29 Mar 2020 | BYD's New ‘Blade’ Battery Redefines Safety

Show #732

 

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Sunday 29th March 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

 

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS PUSHES GAS PRICE BELOW $2 IN 25 STATES

"The average paid across the U.S. for a gallon of regular gas fell to $2.05 on Friday. That’s 7 cents lower than it was on Monday — and the lowest national average price since at least 2016, according to AAA, which tracks gas prices. In comparison, at this time last year, drivers were paying an average price of $2.67 for a gallon of regular gas." reports MSN Money: "One obvious reason for the trend is that there are fewer vehicles on the road in response to the coronavirus pandemic. AAA explains: “New data from the Energy Information Administration reveals that with many Americans staying at home and practicing social distancing, gas demand dropped dramatically … last week.” Also contributing to falling prices is a crude-oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia."

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/coronavirus-crisis-pushes-gas-price-below-dollar2-in-25-states/ar-BB11PjBi

 

COVID-19 IS RUINING THE TIMING FOR EAGERLY AWAITED NEW MODELS

"The coronavirus epidemic hasn't just slammed the brakes on the economy — it's also upending some critical new-model launches." according to Automotive News Europe: "The schedule disruption could even blow Ford Motor Co. off course on its Mustang Mach-E, the automaker's first battery-electric crossover and a symbol of what the company wants to be. The vehicle is expected to hit full production in Mexico in August, according to forecasters. A spokeswoman could not say whether launch plans were still on target, telling Automotive News last week only that "teams are looking at every program.""

 

https://www.autonews.com/sales/covid-19-ruining-timing-eagerly-awaited-new-models

 

VW I.D. 4 SPIED IN SWEDEN WITH OPEL GRILLE ISN’T FOOLING ANYONE

"Who does Volkswagen think it's fooling by dressing one I.D. 4 as an Opel while driving the EV in a convoy with VW-badged models? This isn't the first time that the engineers are using this weird concealment tactic, either. The new video (above) offers a chance to glimpse the latest state in the vehicle's testing." says Motor1.com: "The I.D. 4 will be the production version of the I.D. Crozz concept from 2017 and will be the first of the brand's new family of EVs coming to the United States. It will ride on the company's MEB platform for the upcoming slate of electric vehicles. Buyers will be able to select a single-motor, rear-drive setup or dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup. Although, only the latter will be available at launch. The maximum range will be as high as 310 miles (500 kilometers) in the WLTP test, which will be around 277 miles in the EPA evaluation. However, there will likely be several battery capacities to choose from for folks looking for a lower distance. Later, there will reportedly be a performance-oriented GTX version."

 

https://www.motor1.com/news/406506/vw-id-4-sweden-spied/

 

TESLA LEAK HINTS AT MODEL 3/Y AIR SUSPENSION EVEN THOUGH ELON SAYS ‘NO’

"Another leak shows that Tesla is working on an air suspension for Model 3 and Model Y air despite Elon Musk denying that the vehicles will get the feature." says Fred Lambert at Electrek: "An employee of a Tesla collision center posted an image of the 12-volt electrical architecture of the Model Y on Reddit before deleting the post: It shows that Tesla built the 12-volt architecture of the Model Y to work with its own air suspension. The document is just the latest in a series of evidence that Tesla was or is at least thinking about releasing an air suspension option for the Model 3 and Model Y."

 

https://ww.electrek.co/2020/03/27/tesla-leaks-model-3-y-air-suspension-elon-says-no/

 

LIME IS FACING TOUGH TIMES DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

"Due to the coronavirus crisis, the electric kick scooter rental company Lime has largely ceased operations, and sales have therefore shrunk sharply. According to a media report, this could even call the future of the company into question." according to electrive today: "Bloomberg reports that Lime could be bankrupt in twelve weeks. The agency specialising in financial news substantiates this assertion with figures: On 14 March, Lime had recorded 147,000 trips with its electric kick scooters worldwide, three days later the value had dropped to 52,000 trips due to restrictions on public life in many countries. In Paris alone, the largest single market at that time, the number of rides fell by 98 per cent in three days."

 

https://www.electrive.com/2020/03/27/lime-is-facing-tough-times-due-to-pandemic/

 

2020 UK SPRING BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT

Chargepoint put together a summary of the changes to UK incentives: "The recent budget kept the grant at a maximum for cars of £3,000, but restricted it to vehicles worth up to £50,000. The EV Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) has been in place since 2010 and the Workplace Charging Scheme since 2016. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has made it clear, however, that these grants will not last forever. From its starting level of £1000, the EV Homecharge Scheme grant has already shrunk by more than half and it was announced in the recent budget that it will further shrink to £350 on 1st April 2020."

 

https://electriccarsreport.com/2020/03/2020-uk-spring-budget-announcement-what-has-changed-and-how-does-this-impact-uk-consumers-and-businesses/

 

FIRST OF 130 SOLARIS ELECTRIC BUSES DEPLOYED IN WARSAW

"The first of 130 Solaris electric buses (earlier post), a Solaris Urbino 18 electric bus, no. 5870, has been deployed in Warsaw. Since the beginning of the year, Warsaw has been delivered electric buses under the contract that Solaris secured in July last year." says Green Car Congress: "Each of the 130 articulated, electric Urbinos has a capacity for 133 passengers. The vehicles are equipped with 150 kWh Solaris High Power batteries. They feature a high power density, and can be charged rapidly. The batteries have a long life and a significant number of charging cycles. Similar battery solutions have been implemented by Solaris in electric buses operating in Brussels and in Barcelona, among others. The batteries will be recharged by means of plug-in depot charging stations and by means of pantographs."

 

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/03/20200328-solaris.html

 

CONCEPT IMAGES OF ELECTRIC X-57 PLANE ISSUED BY NASA

"NASA has unveiled concept images of the all-electric X-57 Maxwell airplane showcasing aspects of its final Modification IV, or Mod IV,configuration during different flight modes." reports Engineering 360: "The wing’s twelve small high-lift motors and electric propellers will be used to generate lift during takeoff and landing only, while two outboard motors will be used during cruise. The distributed electric propulsion system is designed to recover energy that would otherwise be lost to wingtip vortices. The motors deactivate as the craft transitions from takeoff to cruise mode and the propeller blades fold in to the nacelles to reduce drag. The motors reactivate and use centrifugal force to spin the blades back out to provide necessary lift for landing."

 

https://insights.globalspec.com/article/13840/video-concept-images-of-electric-x-57-plane-issued-by-nasa

 

ALL-NEW AUDI E-TRON GT SPY SHOTS LOOK LIKE THE REAL DEAL

"When Audi unveiled the e-tron GT at the 2018 LA Auto Show, it was a warmly-received electric concept that few expected to carry over into a real-world model in the guise it was revealed. Fast-forward to a year and a half later, and Audi seems to be pushing through in giving us its first all-electric super sedan in more or less the same flavor as what was on the car show display stand, at least if the spy photos are to be believed." writes HotCars.com: "Speaking of the Taycan, the e-tron GT shares its Volkswagen Group brethren’s J1 architecture, meaning that it will not be based on the new, upcoming PPE platform for next-generation larger electric vehicles that’s being jointly developed by the companies. The current aluminum and steel platform features an underfloor battery design and supports 2 electric motors, one on each axle. The total output of 582 hp is sufficient enough to propel the AWD sedan to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds via the aid of a 2-speed transmission, much like the Taycan."

 

https://www.hotcars.com/audi-e-tron-gt-spy-shots-real-deal/

 

BYD'S NEW BLADE BATTERY SET TO REDEFINE EV SAFETY STANDARDS

Today, BYD officially announced the launch of the Blade Battery, a development set to mitigate concerns about battery safety in electric vehicles.

At an online launch event themed "The Blade Battery – Unsheathed to Safeguard the World", Wang Chuanfu, BYD Chairman and President, said that the Blade Battery reflects BYD's determination to resolve issues in battery safety while also redefining safety standards for the entire industry.

BYD highlighted a video of the Blade Battery successfully passing a nail penetration test, which is seen as the most rigorous way to test the thermal runaway of batteries due to its sheer difficulty.

The Blade Battery has been developed by BYD over the past several years. The singular cells are arranged together in an array and then inserted into a battery pack. Due to its optimized battery pack structure, the space utilization of the battery pack is increased by over 50% compared to conventional lithium iron phosphate block batteries. While undergoing nail penetration tests, the Blade Battery emitted neither smoke nor fire after being penetrated, and its surface temperature only reached 30 to 60°C. Under the same conditions, a ternary lithium battery exceeded 500°C and violently burned, and while a conventional lithium iron phosphate block battery did not openly emit flames or smoke, its surface temperature reached dangerous temperatures of 200 to 400°C.

The Han EV, BYD's flagship sedan model slated for launch this June, will come equipped with the Blade Battery. The new model will lead the brand's Dynasty Family, boasting a cruising range of 605 kilometers and an acceleration of 0 to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds.

 

THE FIRST FULLY ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION BACKHOE 'PROJECT ZEUS' WAS JUST UNVEILED

"Case Construction Equipment has unveiled the 580 EV "Project Zeus", a fully electric backhoe loader." repotrs Business Insider: "The new Project Zeus has the same functions and power as a typical diesel-fueled backhoe loader. However, because it's electric, the cost of operating the 580 EV is significantly lower than operating its diesel counterpart, according to Case. It's also quieter and emits zero emissions, optimizing it for construction use in crowded cities. The 580 EV could save companies up to 90% in service and maintenance-related spendings, Case projects. It also estimates that the payback on purchasing the 580 EV can be achieved within five years. Project Zeus has a 480-volt, 90-kilowatt-hour battery pack that can power it through a typical eight-hour shift. "

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

 

With VW ID.3 facing software rewrites, how hard should we be on legacy auto makers when they his EV speedbumps?

 

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