Hyundai Electric Vehicles in China Likely to Come with BYD Batteries

Hyundai Motor Co. is predicted to use BYD batteries in its electric vehicles to be sold in China. Earlier, the company decided last year to equip its electric vehicles to be produced in China with CATL batteries. This has to do with the Chinese government’s policy put into effect in 2016 to limit its electric vehicle subsidies to those equipped with batteries made in China.

At present, Beijing Hyundai Motor Co. is having talks with BYD for blade battery supply. BYD already set up a business unit in charge of cooperation with Hyundai and offered to supply the batteries to Hyundai from 2022 onwards.

Fudi Battery, a subsidiary of BYD, is currently building a battery manufacturing plant with an annual production capacity of 20 GWh by investing 10 billion yuan in Chongqing, where Hyundai currently has a plant capable of producing 300,000 vehicles a year.

BYD’s blade batteries are characterized by using multiple blade-shaped battery cells for a substantial decrease in thickness. The Chinese company is planning to use some of the assembly lines in Chongqing only for Hyundai if it wishes.

The BYD Han, which is equipped with the blade battery, has a driving range per charge of 605 km. The driving ranges of such vehicles can be increased with even more battery cells when the packaging space is reduced by cell-to-pack technology.