Reuters is already reporting the likely source of the outage, opening the door to finding cause.
REE’s system operations chief Eduardo Prieto told reporters the loss of power supply was beyond the extent that European systems are designed to handle and caused the Spanish and French grids to disconnect, which in turn led to the collapse of the Spanish electricity network.
On the 25 of April, just days before the outage, Spain had called out security risk with the French interconnection.
…Joan Groizard, Spain’s secretary of state for energy. Better interconnection with the rest of Europe would increase energy security…
BYD, founded in 1995 as a Chinese battery company, has achieved some significant engineering advantages over Tesla according to a new scientific study. While Tesla has promoted its battery innovations extensively, this research reveals that BYD’s Blade cell outperforms Tesla’s 4680 cell in several important areas, particularly thermal efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Comparing this specific heating per volume, the Tesla 4680 cell creates around 2× of the heat to be dissipated at a 1 C load (Figure 8). Thus, when designing a system with the same power requirements, the cooling needed for the Tesla 4680 cells must dissipate approximately 2× more heat per volume than that needed for the BYD cell at the same load.
The study clearly demonstrates BYD’s engineering prowess in developing more thermally efficient batteries. Tesla’s 4680 cell generates twice the heat per volume compared to BYD’s Blade cell at the same charging rate, requiring significantly more cooling to maintain safe operation. For consumers, this translates to important advantages in fast charging capability and longevity of BYD vehicles.
Beyond thermal performance, BYD’s cells are also more cost-effective, with the research showing approximately €10/kWh lower material costs than Tesla’s cells. This efficiency in both thermal management and cost reflects BYD’s practical engineering approach versus Tesla’s focus on energy density.
BYD’s technology demonstrates that engineering addressing real-world concerns like heat management, cost, and safety ultimately provides better and more sustainable value to consumers than maximizing a single metric.
Findings on Tesla batteries generating twice the heat of BYD’s also points the discerning technology professional towards critical safety questions. The connection between higher heat generation and observed fire risks demands urgent independent investigation. Further research should determine if such measured differences help explain the real-world safety outcomes. This scientific study provides clear technical evidence why thermal management in EV batteries requires closer scrutiny for consumer safety.
Historical data from 2013-2023 | Projections for 2024-2026. Linear projection reaches ~65 incidents by 2026 | Exponential projection reaches ~95 incidents by 2026. Source: tesla-fire.com
Higher energy density of Tesla (more energy pushed into smaller volume) can create greater risks for thermal danger. Batteries that force more energy into a smaller space, makes heat more challenging to engineer back down from, because it can lead to a chain reaction:
Higher heat in confined space accelerates chemical reactions
Chemical reactions then generate even more heat
Lack of adequate cooling allows even even more heat
Thermal runaway means the process becomes self-sustaining
Tesla’s density thus is suspected in causing fires and explosion
For the vast majority of consumers, safety isn’t a preference but an expectation rooted in engineering ethics (cars as trusted systems). Professional engineering codes explicitly require prioritizing public safety above all other considerations. Random performance metrics are irrelevant when they ignore basic safety principles, like the absurdity of a South African man claiming in 2016 he will be launching rockets to colonize Mars within five years despite no real plans for survival.
BYD’s engineering approach demonstrates adherence to established principles in the engineering code of ethics, where safety and reliability take precedence. A focus on thermal efficiency and cooling systems reflects an ethical obligation to design systems that minimize foreseeable risks. This isn’t simply a market strategy but fulfillment of the foundational ethical requirement that engineers hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. Consumers rightfully must demand that vehicles are safe regardless of any marketing claims in a design change.
NASA moon shot glass
Tesla’s singular pursuit of energy density without adequate thermal management directly challenges engineering ethical standards. No engineering innovation can be considered successful if it creates undue risk to users. Just as an engineer cannot justify a structurally unsound bridge that falls down by highlighting they developed more density in its cables, battery systems that generate excessive heat cannot be defended solely on more density. Obligation to prioritize public safety is not optional or secondary to performance metrics, it is the fundamental ethical requirement upon which all legitimate engineering is built.
Around the 28 minute mark of an interview, Shaq starts saying he is no longer “into” his Cybertruck because its range is far too short, can’t even finish his commute to work, compared with his new Cadillac EV that lasts four full days:
I was into the Cybertruck but they don’t get enough, I want to say, what’s the word I’m looking for, electric mileage? Charger mileage. Then I just got one of those IQs, Cadillac Escalades today. I was in Vegas, I ain’t have to charge up for four days! Oh hell my Cybertruck here, if I go downtown to work tonight and come back I’m gonna be struggling to get back. Right now it says 267, if I go to Atlanta to the thing and come back when I come back it ain’t going to be able…
The latest in Ford EV technology, such as a 205 kWh battery in the Cadillac Escalade IQ, has Shaq publicly swearing by the engineering quality. He’s already bought three, apparently to move past his predictable disappointment with Tesla.
And Shaq hasn’t been the only one dunking on Tesla due to the most basic tests, like driving for a day without failure. MotorTrend also has been throwing massive shade on the Elon Musk clown show.
Super Cruise is the best hands-free driver assistance system on earth right now, and it’s standard on the Escalade IQ. …what a magnificent colossus of a road-tripper. It’s hard to express just what a luxurious grand slam of an SUV Cadillac has created. The big-boy range is just the cherry on top.
Cadillac has the best hands-free big-boy luxury SUV? Not hard to believe.
Whoever talked Shaq into putting his life in danger with the Tesla dumpster fire should be… fired.
Despite Shaq’s best efforts to customize and personalize his Tesla Cybertruck, the fundamental design failures remain impossible to unsee.
What they are saying certainly makes a lot of sense, when you think about the mechanics behind a grasshopper being able to fly, versus a … fly.
Insect-scale robots face two major locomotive challenges: constrained energetics and large obstacles that far exceed their size. Terrestrial locomotion is efficient yet mostly limited to flat surfaces. In contrast, flight is versatile for overcoming obstacles but requires high power to stay aloft. Here, we present a hopping design that combines a subgram flapping-wing robot with a telescopic leg. Our robot can hop continuously while controlling jump height and frequency in the range of 1.5 to 20 centimeters and 2 to 8.4 hertz. The robot can follow positional set points, overcome tall obstacles, and traverse challenging surfaces. It can also hop on a dynamically rotating plane, recover from strong collisions, and perform somersaults. Compared to flight, this design reduces power consumption by 64 percent and increases payload by 10 times.
I wrote about this briefly back in 2018, in reference to 1970s research, given the challenges with insect-sized flying robots.
The Insectothopter was plagued by inability to fly in actual weather, as even the slightest breeze would render it useless.
