The FAW-Fudi (Fudi is the battery manufacturer under BYD, its official English name is FinDreams) first battery pack has rolled off the production line. Its mass production is scheduled for September this year. These batteries will power electric vehicles under FAW Group, including EVs from domestic brands Bestune, Hongqi, and possibly even EVs from joint ventures like FAW-Volkswagen, FAW-Toyota, etc. Let’s get to know it better.
Relations between FAW and BYD
The cooperation between FAW and BYD began in 2021, when the Fudi’s LFP Blade battery was installed on the Hongqi E-QM5 electric sedan. In the middle of 2021, FAW and BYD disclosed that they are planning to launch the joint venture to establish the battery plant with an annual capacity of a massive 45 GWh. It is a really huge number that will allow supplying about of 1,000,000 electric vehicles per year. The sales number of Hongqi and Bestune (brands owned by FAW) in 2022 was slightly over 370,000 vehicles. It hints that some FAW-Volkswagen and FAW-Toyota (Toyota bZ3 already has Fudi battery on board) EVs will also use FAW-Fudi batteries.
FAW-Fudi battery
In January 2022, FAW Fudi New Energy was founded with BYD’s Fudi holding 51% of the shares. In September 2022, FAW and BYD started the construction of the battery plant. At the moment, this project is almost completed. Moreover, according to FAW-Fudi, it is going 30 days ahead of the schedule. After the finishing of the Phase I, the battery factory will include 30 individual buildings with different functions, including production sites, office buildings, employee activity centers and dormitory buildings. As for the construction area, it reaches 155,200 square meters.
And on July 21, the first battery pack was manufactured at the FAW-Fudi plant. We should mention that the mass-production of these battery packs is scheduled for September. According to FAW-Fudi, this step will enhance the localization of power battery production. Speaking about the manufactured battery pack, its specs weren’t disclosed. But we do know that it is based on the BYD’s Blade Battery tech. So, it is an LFP battery with a CTP (Cell-To-Pack) structure. It means that the battery hasn’t got modules inside the pack, only cells. It increases energy density and reduces the cost of the battery pack.
We will keep an eye on the FAW-Fudi development, so stay tuned!
