Inventory of car companies that are optimistic about CTC technology

Tesla

1. Tesla's CTC belongs to the load-bearing body technology route, where the battery frame is integrated with the lower body (sill beam, longitudinal beam, cross beam, floor, etc.). Therefore, the battery structure should be completed and connected to the body after the entire body above is assembled (mainly body + front casting + rear casting).

   Tesla's concept is that the battery is both the energy device and the structure itself. Tesla's core concept is to do subtraction, integration and simplification is its consistent style. The specific advantages and disadvantages have been explained in the previous section, and will not be repeated here.

Canoo

2. Canoo is a California-based electric vehicle startup founded in December 2017.Canoo is best known for its skateboard chassis, which Canoo launched in 2019, and its proposal to combine the battery and chassis into one.

   Unlike Tesla's module-less solution that integrates the battery cells directly into the body.

   Canoo's solution is to integrate the module into the chassis.

BYD

3. As early as September 8, 2021, BYD announced a new concept car, ocean-X, based on the pure electric exclusive e platform 3.0 mid-size platform, and announced that CTC battery-body integration technology would be used on ocean-X.

Ningde Times

3.  

   Public information shows that Ningde Times plans to realize integrated CTC in 2025 and intelligent CTC in 2030.

   It is reported that Ningde Times' integrated CTC technology will not only rearrange the battery, but also incorporate power components including motor, electric control, DC/DC, OBC and so on. Ningde Times' CTC technology integrates electric cells with body, chassis, electric drive, thermal management and various high- and low-voltage control modules to make the driving range exceed 1,000 km; and optimizes power distribution and reduces energy consumption through intelligent power domain controller.

Zero Running Car

5. On April 25, zero-run auto officially released the "CTC battery chassis integration" technology, becoming the first domestic car company to "eat crabs". The zero-run technology can be mass-produced CTC battery chassis integration technology, can make the whole vehicle battery arrangement space increased by 14.5%, comprehensive improve the whole vehicle range of 10%. The technology will be used in the mass production of the zero-run C01, the first electric mid-size sedan on the zero-run C platform.

The general manager of the battery product line of ZeroTech shared in this conference, "ZeroTech Smart Power CTC technology, cell -to-chassis, is a cutting-edge technology that integrates the battery, chassis and lower body into an integrated design, simplifying product design and production process. By redesigning the battery carrier tray, the entire lower body chassis structure is coupled with the battery tray structure, innovating the installation process and truly achieving Less is more, by reducing the redundant structural design, it can effectively reduce the number of parts, improve space utilization and system specific performance, while allowing the body and battery structure to complement each other, so that the battery impact resistance and body torsional stiffness can be greatly improved. ."

Zero Runner innovatively applies CTC double skeleton ring beam structure, which combines battery skeleton structure and body structure into one, which is both body structure and battery structure, and the overall structure is more efficient. Through the body design to achieve battery sealing, CTC technology borrows the existing basic structure, using the body longitudinal beam and cross beam to form a complete sealing structure, which is a major innovation compared to traditional cars.

The zero-running CTC solution increases the battery arrangement space by 14.5% compared to the traditional solution. CTC increases the battery space utilization, improves the battery insulation performance while increasing the range by 10%; CTC increases the torsional stiffness of the body by 25%, reaching 33897Nm/deg, and reduces the overall vehicle weight by 15kg, helping to further improve the driving performance and handling.

In addition, there are many companies at home and abroad have attached importance to CTC technology, foreign like Ford, Volvo, Volkswagen and LG Group, domestic startup company Yo Run Technology to skateboard chassis as the main focus, will also apply CTC technology as power support.

Differences in CTC technology solutions between ZeroMile and Tesla

The outsiders see the fun, the insiders see the doorway. The two domestic and foreign first crab car companies, do you know how they eat different?

Tesla arranged the 4680 cylindrical cells directly on the body, and the battery compartment was directly connected to two large body castings before and after, eliminating the original floor pieces and replacing them with a battery top cover, with the seat mounted directly on the battery top cover. The electric cell is both the energy storage carrier and the structure itself.

The zero-runner dug a hole under the passenger compartment, and then suspended the battery module in the hole from bottom to top by bolting and gluing, and then used the lower cover to form a sealed space underneath. However, the zero-run solution has less traditional battery pack upper cover, instead the body + lower cover is responsible for sealing, which poses a new challenge to the design of the occupant compartment against thermal runaway.

In short, the biggest difference between the two is that Tesla is stacking the cells directly on the body of the car; while Zero Run is stacking the modules on the body of the car, and does not omit the process of cells → modules.

Since the intermediate form of module still exists, the zero-run CTC program is not as extreme as Tesla in terms of space release efficiency, integration, cost advantage, and reduction of accessories.

However, the zero-runner's CTC is actually easier to mass-produce and has better maintenance convenience. Compared with Tesla's CTC, zero-run CTC (actually MTC) is a more compromise solution, with fewer changes than traditional solutions, not many changes to the vehicle assembly process and the fixed form of the battery pack, and the model, size and parameters of the module are the same as before, so the previous design can be used in large numbers, so it is easier to mass-produce. In addition, since the lower cover is removable, it is convenient for maintenance.

In a word, if Tesla's CTC technology is the real CTC technology, then the zero runner's CTC technology is more appropriately called "MTC technology", Module to chassis, module integrated chassis integration.

CTC Technology Forecast

To sum up, although the CTC of Zero Run is not as light as Tesla's extreme, it is an easy to promote mass production program at this stage in China.

Tesla's CTC technology solution is highly integrated, relatively inflexible, and poorly repairable. The maintenance issue is a subject that needs to be urgently studied by the industry.

At present, the other two hot technologies, skid plate chassis, integrated die-casting have a common concept with it: highly integrated. Take the intersection of all parties, highly integrated; the combination of CTC and integrated die-casting technology will advance the application process of skateboard chassis.

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