The Chinese brand Yangwang, which belongs to the Chinese electric car giant BYD, unveils a new chassis. It is the very first in the world to be molded in one piece, which could revolutionize the vehicles of tomorrow.
We no longer present BYD, which is currently the world leader in electric cars. A status that the Chinese manufacturer, arriving in Europe in 2023, should still maintain. But did you know that the Shenzhen-based firm actually has several other brands in its portfolio? Among them is Yangwang, which was founded in 2023.
A revolutionary method
The latter should in turn make its arrival on the Old Continent, like Denza not long ago. But it displays a very different positioning from BYD, since it actually wants to be much more upscale. Even ultra-luxurious. It already markets several models, including the incredible U9, which has just become the fastest car in the world. It’s also impossible not to mention the U8, a large hybrid SUV that we were able to test during a previous trip to China.
A few weeks ago, the brand lifted the veil on a brand new version, called U8L. We also took the wheel of it recently. And this behemoth has a particularity, which the site reveals to us Car News China. It is actually based on a unique one-piece chassisthe very first in the world. A great first, signed by the Hubei Hantek Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd company responsible for its design. But what do we know about this technical feat?
In fact, this chassis is made of low-pressure die-cast aluminum and is intended for large vehicles. It is therefore perfectly suited to the Yangwang U8L, which measures more than five meters long. This new base has a surface area of 4.2 square meters and a wall thickness including between 4 and 50 millimeters. Enough to provide great resistance to the car, designed to venture on all types of terrain. And even float on water.
The Chinese company behind this project affirms: no international project has until now succeeded in casting a chassis presenting such a variation in thickness. But what does this new chassis actually bring? Well the latter is made in a single piece, which changes everything. As a reminder, a classic aluminum chassis requires several dozen distinct components. These are welded or riveted, depending on the needs of the manufacturer. However, these processes are complex, and above all very expensive.
A design that changes everything
Furthermore, this generates certain points of fragility at the structural levelwhich directly affects the rigidity of the car. Which is therefore not the case with the technology designed for the U8L. Because the one-piece design offers greatly increased rigidityparticularly the bodywork. The vehicle then resists torsion better, while “ Optimized distribution of forces throughout the structure reinforces protection in the event of an impact “. Finally, this type of technology offers “ a perfect balance between high strength, robustness and fatigue resistance ».
In addition, the single-block design significantly reduces manufacturing costs. This is why more and more manufacturers are using the Gigacasting method. The latter simply consists of manufacturing the entire structure of a car from a single piece of metal. This one is shaping thanks to a gigantic press. Tesla is already using this solution, as are Toyota and BYD.
The goal? Reduce production time and costsand thus maximize profits. Or push prices even lower. But will we soon find the one-piece chassis on all the Chinese brand’s electric cars? Not so sure, because this design is mostly designed for tall models. According to the manufacturer, this approach “ could influence the design and future production of heavy vehicle chassis “. But no further details have been communicated at this time.