The EV industry is witnessing all-round development, thanks to the interest shown by the consumers in switching over to these cleaner vehicles. While new, improved models are entering the market and charging infrastructure is getting strengthened, innovations are taking place in battery technologies as well. Blade Battery, introduced by BYD, is one such product which has the potential of transforming the segment in a major way. 

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With increased acceptance of electric vehicles, innovations in the sector are also on the rise. While most EV manufacturers are attempting to tackle the range anxiety of the consumers, besides coming up with cheaper models; battery and charging segments are also witnessing newer technologies. The latest in this sector is the Blade Battery that powers e6, the premium e-MPV launched by BYD (Build Your Dreams) India.

• It also announced that all new energy vehicles from BYD will now come with the ultra-safe Blade Battery. The company will also provide its Blade Battery to other leading global OEMs
• Blade Battery, according to BYD, is the only battery that successfully passes the nail-penetration test, the most rigorous way to test the thermal runaway of batteries
• Blade Battery passes other extreme test conditions as well, such as being crushed, bent, being heated in a furnace to 300°C and overcharged by 260 per cent. None of these result in a fire or explosion

A subsidiary of the Warren Buffett-backed EV-maker BYD, the company launched the all-new e6 towards the end of last year. It also informed that all new energy vehicles from BYD will now come with the ultra-safe Blade Battery. BYD will also provide its Blade Battery to other leading global OEMs.  

Blade Battery, according to BYD, is the only battery that successfully passes the nail-penetration test, the most rigorous way to test the thermal runaway of batteries. While undergoing nail penetration tests, Blade Battery emits neither smoke nor fire after being penetrated, and its surface temperature only reaches 30 to 60°C, claimed the company. Under the same conditions, a ternary lithium battery mostly exceeds 500°C, it said. 

Blade Battery passes other extreme test conditions as well, such as being crushed, bent, being heated in a furnace to 300°C and overcharged by 260 per cent. None of these result in a fire or explosion, according to the company. At the same time, Blade Battery completed an extreme strength test that saw a 46-tonne truck driving right over it. Also, the space utilisation of the Blade Battery pack increases by over 50 pc compared to that of conventional batteries, said the company.

Blade Battery is the outcome of a revolutionary technology and most of the claims made by BYD are good news, however, there also have been reports to the contrary. According to these reports, in July 2021, a BYD Han EV with Blade batteries was crash-tested in China (car-to-car crash test) versus Arcfox Alpha-S. About 48 hours after the test, nothing happened to Arcfox Alpha-S; only the BYD Han car caught fire and burned to the ground. Also, in November last year, a BYD Tang EV (with Blade batteries) caught fire at a workshop in Kristiansand, Norway.

Notwithstanding all these controversies, the advent of a new technology in the battery segment is a positive development and the coming months are bound to see bigger, and more technologically-advanced, products in the EV arena.