A new electric car floor plate was presented by CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology) at the end of 2024. The battery manufacturer, which also has a plant in Debrecen, announced that electric vehicles with a floor plate called Bedrock will not catch fire or explode even in the event of a head-on collision at a speed of 120 km/h. They also published a video of the high-speed tests, during which the battery-powered chassis was slammed against a wall and a pillar with and without the body. (You can see it at the end of the article.)
In the case of the Bedrock, the battery cells are integrated directly into the chassis, allowing for a design that offers greater crash protection. According to the manufacturer, the separation of the chassis and upper body allows the device to absorb 85% of the vehicle’s impact energy, compared to 60% of conventional chassis.
According to the announcement, the stiffness and resistance is provided by the combination of steel with a strength of 2000 MPa, typical for submarines, and aerospace aluminum alloy with a strength of 600 MPa. In addition, an energy-absorbing insulating film is used, which helps the batteries to function without fire or explosion.
“Due to the extremely high impact speed and intensity, there was no precedent for a new energy vehicle (this includes electric cars and plug-in hybrids -ed.) to attempt the 120 km/h frontal pillar test,” Ni Jun said. , head of production at CATL. In the commonly used China New Car Assessment Program (China NCAP), the frontal crash safety test speed is 56 km/h.
The chassis can even be equipped with a battery that can travel around 1,000 km on a single charge. This can probably not be measured according to the WLTP here, but according to the Chinese standard that promises an even less realistic range.
At the launch event, CATL signed a cooperation agreement with the automotive company Avatr, which will be the first to use the technology in its vehicles. Avatr is a joint brand between state-owned Changan Auto and tech giant Huawei.
Watch the crash test video:
the video starts after the ad
What happens when an electric car hits a barrier? The previous article of Vezess reveals:
Source: www.vezess.hu
