Chinese EV battery manufacturer CATL claims to have developed a skateboard EV chassis that achieved a 1,000 km / 600 mile range during testing. In November Wu Kai, CATL’s Chief Scientist, revealed a development breakthrough. During winter testing in Heihe, northern China, and summer testing in Turpan, achieved 1,000 km range with a 75% battery pack efficiency. In temperatures as low as -7 degrees, the range is reduced by 30%, with a consumption of 10.5 kWh/km. CATL claims it can add 300 km in just 5 minutes.

However, CATL did outline how its new skateboard chassis achieved the 600-mile range. The CIIC (CATL Integrated Intelligent Chassis) skateboard consolidates batteries, electric motors, and essential components into a unified platform that serves as the foundation for the electric vehicle (EV). This design reduces production costs, vehicle weight, and energy consumption while maximizing passenger space.

In a joint collaboration with Chinese EV manufacturer Hozon Auto, the jointly developed platform is scheduled to be production-ready in Q3 2024. The heightened level of integration between the car and chassis lowers costs and streamlines the overall development cycle.

Time will be the ultimate judge of whether CATL’s breakthrough truly delivers when replicated in real-world ‘consumer’ conditions. If the real-world results align with the test data, it could accelerate the end of the internal combustion engine era.