FAW’s Hongqi brand is set to become the first non-BYD marque to use BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery and megawatt fast-charging technology, following progress at the FAW-FinDreams new energy power battery project. According to a Jilin TV report on August 15, the project has entered stable mass-production mode, and batteries from the facility are already being used in new energy vehicles from Hongqi and Audi.
Zhang Hongjun, executive deputy general manager of FAW FinDreams New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., said in an interview that the company is advancing integration of BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery. He added that the joint venture has secured a nomination for the core project tied to Hongqi’s next-generation pure electric platform. As a result, Hongqi is expected to be the first FAW Group brand to adopt Blade Battery 2.0.
Until now, both the second-generation Blade Battery and megawatt fast-charging technology had been reserved for BYD’s own vehicles. The Hongqi application marks the first time BYD is making these technologies available to an outside brand.
The FAW-FinDreams project is a joint venture between FAW Group and BYD with a total planned investment of 180 billion yuan, or about 26.5 billion U.S. dollars. The plant is being developed in three phases, each with 15 GWh of annual capacity, for a total planned output of 45 GWh. The first phase, which involved an investment of 70 billion yuan, began production in February 2024.
The second phase is now moving through contract signing and groundbreaking steps. When all three phases are completed, the facility is expected to supply Blade Batteries for nearly 600,000 vehicles per year and generate an estimated annual output value of 200 billion yuan, or about 29.4 billion U.S. dollars.
FAW Group has been expanding its new energy strategy through partnerships with multiple battery suppliers, including BYD and CATL. The company has also invested in Leapmotor as it broadens its electrification efforts.
Source: CarNewsChina
