On December 24, CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology CoLimited) officially launched its "Panshi Chassis," marking a significant milestone in the company’s effort to redefine vehicle safety and efficiencyThe Panshi Chassis, designed with the battery at its core, integrates the battery directly into the chassis structure, optimizing space and improving overall vehicle performanceThis innovation represents a breakthrough in the automotive sector, as it goes beyond traditional design by offering an all-in-one structural solution that combines battery and chassis in a unified system.

What sets the Panshi Chassis apart from conventional designs is its structural engineering, which decouples the vehicle's body and chassisThis separation allows the chassis to absorb up to 85% of the vehicle's collision energy, a significant improvement over standard chassis that typically absorb around 60%. In terms of crash safety, the Panshi Chassis has undergone rigorous testing, including the world’s first "highest speed + strongest impact" dual extreme safety test

At 120 km/h, the central pillar impact did not result in fire, explosion, or energy spread, demonstrating extraordinary resilience. 

To put this into perspective, the C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) crash tests, which are a benchmark in the industry, set a collision test speed of 56 km/hWhen vehicles crash at this speed, the energy generated is equivalent to a car falling from a height of 12 metersHowever, when the speed increases to 120 km/h, the energy produced is significantly greater — about 4.6 times that of the 56 km/h crashThis is roughly the same energy as a vehicle falling from a height of 56 metersClearly, the challenges faced by vehicles at this higher speed are immense.

Furthermore, a more demanding test called the "center pillar impact test" simulates collisions with non-standard objects like utility poles, trees, or animalsIn this scenario, the car’s force-bearing area is only one-sixth of that in a standard frontal collision, resulting in a significantly higher pressure per unit area

At 120 km/h, the pressure exerted on the chassis increases dramatically, reaching 21 times the pressure in a 56 km/h full frontal crash in the C-NCAP evaluationThe forces involved in such a collision put immense pressure on the vehicle’s structural integrity, highlighting the difficulty of designing for such extreme conditions.

What makes CATL’s Panshi Chassis unique is its ingenious approach to this problemThe chassis is equipped with a bio-inspired, three-dimensional "turtle shell" structureThis design combines the car's body structure with the energy storage unit, forming a deep coupling that enhances the chassis's impact resistanceOn top of this, the chassis includes a carrier-style barrier structure, similar to those found in aircraft carriers, which absorbs and disperses impact energyIn the event of a violent collision, this structure mitigates the degree of chassis intrusion and significantly reduces the deformation of the energy storage unit, ensuring better safety for passengers.

In the automotive industry, the challenges of vehicle development are well known: large financial investments, long research and development cycles, and the constant need for model updates in response to market shifts

The Panshi Chassis directly addresses these pain points with its "internal integration + decoupling of body and chassis + openness to external collaboration" strategyIt is designed with modularity in mind, featuring expandable hardware and software architectures, as well as standardized interfaces that allow for greater flexibility in vehicle designCar manufacturers can now use the same chassis platform for multiple vehicle types, adapting it to different models and applicationsThis capability has made it possible for car manufacturers to drastically reduce development time — from the traditional 36 months to just 12 to 18 monthsThe ability to shorten production timelines is a game-changer, as it allows companies to accelerate the process of bringing new models to market.

The Panshi Chassis also boasts other benefits, thanks to its innovative designThe decoupling of the body and chassis eliminates the traditional trade-off between safety and aesthetics, enabling manufacturers to design cars with both improved safety features and greater design flexibility

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Additionally, the fourth-generation CTC (Cell to Chassis) technology and inverted cell technology incorporated into the chassis increase space efficiency, reduce the risk of underbody scraping during driving, and improve overall vehicle stabilityThese features ensure that the vehicle is both practical and safe under a wide range of conditions.

The Panshi Chassis also incorporates advancements in smart technologyThe decoupling of hardware and software enables the chassis to support intelligent driving systems from Level 3 to Level 4, and the high-adaptation interfaces make it easier for different smart applications to work togetherThis contributes to the continued evolution of intelligent driving technology, ensuring that vehicles equipped with the Panshi Chassis are well-positioned to integrate the latest advancements in autonomous driving.

A notable development in the adoption of the Panshi Chassis came at the official release event, where Avita, a prominent automotive brand, became one of the first to recognize the advantages of the Panshi Chassis and sign a partnership agreement with CATL’s subsidiary, Times Intelligent

The two companies are now collaborating on further development and application of the Panshi Chassis technology, which is expected to bring more innovation and surprises to the automotive industryTheir collaboration will undoubtedly push the industry forward, bringing new levels of safety, efficiency, and sustainability to the market.

Looking ahead, the Panshi Chassis is poised to play a major role in shaping the future of the automotive industryBy addressing the safety, efficiency, and design challenges faced by manufacturers, it offers a comprehensive solution that has the potential to change the way vehicles are designed, produced, and testedWith increasing consumer demand for safer and more efficient vehicles, technologies like the Panshi Chassis will be crucial in meeting these expectationsFurthermore, the growing emphasis on intelligent and autonomous driving systems will require innovations that support both the mechanical and technological aspects of vehicle design — and the Panshi Chassis is clearly a step in the right direction. 

As the automotive industry continues to evolve, the collaboration between CATL, Avita, and other stakeholders will likely pave the way for more groundbreaking developments