Before and after BYD launched its "blade battery," CATL also spared no effort in the research and innovation of battery modules.
On August 12, at the China Automotive Blue Book Forum, Zeng Yuqun, Chairman of CATL, stated that CATL is developing a new technology—CTC (Cell to Chassis)—that integrates the battery cell with the chassis, eliminating the bulky outer casing of the original battery system and potentially increasing the driving range of electric vehicles to over 800 kilometers. According to current plans, this technology, known in the market as "chassis battery," is expected to be launched before 2030.
Zeng Yuqun stated that this technology integrates the battery cells and chassis, reducing the number of parts by 40%, increasing energy density by 10-15%, doubling manufacturing efficiency, and reducing costs while increasing efficiency. Furthermore, it integrates the motor, electronic control system, and vehicle high-voltage components such as DC/DC converters and OBCs through an innovative architecture, and optimizes power distribution and reduces energy consumption through an intelligent power domain controller.
"CTC will enable new energy vehicles to compete directly with gasoline vehicles in terms of cost, provide more passenger space, and improve chassis clearance. This is the direction of our structural innovation," Zeng Yuqun said.
In fact, as early as the 2019 Frankfurt International Motor Show in Germany, CATL launched a brand-new CTP high-integration power battery development platform, which integrates the cells directly into the battery pack.
CATL claims that by eliminating the battery module assembly process, the CTP battery pack has a 15%-20% higher volume utilization rate, a 40% reduction in the number of battery pack components, a 50% increase in production efficiency, and a 10%-15% increase in battery pack energy density compared to traditional battery packs, which will significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of power batteries.
CATL's innovation in modules predates its CTP battery pack launch in 2019. For example, at CATL's 2019 annual performance briefing held on May 11, Zeng Yuqun stated: "The blade battery is one of the innovative CTP structural concepts that we mass-produced in 2016."
This at least demonstrates that CATL had already achieved mass production of battery packs based on the CTP structure as early as 2016.
However, one issue is that CATL is currently developing a "chassis battery," and its launch timeline appears extremely conservative, with an expected release around 2030. It's worth noting that in the next decade of battery technology development, the field of power batteries will see frequent emergence of new technologies, making it feasible to have batteries supporting a range of 800+ kilometers before 2030, or even before 2025.
Furthermore, what about the safety of the "chassis battery"? As one of the components most easily exposed to the ground, and since the chassis itself contains the battery, how are the risks controlled?
