The development of China’s new energy in the past 20 years has not been as rapid as in the past two years. As one of the “three major components” of electric vehicles, the battery is ushering in wave after wave of revolutionary evolution. The most shocking thing is the huge industrial effect caused by BYD’s introduction of blade batteries. Subsequently, GAC Aian launched the “Magazine Battery”, and CATL also launched the “Kirin Battery”. These are the current top battery technologies.
Two years after the launch of the blade battery, BYD’s hexagonal prism battery came out.
In August 2022, BYD announced the types of new battery patents, and the cylindrical hexagonal prism battery came out in response to the trend. Judging from the published patent drawings, this new type of battery is very different from the common square batteries and cylindrical batteries, and the single cell of this battery is in the shape of a hexagonal column, which is believed to have obtained bionics from the honeycomb structure. Inspiration – The biggest advantage of this design is that it is more conducive to the tight fit between batteries, and improves the space utilization and energy density of the battery pack.
In fact, starting from the blade battery is to find room for improvement in the internal physical structure of the battery, thereby improving energy density and utilization. But this time, BYD seems to start from the physical structure again, “squeezing” a higher performance utilization.
According to the data on the patent, the height of the entire casing (cover + casing) is between 60 and 150mm, which is about half the size of an Apple mobile phone. The diameter of the inscribed circle of the shell is between 15mm and 60mm. It is worth mentioning that the patent also mentions: “The height of the shell can be 90mm, and the diameter of the inscribed circle can be 40mm”, and according to the naming rules of the battery, we can call this battery “4090 battery”. For reference, the Tesla 4680 battery measures 80mm in height and 46mm in diameter. Therefore, compared with Tesla’s 4680 battery, BYD’s hexagonal prism battery will appear “tall and thin”.
Speaking of the Tesla 4680 battery, to be honest, its design is exquisite and the process is complicated, and it can be said to be the most advanced battery at present. The 4680 battery based on the ternary high-nickel material can be installed in a Tesla car, allowing the charging speed to reach 200kW level, and the zero-hundred-speed acceleration can reach the 2s level at the fastest.
So is BYD’s 4090 battery the real rival of Tesla’s 4680 battery? Let’s do a simple comparison.
Let me talk about the same point first, both 4090 and 4680 batteries will adopt CPC technology, that is, the module-free solution. The entire battery pack is full of batteries without a well-shaped basic frame. The battery will use side heat dissipation, which has relatively high efficiency. The performance will be better.
Let’s talk about the differences. First, in terms of structural strength, when 4680 cylindrical cells are combined together, the space between two adjacent cylindrical cells is large, which will make the mechanical stability of the cylindrical battery pack insufficient. Vibration or impact may cause short circuits or damage, seriously affecting the safety of the vehicle. The hexagonal prism “4090 battery” forms a honeycomb shape after being grouped, which can make the battery cells have no gaps before, which is equivalent to “reporting the group to get hard”, thus improving the structural strength of the battery pack.
In addition, it is reported that the shell material of the hexagonal prism “4090 battery” may be made of aluminum alloy. This can not only ensure the strength of the power battery but also reduce the weight of the battery pack. The significance of this high-strength battery pack is not only in terms of safety, but it may also be the future development trend of BYD.
And, the 4680 cylindrical single battery and the hexagonal prism 4090 battery also have different properties in other aspects. When we talked about the honeycomb structure, we mentioned that due to the hexagonal structure, the internal space is more than that of a circle. Therefore, the “4090 battery” with a hexagonal prism is willing to accommodate more electrolytes to prolong the service life of the pole core. At the same time, when connecting multiple batteries into a battery module, also effectively improves the utilization of external space.
In addition, the two batteries also have completely different structures on the positive and negative pole pieces of the battery cell. The Tesla 4680 battery adopts the electrodeless scheme, and the internal process is very complicated, making it very difficult to manufacture. The tabs of the 4090 battery are more obvious. The rectangular block is the positive pole, and the middle cylinder is the negative pole. The positive and negative poles are separated by a height difference.
The above are the results obtained by comparing the disclosed patent information. In addition to this patent information, some netizens also left many doubts about the BYD 4090 battery. Can the battery reach the same level as the 4680 battery? Another example is which battery material will be used for the BYD 4090 battery. If ternary materials are used, can it be as safe as a blade battery? For example, will BYD actually mass-produce this battery on a variety of models? Of course, the ultimate question is whether the 4090 battery can bring shocking success like the blade battery. But in any case, BYD’s development of battery technology will not be limited to blade batteries. In the future, blade batteries and hexagonal prism batteries may become the “double bomber” in the Chinese battery market.
