As part of its car project that failed this spring, Apple is also working on new battery technology. It is said to have been done in collaboration with Chinese automaker BYD over several years In an American media report From Thursday. The aim was to create an improved lithium iron phosphate cell that would have particularly high capacity and high safety at the same time. Part of the development has apparently now been incorporated into BYD vehicles.
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The team exists since 2017
Financial news agency Bloomberg writes that Apple and BYD, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, started the project in 2017. BYD now uses Blade Battery with Lithium Iron PhosphateBut it is not considered Apple technology. The batteries made for the “Apple Car” had to be “highly optimized,” people familiar with the matter said. Apple brought experience in battery packaging and waste heat management to the team, among other things. BYD is said to bring its experience with lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry (LFP).
Apple managers were also presented with early versions of today’s blade batteries. The group liked both the safety and energy density aspects of the technology. Apple had previously worked on nickel and alkali processes, among other things. The project is said to have cost millions of dollars. The goal was to combine Apple and BYD technology to create a safe Apple vehicle with a long range.
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On Apple’s side, former VW and Porsche manager Alexander Hitzinger is said to have been responsible for product design until 2019; Apple’s side also included former battery experts like A123 Systems veteran Mujeeb Ijaz. The project was also high on BYD’s agenda, with a vice president responsible for battery technology.
According to the report, despite working with BYD for many years, Apple recently decided to break the partnership and look to find other suppliers. Now this did not happen. In the spring of 2024, the Apple Car is finally buried because Apple had invested billions in the project for years. Eventually, parts of the technology developed flowed into other projects such as the Apple Watch or the group’s ARM SoCs.
(B.Sc.)
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