CATL Chassis, a Global Industrial Paradigm Shift?

The Chinese battery giant moves to the next level and delivers an entire chassis capable of 1000 km range. It’s up to its clients to customize the bodywork.

Electric cars will be large mechanics assembled via off-the-shelf solutions. An electric motor from one supplier here, a battery delivered from there, a customized internal software matrix, and the rest will be purely design and interface.

No more personal architectures, V12s, flat 6, rotary engines, etc. The future will be one of standardization, with huge savings on development and manufacturing. Resources can then be allocated to design, interface, and connectivity—the only distinctive elements in the future.

CATL, the global battery giant, recognized the opportunity before it and decided to accelerate. If it can supply batteries to the world’s biggest manufacturers, why not go further? Now it has done just that with a complete chassis in its catalog—the CIIC skateboard—comprising battery, electric motor, modular platform, suspensions, wheels, and steering. It’s up to its clients—principally the Stellantis group (Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, etc.)—to dress it in a distinctive body and interior.

CATL will begin production of this platform dedicated to segments B and C (compact and sedan) in 2024, promising top performance: 1000 km of range thanks to a low consumption of 10.5 kWh/100 km. With 800-volt technology, this CATL chassis would be capable of recovering 300 km of range in just 5 minutes of charging. The Chinese firm also notes that in very cold weather, range would drop by 30%, settling at around 700 km.

One can imagine automakers’ interest in a turnkey solution that would dramatically reduce development costs. The setup would thus be limited to ‘characterizing’ suspension and road dynamics by adjusting the chassis settings. CATL’s first implementations are expected on roads in Asia and Europe by 2025.

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