08/02/2021 19:09
Clarín.com
Cars
Updated 08/02/2021 19:09
The Chinese brand
BYD
is one of the
largest electric car manufacturers in the world
.
Although it is not marketed here, the company is known for boasting about the quality of the batteries that power its vehicles, which they classified as "
indestructible
."
However, a year after this claim, one of its models
caught fire
after undergoing a crash test.
In March 2020, when the coronavirus was already hitting the whole world, BYD presented its new "Blade" batteries in society, stating, among other things, that they were
fire retardant and anti-explosive
.
During the presentation, BYD said that it had subjected its new batteries to
all kinds of tests
to make them catch fire or explode, including crushing, nail penetration and extreme overloads.
They even put them in an oven above
300ºC
.
BYD Han, the attractive Chinese electric car with "indestructible" batteries.
In addition to being "safe", the technical specifications of the BYD Blade could seduce any user of electric cars.
Its cells are LFP (lithium-ferrophosphate) type, have a
useful life of up to 1.2 million kilometers
and occupy 50% less than a battery with nickel cathodes (NCM) of equivalent capacity.
Unexpected result
Despite boasting about the quality and safety of its batteries, everything can fail.
The brand was doubly exposed after a crash test to which its
BYD Han
model was subjected
.
since not only did it postpone in several safety aspects, but 48 hours after the test its batteries caught fire causing
total destruction
in the crashed vehicle.
In the test, developed by the program "
Understanding the car test ground
" (in Spanish,
"
Understanding the car test ground
") the BYD Han hit another electric car (ArcFox αS), deforming part of its structure and causing moderate and serious injuries to its passengers (dummies).
Crash test.
Both units hit head-on at a speed of 64 km / h.
The most striking and strange thing about the case was that the BYD Han
caught fire two days after
the crash test.
In its social networks, BYD explained, among other things, that the crash test raised many doubts because it did not follow the standards of the industry, national or international.
In addition, the brand argued that the battery coolant
was not the original.
The manufacturer pointed to the
refrigerant
as the possible cause of the fire, ensuring that the original (purple) had been replaced by a red one (used by the rest of the industry) as seen in the images.
A video captures the exact moment when the Blade batteries (on the floor of the vehicle) begin to burn.
However, some Chinese owners found the coolant in their BYD Han to be red,
contrasting the manufacturer's arguments
.
For its part, from Understanding the Car Test Ground they assured that they did not make any modifications to the vehicle.
Now everything is under investigation, although the collaboration of BYD will be vital, who is the one who best knows its "Blade" vehicles and batteries.
Beyond this, what the manufacturer should improve are the arguments to defend the safety of this battery that, it seems, can be destructible.
Look also
Armored Mercedes-Benz: what the safest production car in the world looks like
Atlas ATV: the 4x4 beast that can move through mud, snow and even floating on water