The blade battery is as hard as -30℃! Who did BYD hit in the face with this “anti-freeze” combo?

The blade battery is as hard as -30℃! Who did BYD hit in the face with this "anti-freeze" combo?

With all due respect, those who are still looking for the low-temperature "seven inches" of lithium iron phosphate with a magnifying glass are no different from those who insist that only a Tesla eight-way valve can survive the winter.

What he talks about is doctrine, but what he pretends to be is battery life. In the winter exam in 2022, BYD Han equipped with a blade battery achieved a battery life achievement rate of 60%, directly taking the first place. A bunch of people started tapping on the calculator again: "At minus 20 degrees, isn't the capacity of lithium iron phosphate only half left?" But I want to pour cold water on it: when buying a car based on the data from the battery laboratory, you will most likely fall into a "digital trap." Because what really determines how far you can run in winter is not the cold battery at all, but how the entire vehicle serves the battery.

Looking at the actual measurement data, Song PLUS DM-i can maintain 79% of its ideal vehicle performance in the extreme cold of minus 20 degrees. The version with a pure electric range of 110 kilometers actually ran 87 kilometers. How is this simply "battery anti-freeze"? This is the result of a complete set of thermal management systems, energy strategies and structural design.

Many people’s obsession with battery life in winter is, isn’t it just “don’t lie down, don’t discount, and don’t charge too slowly”? BYD's engineers are so cruel - aren't you afraid of the cold? I directly play "left and right fighting" between the cells and use pulse self-heating technology to pull the battery from -20°C to 10°C in 18 minutes. Don’t you think that turning on the heater will cause the power to drop out quickly? I built a fourth-generation wide-temperature heat pump that can extract heat from the air at minus 30 degrees Celsius. The energy efficiency ratio is over 2.5, which saves half the electricity compared to the "electric tiger" PTC. The -30°C discharge capacity retention rate uploaded on the Internet is 82%, which relies on the "showy operation" of adding sodium ion channels to lithium iron phosphate.

Some people will definitely criticize: "Isn't this just to pile up technology and make up for shortcomings? The essence is that lithium iron phosphate is afraid of cold!"

Those who say this have no idea what "system-level optimization" is. Looking at charging, when the blade battery is in a subzero environment, the management system will take 5 to 8 minutes to warm up first, and the power will be stable at 10-15kW. When the battery "wakes up", the power will immediately jump to 40-45kW. Charging from scratch can reach 25% in 30 minutes and close to 75% in 90 minutes. It is slower than normal temperature, but in similar batteries, this is already the level of "top student". More importantly, at low temperatures and low power, the performance of blade batteries is more stable than some ternary lithium batteries.

So, don’t be fooled by the argument that “lithium iron phosphate is inherently disabled at low temperatures”. Wintering electric vehicles is a three-dimensional battle involving battery chemistry, thermal management, energy consumption control, and even vehicle usage habits. This trick of blade battery is called "leveraging strengths and avoiding weaknesses". You have been arguing about materials in the forum for three years, but they have remained silent and used a combination of pulse heating, wide-temperature heat pumps, and waste heat recovery to improve usability in extreme cold conditions.

Finally, I have a heart-wrenching question: Are you willing to continue to endure the anxiety of battery life in winter for a battery solution that is theoretically "more frost-resistant" but may be more expensive and has different safety challenges? Or do you want to choose a proven solution that has been tested and can maintain nearly 80% of the vehicle's performance at minus 20 degrees Celsius, and live a warm winter with peace of mind?

Data speaks: Who is the "King of False Standards" under the extreme cold?

Just saying that the principle is too weak, it is a mule or a horse, it has to be pulled out and rolled around in the ice and snow. The "discount" on battery life in winter is a complex function, and battery type is only one of the variables, and may not even be the decisive one.

The core contradiction is: what the laboratory measures is the "capacity retention rate" of the battery cells, but what you feel is the "range achievement rate" of the entire vehicle. What's the difference? A whole car's worth of wisdom is missing.

Taking the blade battery as an example, multiple actual measurements have shown that in the extreme environment of minus 20 degrees Celsius, the discharge capacity of the battery core itself can still be maintained at about 90%. Note that this is "discharge ability" and is not directly equivalent to "how far you can run." Because air conditioning, heating, vehicle driving resistance, and battery heating and insulation all consume crazy power. So you will find an interesting phenomenon: the final measured battery life achievement rate of some models using lithium iron phosphate (including blade batteries) may be higher than that of some ternary lithium battery models.

The secret lies in vehicle energy consumption management and heat pump air conditioning. The PTC heater is simple and crude, like a large electric heater, with a power of 5-7kW. It can extend the range by 50-80 kilometers after being turned on for one hour. The heat pump system is a "heat porter" with an energy efficiency ratio of 3 or even 4. It can also warm the car. It may only consume one-third to half of the electricity of the PTC. According to actual measurements, in the harsh environment of minus 20 degrees Celsius, models equipped with heat pumps may retain more than 15% more battery life than models using PTC.

This explains why the performance of different models is so different at the same low temperature. The foundation of the battery is very important, but "what to wear" for the battery, how to "warm up quickly" the battery, and how to use the least amount of electricity to warm the car. These "logistical support" capabilities are the key to winning or losing the winter endurance battle.

In-depth dismantling: the four major factors driving battery life to be cut in half in winter

Do you think the battery life discount is all due to the battery? Too naive. Winter is a "Hell Difficulty" dungeon for electric vehicles, with four BOSS taking turns to drain your electricity.

The first BOSS: the "physical seal" of the battery. As the temperature drops, the electrolyte inside the battery becomes thicker and the lithium ions move slower, just like a person swimming in cold honey. Lithium iron phosphate materials have inherent shortcomings in this regard, and the internal resistance increases more significantly at low temperatures. This is why laboratory data shows that at -20°C, the capacity retention rate of lithium iron phosphate batteries may drop to 50-60%, while the capacity retention rate of ternary lithium batteries may be 70-80%. This is a material property, a physical ceiling.

The second BOSS is also a power-consuming monster: air conditioning and heating. This is the largest "black hole" in battery life, bar none. PTC heating, the king of power consumption, has amazing power. The heat pump is an expert in energy saving, but its efficiency will be greatly reduced at extremely low temperatures (such as below -15°C). It often requires PTC assistance, and energy consumption increases accordingly. It is common for battery life to drop by 10%-30% as soon as the heater is turned on, and it is not uncommon for battery life to drop by nearly 40% under extremely cold conditions.

The third BOSS: biting cold wind and rolling tires. When traveling at high speeds, wind resistance increases exponentially. The power consumption at 120km/h may be more than 50% higher than that at 60km/h. In winter, tire rubber becomes harder and rolling resistance increases. Coupled with possible snow on the road, each kilometer requires more energy than in summer.

The fourth BOSS: cold start and frequent short distances. Batteries need to heat themselves up before they can work efficiently at low temperatures, and this process itself consumes power. If you only commute a few kilometers for a short distance every day, the car will be gone as soon as the battery is warmed up. A large amount of energy is wasted on "warming up", and the battery life rate will naturally be disastrous.

These four BOSSs joined forces to cause the "big plunge" in winter battery life. Simply blame the battery, the battery is also very unfair.

Technological Breakthrough: Blade Battery’s “Anti-Freeze” Combo

Once you know what the problem is, you have to solve it. BYD uses a "combination punch" to deal with extreme cold. The goal is not to change the physical nature of lithium iron phosphate, but to make up for its shortcomings and level up its experience through various "plug-ins" and "strategies."

The first trick: active warm-up, pulse self-heating. This is a ruthless job against "physical seal". Traditional heating relies on external heating film, which is slow and energy-consuming. The principle of pulse self-heating technology is to use the internal resistance of the battery to generate heat. Through high-frequency pulse charging and discharging between the internal partitions of the battery pack, the battery itself generates heat by "beating each other". According to actual measurements, the battery can be heated from -20°C to 10°C in 18 minutes, and the heating efficiency is increased by more than 230%. This means that you use your mobile phone APP to remotely start the heating before getting in the car. By the time you get to the car, the battery has already reached its optimal operating temperature.

The second tip: be careful with your budget, use smart temperature control and waste heat recovery. This is a great way to deal with the power-hungry beast. An integrated thermal management system that won a patent gold medal can, like a precision air conditioner, accurately maintain the battery temperature within ±1°C of the optimal working range. What's even more amazing is "waste heat recovery". Traditional cars dissipate the waste heat generated when the motor and electronic control work, but this system can recover up to 75% of the waste heat and use it to keep the battery pack warm or heat the cabin. This is equivalent to wasted heat. Compared with relying entirely on PTC heating, it can save 50% of electricity.

The third move: increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and make breakthroughs in wide temperature range heat pumps and materials. In order to reduce the power consumption of heating air conditioners, the fourth-generation wide-temperature range heat pump air conditioner breaks through the bottleneck of traditional heat pumps that "stop" at -10°C. It adopts transcritical CO₂ cycle technology, and the energy efficiency ratio is still considerable even at -30°C. At the battery material level, the new generation of blade batteries attempts to introduce sodium ion channels into lithium iron phosphate, drawing on the advantages of sodium batteries with good low-temperature performance. It is said to be able to increase the discharge capacity retention rate at -30°C to 82%.

After this set of boxing techniques, the core idea is very clear: I admit that lithium iron phosphate is afraid of cold, but I use faster heating speed, smarter thermal management, more efficient heat pumps and more clever materials to make up for this cold process, and ultimately make you feel "not afraid of the cold" when driving.

Decision guide: How should you choose a car for your winter?

We understand the truth, but how to choose a car and how to drive it in winter? Don't worry, just take your seat.

When choosing a car, look at the scene first, not the parameters:

If you are an "Iceland car owner" in Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, etc. where the temperature is often minus 20 degrees Celsius: give priority to models equipped with high-efficiency heat pump air conditioners. In terms of battery type, ternary lithium theoretically has a better low-temperature foundation, but the blade battery is equipped with a complete set of advanced temperature control and pulse heating models. The actual experience may not be bad, and it has cost and safety advantages. Be sure to consider heat pumps as a hard indicator.If you are in "regular areas" such as North China and Northwest China, where the winter temperature is around minus 10°C, you will have a much wider choice. With its cost and safety advantages, the blade battery model is very cost-effective. Likewise, look for a heat pump, which can greatly enhance the winter experience. If you are in the "humid and cold areas" in the Yangtze River Basin and south: Lithium iron phosphate (including blade batteries) is almost a blind choice. There is attenuation in winter, but it is completely within the acceptable range, and its advantages of long life, high safety, and low cost can be enjoyed all year round.

When using a car, learn these tips to avoid discounting battery life:

Remote preheating is a magic tool: 10-15 minutes before departure, use the mobile APP to remotely turn on the air conditioner and battery heating. Let the battery and cabin be preheated, get in the car and drive away to avoid huge initial power consumption. The air-conditioning settings should be strategic: set the temperature around 22°C, and give priority to seat heating and steering wheel heating, which saves much more power than directly heating the air in the entire cabin. Plan your route wisely: Try to avoid driving at high speed for more than 2 hours continuously in winter. When planning a route, arrange a 10-20 minute quick recharge in the middle to allow the battery to rest and warm up. Pay attention to the parking location: if conditions permit, try to park in an underground garage or a sunny place sheltered from the wind to reduce the heat loss of the battery pack at night. Your battery life "blood bar" will be thicker the next morning.

There is never a perfect silver bullet in technology, and the battle over the routes between lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium will continue. But as a user, smart choices are more important than worrying about parameters. Winter battery life discounts are a common issue faced by the entire industry, rather than a flaw of a certain brand. What matters is whether the model you choose uses a mature system solution that gives you enough confidence and practical tools to cope with the cold winter.

How cold is the winter in your city? When choosing a car, do you pay more attention to the long-term safety and cost of the battery, or do you pursue the possible extra 10% battery life in extremely cold weather?