Apple's car project failed, BYD directly benefits? It is reported that they have secretly cooperated for six years to develop long-range electric vehicle batteries

At the end of February this year, Apple was exposed to have abandoned its nearly ten-year secret car project without official announcement. The latest news indicates that although Apple's car dream has shattered, the previous secret research and development may directly benefit BYD.

On Wednesday, October 16th, Eastern Time, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that as part of the electric car project, Apple began cooperating with BYD around 2017 to develop long-range electric car batteries. This research and development laid the foundation for the battery technology currently used in BYD cars.

The report stated that the above-mentioned cooperation project between Apple and BYD has never been publicly disclosed. Insiders revealed that the project developed a battery system using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, aiming to achieve longer and safer battery life than the commonly used batteries in electric cars at that time. This project tailored a long-range battery version for Apple's planned car. During the collaboration, Apple engineers provided advanced battery packs and expertise in thermal management, while BYD contributed its expertise in battery manufacturing and the technological advancements in using LFP.

The report mentioned BYD's blade battery released in March 2020, stating that about ten years ago, BYD engineers showed Apple executives an early version of the blade battery when Apple was searching for core technology for its car project. The executives appreciated the safety and energy storage capabilities of this technology, laying the foundation for the cooperation between the two parties.

Currently, all BYD vehicles use the blade battery system. When BYD introduced the battery in 2020, it stated that this battery using lithium iron phosphate technology "possesses safety features that other power batteries cannot match, with long lifespan and long endurance. Its birth redefines the safety standards of new energy vehicles and leads to a new global height in power battery safety."

During the press conference, BYD played a video demonstrating the performance of the blade battery in the industry's most stringent battery cell safety test - the "nail penetration test," proving that the battery completely eliminates the risk of severe combustion that traditional power batteries may face. Under the same test conditions, ternary lithium batteries experienced a rapid temperature increase exceeding 500°C and extreme thermal runaway, causing the egg on the battery surface to explode; traditional block-shaped lithium iron phosphate batteries showed no open flame but smoke, with surface temperatures reaching 200°C-400°C, causing the egg on the battery surface to be burnt; the blade battery showed no open flame or smoke after penetration, with the surface temperature only around 30°C-60°C, and the egg on the battery surface remained in a liquid state.

Spokespersons for Apple and BYD declined to comment on Wednesday's Bloomberg report. In an email statement, BYD stated that the concept of the blade battery originated from BYD engineers, who independently developed this LFP battery. BYD owns the complete intellectual property and patents related to this battery The report also stated that Apple does not own any technology used in blade batteries. Nevertheless, the cooperation with BYD still reflects Apple's past efforts to produce cars. It is said that before finalizing the cooperation with BYD to develop custom batteries, Apple had studied various types of batteries, using elements such as nickel and alkali, and had invested millions of dollars in battery pack design and engineering, hoping to incorporate as many batteries as possible