Last week it was reported that China’s BYD would begin supplying Tesla with their Blade electric vehicle (EV) battery in 2022. According to anonymous sources, the batteries were reportedly going to be used in the Model Y built at Giga Shanghai.
The sources also added that Tesla had already been using the Blade batteries, and had entered the C-sample testing phase.
Nearly one week later, BYD has responded to the rumour. According to a report from ifeng.com (via CNEVpost) the company said on Wednesday it never told the media about the deal.
Additionally, the company said the rumoured application in the Model Y was also not relayed to the media.
The wording used for the denial could have been lost in translation, but it is an interesting choice of words. The statement does not deny the deal, but simply says they never told the media about it.
Despite the chance the Blade battery may never make it into the Model Y, Tesla has applied in China to build five different variations of the Model Y with different battery types and sizes. The extra versions are likely the result of Giga Shanghai recently becoming Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub.
That export hub status was solidified based on Tesla China’s sales figures in July, where nearly two-thirds of all vehicles produced in the month were shipped to other regions.
