BYD is “Pushing the Boundaries of What’s Possible.” For Its Own Brands and Other Companies. – CleanTechnica

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I recently travelled to Europe to celebrate my birthday. While I was on the flight home, I thought about my past few decades on this planet. While we seem to be going backwards politically, that can largely be attributed to fear. That fear often comes from the disruptive change created by progress. Progress that comes from ideas turning into realities.

While I look back on the disruptive changes and unrealized possibilities in my own life so far, I am encouraged by the progress that is possible going forward. And, in my opinion, no company is contributing more to that fear-inducing technological progress than BYD. A couple of recent examples come to mind.

After half a century of others trying, BYD is bringing electromagnetic active suspension to market

Active suspensions have been around for a while. Using active systems to replace reactive components like springs and shocks promises improved body control and comfort. Road imperfections and vehicle dynamics can be actively managed. Typically, this has been done with hydraulics. However, the idea of replacing hydraulics with linear electric motors has been enticing. Not only can these electromagnetic devices react much more quickly, but there is also the potential in EVs to generate electricity from going over bumps. This energy would otherwise be converted into heat by the shock absorbers.

One notable attempt came from Bose, of speaker fame. (If you are wondering how a speaker company relates to this technology, a typical speaker driver is basically a linear electric motor with a cone attached to it.) Having thought about it for years, Dr. Amar Bose started a deceptively named effort called Project Sound in 1980. A few decades later, it showed off a modified Lexus prototype, and that seemed promising.

However, Bose ran into engineering challenges and it never came to market. They then sold the idea to a company that announced a modified concept was going to go into production, but it still hasn’t happened.

But Bose was not alone. A quick search finds a vast array of companies working on automotive electromagnetic active suspensions. In the US, Europe, Asia … the idea has sparked the imaginations of many people.

Not to jinx anything, but it looks like BYD is actually going to do it with Disus-Z in the U7, which recently went on presale. According to translated subtitles in the following video, this system will have more powerful linear suspension motors than the drive motor in a Seagull. It will be able to react in a fraction of the time of traditional active suspensions, with the energy generated by going over bumps offsetting the power consumption. And they emphasized the scalability of the system, intending to roll it out to more vehicles in the future.

“We could not do what we do without them.” — Tim Cook

That quote about BYD, highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal article, as well as the quote in the title, also from the Apple CEO, clearly states the technology-enabling role that BYD is playing. Apple has increasingly shifted to a BYD partnership across China, Vietnam, and India. BYD currently has roughly 100,000 employees and 10,000 engineers dedicated to the Apple supply chain — roughly 1/9th of their total employees and 1/12th of their engineers. This isn’t just assembly, but also developing much of the technology within Apple devices and producing a large share of the components. If you own a recent Apple device, much of it is likely from BYD.

BYD also partnered with Apple to develop its cancelled EV. And BYD is partnering to develop Apple’s anticipated next-generation smart home products, as the exclusive manufacturer of the HomePod. Those smart home systems offer the potential to significantly reduce residential energy consumption.

But maybe you don’t like Apple? BYD is also a major supplier of Samsung (who briefly owned part of the company). They also produce phones for Huawei and have an ADAS partnership. BYD also makes Xiaomi phones and supplies technology in the SU7. They also partner with Oppo on devices and vehicle integration. And they are partnering with NVIDIA to develop Ai-enabled industrial robots….

What else is possible?

I remember reading Popular Science as a kid and being amazed by the possibilities. Many of the ideas I saw then still have not come to fruition.

Anybody can come up with an idea. Often it is the person closest to a need or problem that gets inspired. When it comes to solving for local needs and preferences, somebody with direct experience can have the advantage. A creative imagination can beat a formal education. But as Edison once said, “genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” While the initial idea can come from anybody, it takes a range of specialized expertise and a lot of hard work to bring it to reality.

When people realize that China now educates as many degreed engineers in a little over a year as the entire US engineering workforce, many get scared. BYD’s R&D engineering workforce alone is easily more than all US-based automakers combined. A multitude of skilled technicians and other professionals also contribute to the effort. All with a focus on the disruptive clean technology that also scares many people.

However, if we can get away from the fear and us-vs.-them mentality, what could be considered a threat can also be seen as a massive opportunity. China, and BYD in particular, represent an unprecedented resource to deliver that “99% perspiration.” I have had many conversations with people who have said an idea is impossible, only to find out that China is already doing it at scale. Ideas that have languished for generations can actually come to fruition and start making an impact. We can move away from fossil fuels and actively address climate change. We can lead with ideas and lead the progress in collaboration. By working together, we can take ideas from possibility to reality.

By Larry Evans