Bill Ford Sees Production Line Data After Teardown of BYD Seal

At the engineering center in Dearborn, Michigan, the Ford team tore down a BYD Seal. They were left speechless by the integration level of the battery pack's CTB (Cell to Body)—the cells directly participate in bearing structural loads, eliminating one layer of module frames compared to Ford's own CTP solution. Estimates suggest this battery pack's pack-level cost was pushed down to $85 per kWh, whereas the battery pack cost for the Mustang Mach-E at the same time was around $120. The gap doesn't come from a generational technology difference, but from vertical integration rate—BYD develops its own cells, BMS, thermal management, and even the IGBT chips in the motor controller are their own. What about Ford? Cells are sourced from LG and SK, BMS is outsourced, and inverters use Bosch.