According to a new report from BloombergApple would have worked closely with the Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD for several years as part of its electric car project, finally canceled last February. This collaboration, which has remained secret until now, aimed to develop innovative battery technology.
A partnership around LFP batteries from 2017
According to sources close to the matter, Apple and China’s BYD joined forces around 2017 to develop a battery system using lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cells. The goal was to design a battery with greater range and safety than typical electric vehicle batteries of the time.
Apple would have tapped its engineers specializing in advanced battery packs and thermal management. For its part, BYD would have brought its manufacturing know-how and its advances in the use of LFP cells. A true synergy of skills.
BYD’s Blade battery influenced by work with Apple
Even though Apple does not own any of the technology used in BYD’s current Blade batteries, this partnership would have greatly influenced their development. Today, BYD’s entire vehicle range is powered by this Blade system, the design of which is said to have benefited from lessons learned from work with Apple.
Impressed by the safety and energy storage capacity of the first versions of the Blade battery presented by BYD, Apple executives would have sought to make improvements to further increase autonomy. A win-win collaboration for both companies.
A collaboration ultimately aborted
Despite years of working with BYD, Apple ultimately turned to other battery manufacturers for its electric car project. A project which experienced numerous delays and reversals before being definitively canceled, the economics of the electric vehicle sector proving too intimidating for the Cupertino firm.
This bitter failure, rare for Apple, will nevertheless have had positive repercussions. Beyond the knowledge acquired on batteries, the work will have contributed to the development of products such as the Vision Pro headset with spatialization, the Neural Engine processor or even Apple’s timid advances in robotics.
One thing is certain: even if aborted, this mysterious Apple Car project will not have been in vain and will continue to fuel speculation. In the meantime, it is BYD which is now benefiting from this secret collaboration, establishing itself as a major player in electric cars in China and around the world.
