German researchers, who opened and examined in detail the batteries used in Tesla and BYD’s electric vehicles, concluded that BYD’s batteries are more efficient.
Tesla, founded by Elon Musk, is slowly losing the leadership seat it has held for years in the electric car market. The company that will take its place at the top seems to be China-based BYD. In fact, BYD has already achieved this with its sales and production figures. There may be those who think that Tesla still maintains its technological superiority, but the latest information shows that the balances are changing rapidly here too.
Researchers at Germany’s RWTH Aachen University compared Tesla and BYD batteries to see which electric car battery is more efficient. The researchers opened the Tesla 4680 and BYD Blade battery cells and scrutinized the designs and technologies used in these batteries. The conclusion they reached after this comprehensive examination is that BYD’s batteries are more efficient than Tesla’s.
BYD’s Batteries Take a Step Ahead with Designs that Simplify Heat Management
In the research published in Cell Reports Physical Science, many details such as the physical structures, dimensions and internal designs of Tesla and BYD battery cells are scrutinised. In addition to the chemical components used in these battery cells, both electrical properties such as charge-discharge efficiency and energy density, as well as thermal management features such as heating levels and cooling systems are discussed. Taking all this into account, the researchers believe that they can tell how these cells are produced and how much they cost.
According to this research, Tesla’s batteries prioritise high energy density and performance, while BYD’s batteries stand out with volume efficiency and lower-cost materials. According to the researchers, BYD’s batteries are more efficient because they have a design that makes heat management easier.
According to the researchers, the main difference between BYD and Tesla’s batteries stems from their format. While BYD uses a prismatic cell format, Tesla 4680 prefers a cylindrical design with a lower volume.
On the other hand, BYD Blade uses LFP (lithium iron phosphate) electrode composition, while Tesla 4680 prefers NMC811 composition. Due to this difference, BYD Blade offers an energy density of 160 Wh/kg and 355.26 Wh/l at the cell level, while this density increases to 241.01 Wh/kg and 643.3 Wh/l in Tesla 4680. In other words, BYD lags behind Tesla in terms of energy density. However, since LFP is superior in terms of cost, safety and heat management, it can make up for this lack of energy density at the cellular level.
Another issue that attracted the attention of the researchers during this examination was the absence of silicon dioxide in both batteries. Jonas Gorsch, one of the leading names in the research, says he was especially surprised that silicon was not used in Tesla’s battery: ‘We were surprised not to find silicon content in the anodes of both cells, especially in Tesla’s cell. Because research shows that silicon is a key material for increasing energy density.’
Although the scope of this research is limited to battery cells, it is really remarkable that BYD has reached a point where it can compete with Tesla in this regard and even provide superiority in efficiency.
