This chassis includes a battery that can power a vehicle for approximately 1,000 km (621.37 miles) on a single charge and significantly shortens the mass production timeline to 12-18 months, compared to the traditional 36 months or more, according to CATL.
The company intends to market this new EV platform, referred to as "panshi" in Chinese, meaning "bedrock," to high-end automakers looking to expedite development and cut costs.
"Given the exceptionally high speed and force of the crash, no previous new energy vehicle has attempted a frontal pole impact test at 120 km/h," stated Ni Jun, CATL's chief manufacturing officer.
In contrast, the standard speed for frontal impact safety tests in the widely recognized China New Car Assessment Program is 56 km/h.
Avatr, a Chinese electric vehicle brand co-owned by CATL, state-owned Changan Auto, and technology leader Huawei, will be the first to create EV models utilizing CATL’s Bedrock chassis, as announced by Avatr's president, Chen Zhao, during the press conference.
He did not provide a timeline for the launch of such a model.
These EV platforms are often referred to as "skateboard chassis," which are versatile structures that integrate electric motors, batteries, control systems, and suspensions.
Other competitors in this sector include Chinese EV manufacturer Xpeng and the Shanghai-based engineering firm Launch Design.
The chassis plays a vital role in CATL Chairman Robin Zeng's strategy to drive the company's growth. Additionally, CATL is exploring micro power grids and developing a battery swapping service.
According to battery market analyst SNE Research, CATL holds approximately 37% of the global market share in EV batteries.
Zeng revealed the panshi project to Reuters in November, indicating that it has the potential to reduce the cost of developing a new electric vehicle from billions to merely $10 million. This innovation could enable a niche electric vehicle company to achieve profitability by selling as few as 10,000 units annually.
Consequently, this development could pave the way for new entrants in the electric vehicle market, particularly in regions lacking established automotive manufacturers. At that time, Zeng mentioned that CATL had presented the panshi technology to Porsche for a possible luxury electric vehicle and to investors in the United Arab Emirates who are interested in launching a local electric vehicle brand.
Since 2020, the company has been focused on creating electric vehicle platforms with batteries integrated directly into the chassis and has established collaborations with automakers such as Vinfast, BAIC, and Neta to develop models based on this platform over the last two years.