Date: 2024-10-23 hits: 184
Recently, Bloomberg reported citing sources familiar with the matter that Apple had worked with BYD Co., Ltd. for many years to jointly develop long-range battery technology - which is part of Apple's now cancelled automotive project. According to sources familiar with the matter, these collaborative achievements have laid the foundation for today's battery technology.
As early as 2017, Apple and BYD teamed up to design a system based on lithium iron phosphate batteries. According to insiders, this technology aims to provide longer range and higher safety than electric vehicle batteries at that time.
Although Apple does not possess any of BYD's current blade battery technology, this collaboration demonstrates Apple's efforts in automotive manufacturing. According to insiders, Apple has invested approximately $1 billion annually in this project over the past decade, which was once seen as the company's "next big thing" until it was ultimately cancelled in February of this year.
Insiders pointed out that the technology jointly developed by Apple and BYD was once tailored for their planned cars. As part of this secret collaboration, Apple engineers brought expertise in battery packs and thermal management, while BYD contributed its progress in the manufacturing of lithium iron phosphate batteries,
Both Apple and BYD spokespersons have not commented on the joint battery development. But BYD has previously made it clear that the concept of the blade battery comes from BYD's engineers, who independently developed this lithium iron phosphate blade battery. BYD owns the complete intellectual property and patent rights of the blade battery.
Nowadays, all BYD models use blade battery systems. Insiders say that this battery pack design benefits to some extent from the lessons learned from working with Apple.
The cooperation between Apple and BYD began about ten years ago, when Apple was searching for core technologies for its automotive projects. BYD engineers showed early versions of blade batteries to Apple executives, who acknowledged their safety and energy storage capabilities. Insiders revealed that Apple subsequently sought customization to enhance the range of electric vehicles.
At that time, Apple was already researching various battery technologies involving nickel, alkaline elements, and investing millions of dollars in battery pack design and engineering to maximize the utilization of battery cells. Apple and BYD are attempting to combine the development of independent battery packs and battery cells to produce a safe and long-lasting battery system for Apple's cars.
On the Apple side, this collaboration is led by Alexander Hitzinger, a former executive at Volkswagen and Porsche who was responsible for automotive project design from 2016 to 2019.
Apple has also hired Mujeeb Ljaz, who previously worked at A123 Systems LLC, a US battery startup, for Apple from 2014 to 2020.
Despite working with BYD for many years, Apple eventually withdrew from the partnership and began considering systems from other battery manufacturers. Insiders revealed that the entire automotive project has encountered multiple delays, and the high cost of the electric vehicle industry ultimately makes it difficult for Apple to bear,
Apple's cancellation of its car project is a rare high-profile failure for the company. However, for Apple, this decade long project has also been beneficial in other aspects. In addition to its gains in battery technology, Apple has also utilized this experience to develop products such as the Vision Pro headset and Neural Engine A | processor, and has driven its exploration in the robotics field.
