BYD’s Blade sharpens focus on battery safety

BYD’s Blade Battery technology – which broke cover at Busworld in Brussels – promises a new level of battery safety.

The battery has passed a number of safety tests, including a puncture test which proved it would not ignite and even extreme overcharging and overheating tests which also amplified the Blade Battery’s safety. Many lithium-ion batteries in use experience ‘thermal runaway’ when punctured or overcharged, creating a fire which is very difficult to extinguish, though ‘thermal runaway’ fires have been calculated to be 40 times less common than fires in conventional petrol and diesel vehicles.

BYD’s Vice President, He Long, says that battery technology has been pushed hard to deliver ever more range and this pursuit of energy density has been at the expense of safety considerations: “Today, many vehicle brands are in discussion with us about partnerships based on the technology of the Blade Battery,” said He Long. He added that BYD will gladly share and work with global partners to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for all industry players.”

The Blade Battery is installed in BYD’s latest generation of 40-foot electric buses, presented at Busworld. BYD’s ultra-safe lithium iron phosphate blade battery is incorporated within the chassis structure. This battery chassis technology also utilizes a new 6-in-1 controller with silicon carbide technology, together with two innovative wheel hub hairpin motors. Combined, these bring a multitude of benefits to BYD’s 40-foot eBus including enhanced energy efficiency, performance and durability.