BYD Blade Gen 2 - Improved Packing and Cell-to-Pack Ratio

 

Since the early adoption of Li-ion cells in electric vehicles (EVs), range anxiety has been one of the major challenges. The primary approach used to improve vehicle range has been to improve Li-ion batteries at the cell-level, e.g., utilizing higher nickel content ternary oxides (NMC/NCA) or the use of additives to enhance conductivity. However, pack design alterations can also have a significant effect on improving vehicle range by improving pack-level energy density. Cell-to-pack is one example of this technology, which has seen development by several major players, including BYD, Tesla, and CATL. Cell-to-pack trends are explored in detail in IDTechEx's new market report "Materials for Electric Vehicle Battery Cells and Packs 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts".

 

 

 

 

The standard pack structure utilized by automotive OEMs in the 2010s and early 2020s was cell-module-pack (CMP), which describes a system in which several cells are contained in a module, with several modules forming a pack. The advantage of this design is that packs are highly modular, enabling easy scaling for larger vehicles, as well as easy repair and replacement. It is also a straightforward design in terms of thermal management and battery management system integration. However, having an additional layer in the pack hierarchy necessitates additional non-active components, especially the module casing and internal wiring. This reduces packing efficiency and therefore pack- and vehicle-level energy density.

 

Cell-to-pack (CTP) describes a system in which cells are integrated directly into the pack, without being stored in individual modules. This reduces non-active material components and increases the cell-to-pack ratio (i.e. the ratio of cell volume/mass to pack volume/mass), which in turn enables increased vehicle range.

 

Cell-to-body (CTB) takes this concept a step further and describes a system where cells are integrated directly into the pack and the pack itself acts as a structural component of the vehicle's body. This requires additional materials to mechanically strengthen the pack, which reduces pack-level energy density, but still enables higher vehicle range compared to cell-to-pack as vehicle-level energy density is increased (due to reduced material need across the vehicle's body).

 

 

CTP and CTB have only recently begun to see deployments. There are several reasons for this: firstly, the technology requires alternative thermal management systems, which needed development, and secondly the technology requires adapted cell designs. Specifically, CTP and CTB can only reasonably be achieved using large form factor cells, primarily large prismatic cells and large (46x) cylindrical cells.

 

These types of cells have only begun to see deployment in the last five years, with BYD's Blade Gen 1 as one of the earliest large-format prismatic cells that supported CTP designs, while BYD and Tesla were the earliest developers of CTB packs. Other major players in the space include both cell developers and automotive OEMs such as CATL, LG ES, Volkswagen, Stellantis and SVOLT. For more detailed analysis of CTP and CTB players, see IDTechEx's recent report "Materials for Electric Vehicle Battery Cells and Packs 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts".

 

 

BYD recently announced the first deployment of its second-generation Blade cell in the DENZA Z9GT, which is claimed to have an impressive range of 1036km. BYD's first generation Blade cells took the market by storm and contributed significantly to the dominance of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistries in China.

 

Both the first and second generation utilize a prismatic form factor, although the Blade 2.0 is said to utilize an LMFP cathode rather than an LFP cathode, as well as a silicon-carbon composite anode rather than a pure graphite anode. Both of these chemistry changes enable significantly enhanced energy density, as well as improved fast charging. Blade 2.0 also uses a new electrolyte formulation, named 'Flash-Flow', which is intended to enhance Li-ion mobility and increase charging rates.

 

The Blade 2.0 also seems to enable an increased cell-to-pack ratio, using CTB technology. While specific cell-to-pack ratios will be dependent on the vehicle model and battery pack design, the technology is stated to offer a volumetric cell-to-pack ratio utilization of 76%, which is much higher than the average for CTB designs. It is also higher than first-generation Blade packs, which initially offered a volumetric cell-to-pack ratio of 62%.

 

Part of this is due to improvements to the thermal management system design of the Blade 2.0 pack through utilization of refrigerant cooling that acts over two planes - the top and bottom of the pack. This also increases the gravimetric cell-to-pack ratio, through a significant reduction in thermal management system weight. This technology is set to enable significantly improved vehicle range and charging for the next generation of Chinese electric vehicles.

 

 

Cell-to-pack technologies shift pack material ratios in a number of ways. Firstly, as large cell form factors are required, non-active material proportions at the cell-level are reduced. Secondly, by removing module casings, non-active material requirements at the pack-level can also be reduced. Thirdly, cell-to-pack and cell-to-body designs can require adjustments to other pack-level materials - for example, more powerful thermal management systems (as passive cooling is reduced due to higher packing efficiencies) and more mechanically stable enclosures for CTB. CTP and CTB technologies have gained significant market share in China and are becoming more popular in North America and Europe. IDTechEx predicts that CTP will become the dominant pack design choice for passenger cars over the next decade, due to enabling increased vehicle range without changing battery pack space requirements.

 

For more information on cell-to-pack technologies, as well as materials for electric vehicle cells, thermal management, fire protection, enclosures, sealants, thermal interface materials, interconnects and insulation, including granular market forecasts for the next decade, see the recent report by IDTechEx "Materials for Electric Vehicle Battery Cells and Packs 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts". Downloadable sample slides are also available on the IDTechEx website at www.IDTechEx.com/EVBattMat, along with the full portfolio of related research at www.IDTechEx.com.