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CATL Bedrock Chassis: A New Era of Automotive Safety

On December 24, 2024, the Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) proudly introduced the Bedrock chassis, the first ultra-safe skateboard chassis globally. This groundbreaking innovation is engineered to withstand frontal impacts at speeds of up to 120 km/h without catching fire, exploding, or experiencing thermal runaway, setting new safety benchmarks in the automotive industry.

Setting a New Safety Standard

The Bedrock chassis exemplifies CATL's relentless pursuit of innovation and safety. Boasting an impressive capability to absorb 85% of impact kinetic energy during collisions—a significant improvement compared to traditional chassis designs that typically absorb around 60%—the Bedrock chassis firmly establishes itself as a leader in intelligent chassis technology.

During rigorous testing, the Bedrock chassis showcased its unrivaled resilience by successfully completing the world’s first double extreme safety test, which involves both high-speed impact (120 km/h) and extreme conditions. Accidents at this velocity correspond to an energy release equivalent to a fall from a 56-meter-high building, making conventional safety tests obsolete. In contrast, the Chinese market’s standard for frontal collision tests via the China New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP) only mandates a speed of 56 km/h, underscoring the extraordinary capabilities of the Bedrock chassis.

Advanced Technology and Structural Design

The performance of the Bedrock chassis hinges on three key technological advancements in its design and construction.

• - Biomimetic Structural Design: The chassis features a unique three-dimensional turtle shell structure that integrates the battery unit with the chassis. This innovative makeup allows forces to disperse across multiple vectors during a crash, greatly lessening the likelihood of severe impact penetration into the vehicle's interior.
• - Super Strong Materials: It is constructed using underwater hot-formed steel rated at 2000 MPa resistance and aviation-grade aluminum alloy at 600 MPa, among other multi-barrier structures that enhance overall rigidity, making it virtually indestructible.
• - Ultra-Secure Battery Cells: Including a battery cell design that incorporates high-conductivity energy absorption films, the Bedrock chassis can actively disconnect high-voltage circuits within 0.01 seconds post-impact, enhancing safety further.

Moreover, these battery cells have undergone extreme tests including high-speed impacts at 60 km/h, 90-degree bending assessments, and innovative sawing trials, all proving insufficient to ignite a fire, raising battery safety standards to unprecedented levels.

Pioneering a New Market Era

The launch of the Bedrock chassis doesn’t just revolutionize safety; it also opens up a trillion-yuan market in China. As the focus shifts toward customizable and intelligent modular automobile designs, the Bedrock chassis is at the heart of this transformation.

It addresses common industry challenges, such as high investment costs and lengthy development cycles, by streamlining chassis development and enabling rapid iteration of vehicle designs. As a result, the typical 36-month vehicle production timeline can be trimmed down to just 12 to 18 months.

The Future of Transportation

With AVATR being the first automobile manufacturer to implement the Bedrock chassis, collaboration is key in enhancing vehicle quality and user safety. CATL aims to continue pushing technological boundaries, working with partners to develop a secure ecosystem for batteries and electric vehicles. The journey toward ultimate safety in transportation is ongoing, and with innovations like the Bedrock chassis, CATL is leading the way into a promising future.

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