equipped with a new piece of tech. Performance tests have shown an acceleration from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in just about 3.9 seconds. In addition to that, one single charge leaves you with about 600 kilometers or 375 miles. But there's more because tests have shown that the Blade battery sustains about 1.2 million kilometers, or about 750,000 miles, after 3000 charging cycles. Not only is that good news for the environment, but it is also very cost-efficient, as you could probably pass a car with this battery down up until your great-great-grandchildren.
Now, a critical point that your Uncle Jerry maybe have brought up to why his jeep is far better than any electric car on the market is charging time. The before mentioned Tang charges from 30 to 80% in an impressive 30 minutes. So while you can recharge at a gas station with a coffee, your car will charge faster than you've ever imagined. And soon your car will start to say that the only disadvantage to humans is their insane recharging time.
Lastly, what does the Blade battery do for the environment? You probably have heard that EVs aren't all that good or even better for our planet because of battery production. This is because normal batteries are made from a metal called cobalt sourcing. Cobalt is highly associated with leaving toxic waste. But why am I telling you that? Well, be we'd do not use any cobalt in their blade battery. In addition to that, the aforementioned sleek and flat design of the battery allows for easy recycling. Up until now, the cylinder shape of normal batteries made it quite difficult to disassemble them with a flat and large surface. The Blade battery is easily taken apart and thus more sustainable.
