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Auto Car
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
How BYD's Blade battery technology slices EV charging times
EV drivetrains and particularly batteries are developing at a remarkable pace compared with the combustion engine. As a result, range has increased but probably even more marked is the desire to bring charging times in line with ICE refuelling. BYD recently announced its Super e-Platform along with the latest 'flash-charge' version of its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) Blade battery, which is promised to get close to ICE refuelling times by recharging in six minutes. The new platform is claimed to support charging at up to 1000kW, which seems incredible given the typical rapid-charge rate was 50kW just a few years ago. The name Blade describes the unusual design of the battery, where long, slim cells almost a metre in length make up the pack, rather than modules packed full of smaller pouch, cylindrical or prism cells. In that sense it's unusual, but its LFP chemistry isn't. The advantage of LFP lies in being economical, cobalt- and nickel-free and, above all, safer. LFP battery chemistry is often used in stationary battery systems (including domestic solar systems) and releases heat slowly and doesn't release oxygen if damaged. BYD has demonstrated that its Blade battery cell passes the nail penetration test without emitting fire or smoke, whereas a cell based on alternative chemistry like NMC (lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt oxide) subjected to the same test reacts violently. While the basic chemistry of the LFP battery isn't extraordinary, achieving a charge rate of 10C for the BYD flash-charge battery is. The 'C' rate is the rate at which a battery charges relative to its capacity and illustrates how quickly a battery can accept and discharge energy.
Auto Car
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Tyre makers developing EV-specific rubber to boost ranges, minimise wear
A year since it began marketing EV-specific tyres for electric vans and taxis, British company Enso has launched its first tyres for passenger EVs – specifically, the Tesla Model 3 and Y and Jaguar I-Pace. There are currently more than 1.5 million electric cars on UK roads, and this year car makers expect to sell a further 450,000. Meanwhile, in 2022, 40 million car tyres were sold in the UK in a market worth around £2.3 billion. By 2030, the market is expected to be worth around £3.9bn. Compared with giants such as Michelin and Continental, Enso is a relative minnow, but it punches above its weight thanks to initiatives such as direct sales and an emphasis on technical innovation - including reducing particulate pollution through improved tyre wear rates. 'The sheer weight of EVs impacts the tyres,' said Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, founder and CEO of Enso. 'The fact that you then have high torque and the cars being driven in urban areas also has an impact. The tyres wear down, but we reduce the rate at which they do by using better raw materials, construction and 'recipes', and by collecting data continuously from the field to understand how EVs are reacting to the road.' Balancing tyre wear with optimal rolling efficiency, the desired wet and dry handling performance and acceptable noise levels are among the challenges confronting Enso and other manufacturers of EV tyres. 'Today, tyres are coping with far heavier vehicle loads than in the past,' said Jaap Leendertse, general manager of tyre development at Falken Tyres. 'Previously, you had 50% of a tyre's load capacity utilised; now we are at 70-80%, and that means we are more focused on the tyre lasting longer.' Michelin has stated that EVs wear tyres 20% faster than ICE vehicles. According to Kwik Fit, Tesla models are the heaviest on tyres, while Citroën, Mercedes and BMW models are among those needing fresh tyres at an above-average rate.
Auto Car
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
This tyre-roasting Mercedes supercar was once £142,000 – now it's a £12k bargain
An autumn day in 2003. The job was a good one: compare a Bentley Continental GT with a Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG. I must confess I went into it carrying something no road tester should: prejudice. Not nationalistic prejudice, or brand prejudice - more a suspicion that this rakish new Bentley, with its W12, all-wheel drive, and beautiful cabin, would be the better car. The Merc, I thought, would be just another blinged-up AMG sledgehammer. The torque figure should have given me pause. 738lb ft is a lot. Enough, in fact, that the Bentley was comfortably outgunned in a straight line. Still, I suspected it would be the more satisfying, more rounded car. The CL65, after all, was painted in Dubai-spec off-white and wore more chrome than a Lincoln Town Car. Its cabin looked like a Mercedes C-Class trimmed in walnut and switchgear. I took the Bentley out first. Its key fob was an intricate thing, all knurled chrome and deep enamel. I headed for what Autocar once called the 'ride road,' a narrow lane near Chobham test track with lots of crests, camber, and broken surfaces. It used to be a brutal test of suspension finesse, until the council resurfaced it. Still, the Bentley's plush ride revealed its limits on this road. The GT did well, considering its mass, but the short, sharp stuff caught it out. The cabin creaked. The seats squeaked. The leather made that curious rubbing noise you get in Jaguars and old Jermyn Street shoe shops. The Bentley felt indomitable, not least because it put its power down cleanly. And the cabin really was a wonderful place to be. But it still drove too much like a posh Phaeton. Later GTs would improve the formula dramatically. But on that day, it was the Mercedes that impressed. The ride quality was the first surprise. Thanks to its clever ABC hydraulic suspension and four square Michelins, the CL65 soaked up the surface like a Mercedes S-Class. Then, in the next moment, it would turn in like a hot hatch. It was a riot. You could pull the ESP back, roast the tyres, or just use that astonishing torque to lean on the rear axle and power out of corners like a massive, automatic Caterham. It was faster than the Bentley and more fun. It won the test. It was also more spacious in the back and scored bonus points for having a boot. The interior was still a bit C-Class, but somehow that mattered less now. I wasn't the only one who loved it. A friend of mine worked at Mercedes at the time. He convinced his boss to enter a CL65 demonstrator in the Brighton Speed Trials. It monstered a Ferrari F40, clocking 12.57s to the Ferrari's 12.88s. All he had to do was press the brake, floor the throttle, wait for the torque converter to stall, then release. The V12 bellowed and the gearbox cracked through its ratios like a switchblade. The commentator, used to Allards and backyard specials, couldn't quite believe it. 'Ladies and gentlemen,' he announced, 'this is a completely stock car.'
Auto Car
a day ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Largest, most luxurious BMW lives on for a second generation
BMW has started testing the next iteration of the X7, weeks after confirming the luxury SUV would live on for a second generation. A heavily camouflaged prototype has been spotted on public roads for the first time, revealing key details. For example, it wears a set of functional exhaust pipes, confirming it will stick with combustion power – although an EV is also on the cards. It also appears to share key hardpoints such as its C-pillar with the current X7, suggesting that it will be a major update for the current car (launched in 2019) rather than an all-new car. Autocar understands that it will be underpinned by an upgraded version of the Cluster Architecture (CLAR) structure that is used for the existing X7, as well as the 7 Series and i7 saloons. It also appears to retain the current split-headlight design of the current iteration, but adopts the same gloss-black front fascia that will become a signature of the brand's upcoming Neue Klasse cars. These include the 3 Series, X3 and 5 Series. BMW has yet to indicate when the new X7 will arrive, but documents sent to US dealers previously suggested it would launch in 2027, a year after the new X5. 'We are in a phase where flexibility is required,' BMW R&D boss Frank Weber previously told Autocar. 'We have to detach ourselves from how we have perceived platforms up to now. 'There is an increasing realisation that the art of mastering diversity in your portfolio lies in how you use and network major components – engines, motors, battery cells, on-board computers, control units, app functions, and software upgrades.
Auto Car
a day ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
New keyless car theft law 'won't stop the criminals'
Key hackers can now be jailed – but experts say issues go much deeper Open gallery More than 61,000 vehicles were reported stolen last year – and around 40% were taken without their keys Stolen cars are often taken to 'chop shops' to be broken for parts | Image: Greater Manchester Police Some stolen cars are shipped abroad, never to be recovered | Image: Thames Valley Police Close A new law intended to counter the UK's rise in keyless car thefts won't solve the problem, a leading figure in vehicle security has said. Last year, more than 61,343 vehicles were reported stolen, the third-highest figure in the past decade and double the 2015 total. And around 40% of those were stolen without their keys, by methods including relay attack, which tricks a car into believing the owner's key is present. In 2023, Autocar reported that one website was selling devices – costing from £2500 to £30,000 – capable of taking control of cars including Range Rovers, Ferraris and Lamborghinis via their on-board 'can bus' system (which enables the micro-controllers and processors to communicate with each other). Previously, prosecution for handling these and other devices used to steal vehicles was only possible if it could be proved by the police that they had been used to commit a specific crime. Under the new law, anyone who is found in possession of such a device or found to have imported, made, adapted or distributed one could receive a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine. The owner of the device must prove that they were using it for a legitimate purpose to avoid being prosecuted. Diana Johnson, minister for policing, crime and fire prevention, said: 'These new laws will prevent these devices from getting into the hands of thieves and organised crime groups. 'We will also continue to work closely with the National Police Chiefs' Council, which brings together the police and manufacturers to clamp down on vehicle crime.' But Clive Wain, head of police liaison at Tracker, a company that locates stolen cars with the help of the police, doesn't believe the new law will stop the criminals. 'In terms of countering electronic compromise, it's a step in the right direction, but it won't resolve the issue of keyless thefts,' he said. 'The support we get from the police in tracing stolen cars is magnificent and is why we have a 95% recovery rate. However, I believe there are elements in the judicial system who believe car theft is a victimless crime and that insurers will settle. They may think this way when sentencing. 'Bringing a car crime offender to justice and knowing full well that at court the sentence won't reflect the time and effort [used on] bringing them to justice is challenging for the police when their resources are stretched.' Wain added that while finding the 'chop shops' where stolen cars are broken for parts can look like a victory, their discovery is just the tip of an iceberg. He said: 'Chop shops are appearing up and down the country. However, very often the people arrested at the scene are not the orchestrators of the theft or operation. Instead, those people are often overseas. The people in the chop shop are just being paid to steal cars and break them up. So even if they're pursued through the courts, you're missing the top end of the organised crime group. 'Investigating those people uses resources that could be used elsewhere on the thin blue line. It's very difficult.' Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at Inn Track, another vehicle tracking company, believes a lack of co-operation between police forces could also undermine the new law. 'Cross-border investigations are very challenging, and if a car goes to another police area, recovery can be very inconsistent,' said the former detective superintendent. 'Recently, we were told that a Mercedes CLA had been stolen without the keys being present from a car park at Stansted airport in Essex. We tracked the car to a street where it had been parked up to 'cool off' while the thieves waited to see if it had been tracked. It had been stolen from the Essex Police area but found in the Metropolitan Police area. The Met told us to liaise with Essex, who said they had to ask the owner if they wanted their car forensically examined. They didn't, and so it was returned to them. The point is that, during this time, valuable opportunities to examine the car were lost and we don't know how it was stolen.' A spokesman for the Met couldn't comment on this case but said it has longstanding arrangements with neighbouring forces, notably Regional Organised Crime Units that work with the National Crime Agency, forces and other partners. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
