CATL Unveils Bedrock Chassis, Redefining Standard for Intelligent Chassis Safety

On December 24, 2024, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) launched the Bedrock chassis, the world's first ultra-safe skateboard chassis. Demonstrating exceptional safety performance with no fire, explosion, or thermal propagation during a 120 km/h central pole impact test, the Bedrock chassis delivers comprehensive protection across all scenarios and speeds, setting a new standard for intelligent chassis safety.

At the launch event, CAIT-SH and Avatr signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop globally competitive new energy vehicles based on the Bedrock chassis, which will deliver enhanced safety and superior quality to consumers.

120 km/h Extreme Safety Challenge

The CATL Bedrock chassis is designed with the battery pack at its core, employing the cell-to-chassis technology to directly integrate battery cells into the chassis in an integrated construction. The decoupled upper and lower vehicle bodies allow the Bedrock chassis to absorb over 85% of the impact energy in the case of collision (compared to approximately 60% by conventional chassis). The Bedrock chassis successfully completed the world's first dual extreme safety test combining the highest speed and strongest impact, producing no fire, explosion, or thermal propagation during a 120 km/h central pole impact test, setting a new safety standard for electric vehicles.

The industry standard C-NCAP collision test speed is 56 km/h, generating collision energy equivalent to a 12-meter fall. A 120 km/h frontal collision, however, is equivalent to a 56-meter fall, generating 4.6 times the collision energy. The even crueler central pole impact test (simulating collisions with non-standard objects such as utility poles, trees, or animals) concentrates impact force on only 1/6 of the area compared to a full-width frontal collision, resulting in exponentially higher pressure. At 120 km/h, the unit area impact pressure on the chassis during a central pole impact is 21 times higher than that experienced during a 56 km/h full-width frontal collision in the C-NCAP test.

Three Breakthroughs Fortifying the Foundation of Chassis Safety

The CATL Bedrock chassis achieves comprehensive protection across all scenarios and speeds through three fundamental technological breakthroughs, providing unparalleled safety for the vehicle.

The Bedrock chassis' novel 3D biomimetic tortoise shell structure seamlessly integrates the vehicle body and energy storage unit structures for superior coupling. This is augmented by a barrier structure inspired by aircraft carrier designs. Upon impact, the structure maximizes energy absorption and minimizes deformation of the energy storage unit. The chassis' structural rigidity is further enhanced by the use of ultra-high-strength materials, including 2,000 MPa submarine-grade hot-formed steel and 600 MPa aerospace-grade aluminum alloy, combined with innovative structures.

The Bedrock chassis also features ultra-safe cells, NP (no propagation) technology, and high-tensile energy-absorbing insulating films with an elongation exceeding several hundred percent, providing exceptional safety. Its lightning-fast high-voltage disconnection system cuts off high-voltage power within 0.01 seconds and dissipates residual high-voltage energy within 0.2 seconds of impact, setting a new industry record.

Significantly, the battery cells withstood rigorous testing, including a 60 km/h impact sled test, a 90° bending test, and a destructive test involving violent sawing that directly exposed the cell's cross-section. Despite this extreme abuse, no fire or explosion occurred. These three tests, globally pioneered by CATL, elevate battery cell safety standards to unprecedented levels.

Empowering Efficient Vehicle Manufacturing

The launch of the CATL Bedrock chassis not only redefines safety standards for intelligent chassis but also accelerates the automotive industry's shift towards greater modularity, personalization, and intelligence.

The Bedrock chassis directly addresses industry-wide paint points, such as high research and development costs, extended development cycles, and accelerated product iteration. By following a design philosophy of “internal integration, decoupling, and openness,” the Bedrock chassis is supplemented with a rich suite of toolkits. Stable hardware and software architectures and standardized interfaces enable flexible configuration for different vehicle types and scenarios, materializing many vehicle models based on a single chassis while improving development efficiency and shortening R&D cycles. Mass production timelines can be reduced from the traditional 36 months or more to 12-18 months.

Furthermore, the decoupled upper and lower vehicle bodies break free from conventional safety and styling constraints, significantly expanding design freedom. The fourth-generation CTC technology and inverted cell technology optimize chassis space utilization and reduce the risk of bottoming out. By decoupling software from hardware and decoupling software functions from each other, it supports Level-3 to Level-4 autonomous driving capabilities. Standardized interfaces promote effective collaboration between intelligent applications.

The advancement of safety is boundless. CATL remains committed to continuous technological innovation, pushing the boundaries of technology. By fostering collaboration with partners, CATL aims to build a robust safety ecosystem for both power batteries and vehicles, ensuring the safety of customers.