SHANGHAI: China’s CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker, on Tuesday launched a new EV chassis that it says can withstand a 120-kph (75-mph) frontal impact without catching fire or exploding, as it touts safety as a key selling point. The chassis has a battery capable of running for about 1,000 km (621.37 miles) on a single charge and reduces the time required for mass production of a vehicle to 12-18 months from the traditional 36 months or longer, CATL said.
The company aims to sell the new EV platform - called “panshi” in Chinese, which translates to “bedrock” - to premium car makers seeking to accelerate development and reduce costs. “Due to the extremely high crash speed and intensity, there has been no previous instance of any new energy vehicle daring to challenge a 120km/h frontal pole impact test,” said Ni Jun, CATL chief manufacturing officer. The speed for a frontal impact safety test in the commonly used China New Car Assessment Program is 56km/h.
Chinese EV brand Avatr, which is co-owned by CATL, state-owned Changan Auto and technology giant Huawei, will be the first to develop EV models based on CATL’s Bedrock chassis, Chen Zhao, president of Avatr said at the press conference. He did not specify when such a model would be launched. Such EV platforms are also known in the industry as “skateboard chassis”, or flexible platforms that combine electric motors, batteries, controls and suspensions.
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