Recently, some media reported that BYD will supply blade batteries to Tesla in the second quarter of next year. At present, Tesla models equipped with blade batteries have entered the C-type test stage.

Although both sides expressed "no comment" on the news, various signs still point to a more affordable version of the new model that Tesla plans to launch. Earlier, Zhu Xiaotong, president of Tesla China, revealed in an interview that Tesla is developing a mass-market model with an estimated starting price of 65,438 yuan+6,000 yuan.

Affected by this news, BYD's share price not only once broke through the 300 yuan mark, but also hit a record high of 3 17.3 yuan/share in intraday trading on the 6th, and its market value exceeded 900 billion yuan for the first time.

When BYD rushed to Tesla with a "knife", was it a long-planned joint effort or a hollow gun?

In the choice of battery, Tesla has had many partners, but the core seems to be only one-cost performance.

As early as 2009, Tesla began to cooperate with Panasonic, and then signed an order with LG to purchase ternary lithium batteries. After Tesla realized domestic production, Tesla incorporated Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. into the supply system. At present, the standard endurance version of Model 3 uses the lithium iron phosphate battery of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd..

Today, Musk is increasingly showing his favor for lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Not long ago, Tesla CEO Musk revealed by phone after the financial report was released that in the future, Tesla's battery composition will use 2/3 lithium iron phosphate battery and 1/3 nickel battery. The signal of using more lithium iron phosphate batteries is closely related to Musk's desire to increase the nickel content and reduce the cobalt content in the batteries.

In addition, Tesla is still developing its own battery. In 2020, on Tesla Battery Day, Musk released a brand-new power battery-the brand-new 4680 battery with low cost, fast charging and long battery life. At that time, together with the battery, Tesla proposed new goals for future electric vehicles, lower battery and battery pack costs, and cheaper models.

However, Musk said not long ago that 4680 batteries are still too few, and Tesla needs to build more to fully verify. He explained, "At this time, it is not reliable to blindly install new batteries and mass produce them. After all, small-scale trial production and mass production are two different things, and Tesla is not so anxious. "

However, for Tesla, which is eager to continue to expand production capacity and reduce costs, the market waits for no one. Tesla needs to choose a more suitable supplier to improve the bargaining power of suppliers while reducing costs. BYD's "blade battery" is based on this logic and Tesla's "gossip".

For Tesla, there is no need to prove his status in the rivers and lakes. As of June this year, in the first half of 200210, Tesla delivered a total of 386,000 new cars, of which Model 3 became the single model with the highest sales volume of new energy in the world with 240,000 bicycles.

However, in order to further seize the market and stimulate sales, Tesla is still playing prices in all directions. On July 30th, the price of Tesla Model 3 was lowered again, and the price of the standard endurance upgraded model was lowered by 6.5438+0.5 million yuan. The subsidized price is 235,900 yuan, which is the fifth price reduction adjustment since Tesla Model 3 entered China.

How much the price of Model 3 can drop and how cheap Tesla can launch have also become an enduring topic in the industry. In addition to the continuous improvement of the localization rate of its parts, people naturally turn their attention to batteries, which account for nearly 40% of the cost of the three major power systems.

It is worth noting that according to the data released by China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, the monthly output of lithium iron phosphate batteries in China exceeded that of ternary lithium batteries for the first time in May of 20021year. By the end of 2020, the output of ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries in China accounted for 58. 1% and 4 1.4% respectively.

In March 2020, BYD officially released the blade battery, which was first mounted on the new energy flagship car "Han EV". After that, the Korean EV, which focused on safety cards, also gained a lot in the market. One year after listing, the cumulative sales volume exceeded 654.38+10,000 vehicles. According to the latest announcement, BYD pure electric vehicles have all been replaced with "blade batteries".

At present, the batteries used in new energy vehicles mainly include ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries. These two kinds of batteries also correspond to different market positioning. Ternary lithium batteries have high energy density and longer cruising range, but their safety and cycle life are relatively poor. Although the low-cost lithium iron phosphate battery has advantages in safety and anti-recession, it has low energy density and relatively short cruising range.

When BYD's "blade battery" using lithium ferrous phosphate new technology came out, it claimed to solve the problem of battery life and safety. According to its official introduction, the cruising range of blade battery can not only reach the level of ternary lithium battery, but also successfully passed the "acupuncture test" that made the latter daunting.

Industry insiders told Future Auto Daily, "The blade battery sounds mysterious, but it is actually only a structural innovation, not a breakthrough in battery materials. It makes the battery longer and thinner, similar to a blade, and improves the energy density by optimizing the structure and redesigning the layout. "

However, this structural innovation has brought enough advantages. "The volume energy density of BYD blade battery is 50% higher than that of traditional lithium iron phosphate battery, which is equivalent to ordinary ternary lithium battery and extremely safe. Moreover, the cost of blade batteries has dropped by 20%-30%, which is something that car companies are more concerned about, "said the above-mentioned person.

Everbright Securities once analyzed that the composition cost of CTP lithium iron phosphate battery of Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. was 0.57 yuan /Wh, and the average cost of lithium iron phosphate battery industry was 0.65 yuan /Wh, while the cost of BYD blade battery was 0.42 yuan /Wh, which was 0. 15 yuan /Wh lower than that of Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. This is undoubtedly very attractive for Tesla, the "price butcher".

In 20 19, in order to further accelerate the external sales of core components of new energy vehicles, BYD announced the establishment of five companies, namely Foday Series Company, Foday Battery, Foday Power Supply Company and Foday Technology Company, among which the blade battery comes from Foday Battery under BYD, which is the most important product of Foday Battery Power Battery business segment.

BYD Lithium Battery Co., Ltd., the predecessor of Foday Battery, said in an interview with Future Automotive Daily earlier that "Foday Battery was founded because the market was large enough to supply BYD products in the early stage, but in the long run, it will accept orders for power batteries from global car companies. Although they are all owned by BYD, the profits between Foday battery companies are independently accounted for, and the possibility of listing separately is not ruled out. "

At the same time, BYD is also constantly improving its production capacity. According to BYD's plan, Chongqing Foday blade battery production line will continue to expand this year. With the official production of Foday batteries in Changsha and Guiyang, the total production capacity of blade batteries will reach 75GWh by the end of this year, and the production capacity will further climb to 65,438+000 GWh by the end of 2022.

On August 5th, BYD established a new battery company in Wuhu, Anhui Province, named "Wuwei Fudi Battery Co., Ltd.", with a registered capital of 50 million yuan, which is mainly used to produce batteries. This move also points to BYD's preparation for external supply.

In fact, as the blade battery has been verified by the market, other car companies are constantly seeking cooperation with BYD.

On July 14, Changchun Municipal Government, China FAW Group and BYD Company signed an investment cooperation agreement on the new energy power battery project, which will build an advanced power battery factory in Changchun, and the power battery factory will provide power batteries for the models of FAW Group in the future.

He Long, vice president of BYD Group and chairman of Foday Battery, once said: "Almost all automobile brands you can think of are discussing cooperation schemes based on blade battery technology with us."

Referring to the case of Tesla's modification of lithium ferrous phosphate, contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd., when the battery cost drops, the price of the product will also be lowered. The following benefits are to improve the cost performance of the product and win a larger market share.

For BYD, Tesla's huge sales will undoubtedly gain a bigger market for its battery business.

Author | Li

Edit | Rebecca