The BYD Blade: A Lithium Love Story

A few years ago, I began the journey of installing lithium batteries in my home. I’ll admit—my OCD had me constantly imagining worst-case scenarios, like a battery fault leading to a house fire.

To put my mind at ease, I went down the rabbit hole searching for what I believed to be the safest lithium battery available in South Africa. That’s when I came across a video of a metal nail being driven straight through a BYD cell.

No fire. No explosion. Just some smoke.

That was enough for me—my concerns were settled, and I knew I wanted the BYD Blade.

I’m not here to promote any particular manufacturer—I can genuinely promise that. But during my search, I discovered the Hubble BYD Blade 7kWh battery, and I was immediately impressed.

Long story short, I bought two. They’ve been outstanding—reliable, efficient, and completely trouble-free. I currently run them on a Sunsynk 5kW system without any issues.

It was disappointing to learn that Hubble has discontinued the BYD Blade range, mainly because the blade cells are harder to source compared to other, more readily available options on the market.

That said, I reached out directly to Hubble’s senior team to ask about ongoing support for existing units. They reassured me that parts and support will remain available, so there’s no need for concern on that front.

Interestingly, Hubble still has a limited number of these 7kWh units in stock. With that reassurance in place, I’ll definitely be adding another one when budget allows.

If you’re interested in picking up one of the remaining Hubble BYD units, they’re currently available for R18,400 (incl. VAT) from Powerforum. https://www.hubbleenergy.com/blade

I Hope this helps someone considering their options!

Sincerely

Jason

Hi Jason, I am very happy to hear about your positive experience with the Blade battery. I have also seen the video with the nail being hammered through the battery, and am seriously considering getting a BYD Shark Plug In Hybrid (has the same battery) for work. I will upgrade my existing solar system, putting an independent system in my garage to charge my new car, and act as the backup for my existing system, much like a generator. Most of my traveling is at night, so I can charge the vehicle in the daytime. And my customers have 3 phase electric power available so I will get a plug in charge cable (22kW) to top up charge between jobs. But it should start up on petrol once the battery gets to 20% SOC anyway, so there will be no range anxiety.

I am nervous of the new vehicle, I have seen so many reports of electric cars catching fire, but I have seen way more petrol cars burnt out on the side of the freeway. So I have promised myself that if, after one year of their release into the local market, there are no negative reports I will get one. Reliability is my biggest concern, breaking down at 3am outside an informal settlement is dangerous. But I will be saving R12k a month on diesel, and another R2k a month by going off the grid, so it will pay for itself in no time and have a long term benefit to our monthly expenses.

I will keep you updated,

Regards,

Paul

Youtube has dozens of videos of batteries being nailed and sawed, some even while continuing to provide power. This should come as no surprise or amazing revelation to anyone who has been in this field for any length of time.

On 2026/04/15 at 3:46 AM, Paul Vermeulen said:

Hi Jason, I am very happy to hear about your positive experience with the Blade battery. I have also seen the video with the nail being hammered through the battery, and am seriously considering getting a BYD Shark Plug In Hybrid (has the same battery) for work. I will upgrade my existing solar system, putting an independent system in my garage to charge my new car, and act as the backup for my existing system, much like a generator. Most of my traveling is at night, so I can charge the vehicle in the daytime. And my customers have 3 phase electric power available so I will get a plug in charge cable (22kW) to top up charge between jobs. But it should start up on petrol once the battery gets to 20% SOC anyway, so there will be no range anxiety.

I am nervous of the new vehicle, I have seen so many reports of electric cars catching fire, but I have seen way more petrol cars burnt out on the side of the freeway. So I have promised myself that if, after one year of their release into the local market, there are no negative reports I will get one. Reliability is my biggest concern, breaking down at 3am outside an informal settlement is dangerous. But I will be saving R12k a month on diesel, and another R2k a month by going off the grid, so it will pay for itself in no time and have a long term benefit to our monthly expenses.

I will keep you updated,

Regards,

Paul

BYD beats BMW and Volvo in record month for electric car...

BYD accounted for 81% of the EVs sold in South Africa in March 2026, which was the first month it reported sales figures to Naamsa.

5 hours ago, Energy-Jason said:

BYD beats BMW and Volvo in record month for electric car...

BYD accounted for 81% of the EVs sold in South Africa in March 2026, which was the first month it reported sales figures to Naamsa.

This triggered a smile - they would obviously sell more units if the cars were cheaper - buying a BMW or Volvo at today's Rand/Euro rate is only for the select few...

Reminds me of a very old joke: Smoke Lexington - half a million mine workers can't ALL be wrong... 😁

Posted in good faith just to put a smile on someone's face - no criticism of BYD intended, I'm also looking at one of their models...

Interesting Youtube video about BYD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS_fJJxMjn4

Makes one think...