Apple worked with a Chinese automaker for years to design a battery system for its now-canceled car project.
That’s according to Bloomberg, which reports that Apple was collaborating with BYD Co., a Shenzhen-based car company, to develop batteries using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. Apple contributed engineering expertise, specifically in areas like heat management and advanced battery packs, while BYD supplied its manufacturing resources and proprietary LFP technologies.
The battery was intended to be safer than most EV batteries at the time, per Bloomberg, as well as longer-range.
Apple canned its plans for a car back in February after reportedly spending roughly $1 billion a year on the project since 2014. While it ultimately didn’t come to fruition, the effort wasn’t a total failure; according to Bloomberg, battery insights gleaned from the car project helped other Apple teams with the development of the Vision Pro and Neural Engine chip.
