‘Break into’ the VinFast factory, see how special is the heart of the ‘super big’ E34 electric car?

On December 25, VinFast officially handed over the first batch of smart electric cars VF e34 to customers who ordered before. Also on the handover day, the Vietnamese automaker allowed customers and the media to visit the electric vehicle battery production area – located at the VinFast factory in Hai Phong.

The first batch of VinFast VF e34 electric cars were handed over to customers in Vietnam.

VinFast said it has cooperated with many foreign partners to own the technology of self-manufacturing batteries right in Vietnam, with a battery line of international standards. There are not too many workers in the battery factory because most of the stages are done automatically by robots, to ensure 100% accuracy.

Inside the battery factory at VinFast complex, Hai Phong.

Many stages of battery production are automated by robots.

The battery pack block weighs about 300kg, including 11 battery packs with 2420 battery cells/pack. The outermost shell of the battery block has two parts. The bottom part is the battery tray (housing). This tray is divided into many small compartments for the battery blocks to enter. Inside the core of a panel are a lot of small details, from battery cells, battery cell pedestals, heatsinks…

The battery core components with module, battery cell, electronic controller… In which, the components that make up the battery pack such as plastic and electronic components… are all manufactured at the VinFast complex factory, The battery cell is imported from Samsung SDI.

The bottom part is the battery tray (housing) manufactured by VinFast. This tray is divided into many small compartments for the battery blocks to enter.

The top cover plate is covered to form a complete battery block.

Before being put into assembly, the entire battery cell is classified in order to balance the voltages of the small battery cells together, increasing the battery cell life. The battery cells will go through many stages such as fitting into plastic holder covers, installing cooling pipes or being connected through electrode plates… automatically.

Battery cell storage area.

Here, the complete battery pack is assembled with rigorous testing and procedures. Cooling pipes will be checked for air leaks, controlled for absolute leakage. The battery cell shell welds will also be carefully checked by factory workers. Next are stages such as installing a sensor to sense the voltage of the battery cell cover, installing the control board…

The finished module will be automatically installed by the robot into the battery case, then continue to be fitted with a conductive busbar, connecting the modules together, forming a high-voltage battery pack.

The stages are checked by the factory engineer.

The battery completes the function.

According to VinFast, the VF e34’s lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 42kW, meets IP67 waterproof standards, withstands flooding up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, for a travel distance of 285km. With normal charging mode, charging capacity is 3.3kW, it takes about 8-10 hours to fully charge. With fast charging mode, the battery only needs to be charged for 18 minutes to provide enough energy to travel about 180 km.

The battery is located under the floor of the vehicle, has a 3-ring protection mechanism against electrical leakage by software, hardware and overcurrent and overheating as standard. This battery block can operate in temperature conditions from -40 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees Celsius without affecting quality.

The battery pack is considered the “energy heart” of electric cars. On the VF e34, the battery is the component that accounts for 30% of the cost.