CATL releases the Panstone Chassis, and VinFast vehicles have structural defects | Overseas Daily
"Top 3 News"
CATL Releases the World's First Ultra-High Safety Electric Vehicle Chassis "Rock Solid"
Key Points:
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), as the world's leading manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries, announced on December 24, 2024, the launch of its newly developed "Rock Solid" chassis, claiming it to be the "world's first ultra-high safety electric vehicle chassis". The chassis demonstrates excellent safety performance. CATL released a video showing that in a frontal impact test at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour (approximately 75 miles per hour), the prototype vehicle did not explode or catch fire, thereby proving its outstanding safety performance. CATL stated that this new technology not only sets a new safety standard for intelligent vehicle design but also ends the traditional perception that fuel vehicles are safer than electric vehicles.
The frontal impact safety test speed commonly used by C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) is 56 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour), while the "Rock Solid" chassis passed the test at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, and its collision energy is 4.6 times that of the conventional test. Ni Jun, the Chief Manufacturing Officer of CATL, said at the launch event: "Safety is the core of CATL and is part of our DNA." The "Rock Solid" chassis adopts a battery-centered design, directly integrating the battery cells into the chassis, which can absorb 85% of the vehicle's collision energy, a significant improvement compared to the 60% of traditional chassis. The chassis also features an "ultra-high safety battery cell design", which can immediately disconnect the high-voltage circuit within 0.01 seconds and complete the release of the remaining high-voltage energy of the vehicle within 0.2 seconds, setting a new industry record.
CATL claims that the design of the "Rock Solid" chassis not only paves the way for the industry but more importantly, it subverts the traditional notion that gasoline vehicles are safer than new energy vehicles. CATL also stated that its new chassis will activate a trillion-yuan market and accelerate the transformation to modular, personalized, and intelligent vehicle design. At the launch event, CATL revealed that AVATR will be the first automaker to adopt this new technology. CATL is committed to continuously creating safer batteries and vehicles to promote the transformation of the entire industry to electric vehicles. This news was released after CATL announced last week the expansion of its electric vehicle battery swap network and the launch of the new "Chocolate" SEB battery. CATL plans to gradually phase out gas stations in the coming years and rapidly expand battery swap stations in China.
CATL (Source: Electrek)
Opinions:
The launch of the "Rock Solid" chassis by CATL is undoubtedly a major breakthrough in the field of electric vehicle safety. For a long time, the safety of electric vehicles has been the focus of consumers and the industry. Especially in the context of frequent battery fire and other accidents, consumers have doubts about the safety of electric vehicles. Through the launch of the "Rock Solid" chassis, CATL not only achieved innovation in technology but also gave consumers a sense of security psychologically. From a technical perspective, the multiple innovative designs of the "Rock Solid" chassis, such as the direct integration of battery cells, the rapid disconnection of high-voltage circuits, and energy release, all reflect CATL's deep accumulation and innovation ability in battery safety technology. The application of these technologies can not only effectively reduce the safety risks of electric vehicles in the event of a collision but also improve the overall performance and driving experience of the vehicle.
From a market perspective, this move by CATL is expected to further promote the popularization and development of electric vehicles. As consumers' concerns about the safety of electric vehicles gradually diminish, the market acceptance of electric vehicles will increase, thereby driving the development of the entire electric vehicle industry chain. At the same time, this also provides new technical options and cooperation opportunities for other electric vehicle manufacturers, helping to promote the technological progress and industrial upgrading of the entire industry. However, we should also note that although the "Rock Solid" chassis has achieved significant results in safety, the safety issues of electric vehicles still require continuous attention and improvement. With the continuous development of electric vehicle technology and the continuous expansion of its application scope, new safety issues and challenges may continue to emerge. Therefore, CATL and other relevant enterprises and research institutions need to continue to strengthen research and innovation in the field of electric vehicle safety, continuously improve the safety performance of electric vehicles, to meet the safety requirements of consumers and society.
Honda's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Experienced Twists and Turns in 2024, with More Developments Expected in 2025
Key Points:
2024 has been a year full of twists and turns for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (HFCEV), but Honda Motor Company's development in this field has never stopped. Recently, David Perzynski, Honda's Fuel Cell Manager, shared Honda's over forty-year development history in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle field and its outlook for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in a battery-dominated world on Electrek's podcast program "Quick Charge".
In 2024, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry experienced many challenges. For example, the CEO of MAN stated that it is "impossible" for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to compete with Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV). In addition, early adopters of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles also faced many problems, such as Nikola's challenges in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle field. Despite this, Honda still made significant progress in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle field. In 2024, Honda launched a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Class 8 heavy-duty truck concept vehicle and released the rental details of its CR-V hydrogen fuel cell plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Honda's continuous investment and innovation in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle field have laid a solid foundation for its development in 2025. Honda believes that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have unique advantages in specific application scenarios, such as heavy transportation and commercial vehicles. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have the characteristics of short hydrogen refueling time and long driving range, which can meet the demand for efficient energy in these fields. In addition, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles do not produce exhaust emissions during use, which helps reduce environmental pollution and promote sustainable development.
Honda's technical accumulation and experience in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle field make it likely to achieve greater breakthroughs in 2025. Honda will continue to strengthen the research and development and innovation of hydrogen fuel cell technology, improve the performance and reliability of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, reduce production costs, and promote the marketization process of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. At the same time, Honda will also actively participate in the construction of the hydrogen energy industry chain, work with partners to promote the development and application of hydrogen energy, and create a favorable external environment for the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
BYD Hydrogen Fuel Vehicle (Source: Honda Official)
Opinions:
The twists and turns experienced by the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry in 2024 reflect the many challenges this emerging technology faces in its development process. However, Honda's continuous investment and innovation in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle field show its confidence and determination in this technology. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as a clean energy vehicle, have broad development prospects and important strategic significance.
From a technical perspective, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have obvious advantages in terms of driving range and hydrogen refueling time, which can meet the needs of some specific fields. However, the promotion and application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles still face many challenges, such as the storage and transportation of hydrogen energy, the high construction cost and insufficient number of hydrogen refueling stations, and the high production cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. These problems need to be solved through technological innovation and policy support.
From a market perspective, the market acceptance and promotion speed of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be affected by many factors. Consumers' awareness and acceptance of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the cost performance of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the degree of improvement of related infrastructure will all affect the market performance of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Therefore, enterprises need to strengthen the publicity and promotion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, improve consumers' awareness and acceptance of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and at the same time reduce the production cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and improve their cost performance.
From a policy perspective, the support and guidance of the government are crucial for the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The government can promote the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by formulating relevant policies and measures, such as providing financial subsidies, tax incentives, and building hydrogen refueling stations. At the same time, the government should also strengthen support for the research and development and innovation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle-related technologies to promote the progress and application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technology.
"Big Events"
Structural Defects in VinFast Vehicles and Dismissal of the Whistleblower
VinFast, the Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer, has recently been embroiled in a new controversy. An engineer named Hazar Denli claims that he was fired after posting on Reddit about serious safety issues with VinFast vehicles. Denli previously worked for Tata Technologies, which was responsible for the chassis engineering of several VinFast models, including the VF6, VF7, VF8, and VF9.
Denli expressed concerns about the quality of the suspension components of VinFast vehicles, suggesting that these components have structural defects and are prone to failure. He gave examples that in verification tests, some components wore out five times faster than expected, and some components could only travel 15,000 miles (approximately 24,000 kilometers), while they should be able to travel 95,000 miles (approximately 153,000 kilometers) under normal circumstances. Denli warned that this premature wear could lead to vehicle out of control, such as loosening of the connection between the front strut and the knuckle, which could be extremely dangerous and even lead to the loosening of the entire structure and the wheels falling off.
VinFast VF8 (Source: Inside EVs)
Denli also alleged that Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), its parent company Tata Group, and VinFast conspired to identify the author of the Reddit post. Once Denli was identified, he was immediately fired, and his name was added to a blacklist in an industry recruitment software. It is worth noting that VinFast's IPO filing shows that Tata Technologies was responsible for the chassis engineering of all VinFast models except VF3 and VF5.
This accusation is worrying and adds another problem to VinFast's already troubled car brand. Currently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating an accident involving a VinFast VF8. On April 24, 2024, a VF8 crashed into a tree and caught fire, resulting in the death of a family of four inside. Denli's accusations are consistent with a previous report by InsideEVs. Earlier this year, InsideEVs reported on a Vietnamese blogger named Sonnie Tran who criticized VinFast's products in the country, claiming that VinFast used the police to harass him, even arrest him, and threatened to sentence him if he did not withdraw his criticism. Currently, VinFast has fulfilled its promise to produce VF3 to VF9 models in Vietnam, and these models have been launched in Vietnam and are planned to be exported to new markets. Just a few weeks ago, the VinFast VF6 was officially launched in some European countries. VinFast also plans to sell these models to the US market by 2026.
Tesla CyberCab Can Be Driven with an On-board Xbox Controller
Tesla's CyberCab model has been attracting public attention with its unique appearance and innovative design since its debut. Recently, there is new news about the control method of this model. It is reported that the Tesla CyberCab does not have a traditional steering wheel and pedals, but can be controlled by a game controller similar to Xbox.
This news was initially reported by AutoEvolution, and the source is the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, where the CyberCab is currently on display until the New Year. According to the report, Tesla's solution is to use a small game controller similar to Xbox, which can be inserted into the vehicle to control steering and pedal input, as there is no other hardware in the vehicle to achieve this function.
Tesla CyberCab (Source: Inside EVs)
The control method of the CyberCab has recently attracted attention because the Petersen Museum released a video showing that when the CyberCab entered the museum, someone in the vehicle seemed to be controlling the vehicle. In the video, the CyberCab slowly drives up the ramp, and someone is sitting in the front seat. People speculate that this person may be sitting in the seat to control the vehicle because Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software is unlikely to navigate in an indoor environment. The source of AutoEvolution confirmed this speculation and stated that this method was indeed used to control the vehicle in the museum. The source also confirmed that the vehicle can also be controlled wirelessly from the outside, like a large remote control car.
In addition, Tesla is currently recruiting a remote operator team for a robotaxi fleet. These operators will be used as safety operators when Tesla launches its first company-operated fleet, which is expected to be launched before 2027. These operators may remotely control the vehicle to solve safety or navigation problems that the robotaxi cannot overcome on its own, similar to the way Waymo uses remote operators when it is unsure how to handle certain situations. Tesla also needs to solve the problem of how to launch this service, including human aspects such as vehicle cleaning and maintenance. General Motors recently withdrew from this business area because its Cruise division requires a large amount of funds to start and maintain the service. Tesla also needs to decide in which region to launch the service first. Recent reports suggest that Tesla may choose to launch in Texas because the state has relatively less regulation on autonomous vehicles.
It is worth noting that Tesla plans to sell these vehicles to the public, which means that the public will also need to overcome these problems when operating their own fleets or personally owned robotaxis. Will the public be ready with their Tesla controllers when needed, or be able to control the vehicle when it exceeds the operational design range? According to the current Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the relevant standards need to be changed before controller-controlled cars can be on the road. However, considering Musk's close relationship with the elected president, anything is possible.
The US Treasury Department Issues Tax Credit Guidance for Electric Vehicle Chargers
US Tax Credit Area (Source: Electrek)
The Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station tax credit policy (Section 30C) provided by the US Treasury Department applies to individuals and businesses. The Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022 provides a tax credit of up to 30% of the cost of eligible EV charging "property". The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department clarified that this tax credit applies to each charging port and its "functionally interdependent components". The credit limit for individuals to declare a home EV charger is $1,000, and the credit limit for commercial properties has been increased from $30,000 to $1.