BYD has unveiled its second-generation Blade Battery, introducing what the Chinese new energy vehicle maker calls “flash charging” technology designed to significantly shorten electric vehicle charging times.
The new battery can charge from 10% to 70% in about five minutes and from 10% to 97% in nine minutes, the company said during a launch event on Thursday.
BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu said the company intentionally limited the charging process to 97% in order to improve efficiency. “Stopping the charge at 97% is a deliberate energy-saving measure,” Wang said, adding that the remaining capacity is reserved for regenerative braking to help reduce overall vehicle energy consumption.
The battery is also designed to improve charging performance in extreme cold conditions. After being exposed to temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius for 24 hours, the battery can charge from 20% to 97% in about 12 minutes, only three minutes longer than under normal conditions, according to BYD.
The company said the technology is compatible with roughly 4.8 million public charging points, allowing vehicles equipped with the battery to charge between 30% and 50% faster than other models using existing infrastructure.
In addition to faster charging, the second-generation Blade Battery increases energy density by more than 5%, which BYD said contributes to improved driving range.
The battery will initially be installed in ten BYD models. Among them, the Yangwang U7, equipped with a 150-kWh battery pack, offers a pure electric range of 1,006 kilometres, while the all-electric Denza Z9GT delivers up to 1,036 kilometres of range, according to the company.
BYD also said the new battery improves durability and safety. The company increased the guaranteed capacity retention rate by 2.5% and is offering a lifetime warranty on the battery cells.
In safety testing, the battery passed a combined charging and nail penetration test after 500 flash-charging cycles without producing smoke or flames. It also withstood a bottom impact test at ten times the force required by China’s latest national standards and endured a thermal runaway test in which four cells were short-circuited simultaneously without the battery pack catching fire or exploding.
Source: EVMagz