State engineering awards reveal shared tech behind BYD, Geely, and Changan battery architectures

Power battery architectures and ultra-fast charging systems received the highest state-level recognition at the State Science and Technology Progress Awards. The engineering accolades highlighted major breakthroughs in structural welding, intelligent electric chassis design, and high-velocity thermal management systems. The official listings clarify that these honours represent massive cross-industry development efforts rather than single-manufacturer monopolies.

Thermal control systems capable of managing intensive electrical currents formed the centrepiece of the state safety commendations. The foundational research for the high-safety, long-life power battery systems project was jointly completed by a consortium including Changan Automobile, China Automotive Engineering Research Institute, Calb, and BYD. This collaborative framework established the standardised protocols that allow modern cells to withstand high-amperage grid deployment while remaining structurally shielded from corrosive acid formations.

Battery control systems

Fast charging generates intense heat, and regulatory rules strictly require keeping battery cells below 65°C. The award-winning tracking technology allows vehicle software to monitor temperatures multiple times per second to prevent hot spots. This software setup helps vehicles safely approach the maximum charging limit without causing battery degradation or short circuits.

The award-winning breakthrough is actually a software system, meaning competing carmakers still build entirely different physical batteries. Instead of forcing a shared cell layout, the project standardizes the tracking rules that dictate how vehicle software monitors battery data down to the millisecond. This prompts the cooling system to kick in well before a cell can overheat, keeping each brand’s unique hardware setup intact.

Consequently, physical cell form-factors and chemical properties remain highly distinct across participating manufacturers. For instance, BYD relies on long, rectangular Lithium Iron Phosphate cells integrated as load-bearing structural beams, whereas Changan optimises high-stability cell designs focusing on an extended 5,000-cycle durability limit. By isolating software control protocols from the hardware layer, the joint state honour provides a shared safety blueprint while preserving private market variance in physical packaging and battery energy densities.

Changan Automobile officially noted that this award validates its proprietary Golden Shield battery technology, utilised in Deepal brand passenger models. Concurrently, the underlying multi-brand research supports rival high-power systems, including high-acceptance platforms that validate Geely short-blade cell architectures, which achieved a certified peak input of 1,093 kW during state validation testing. The cooperative engineering push has successfully transitioned to retail vehicles, enabling the deployment of approximately 100,000 flash-charging vehicles now operating on domestic roads.

Redundant chassis engineering

Intelligent electric chassis systems also secured separate high-level engineering honours for architectural fault tolerance and structural integration. This specific engineering project was co-developed by Tsinghua University alongside passenger vehicle manufacturers including BYD, Geely, and Great Wall Motors. The engineering focus is on creating a fail-operational design by utilising electromechanical braking with the highest functional safety ratings to guarantee vehicle control if primary digital lines experience interference.

Automakers are leveraging these intelligent chassis configurations to heavily optimise energy efficiency through advanced regenerative braking algorithms. The systems capture kinetic energy during deceleration and return it directly to the battery pack, extending real-world city driving range by up to 15%. This structural development operates in tandem with automated driver assistance systems to handle high-speed cornering and lateral stability control on upcoming premium vehicle platforms.

Advanced manufacturing standards

Precision manufacturing lines received dedicated accolades for accelerating the deployment of lightweight, thin-walled structural vehicle components. The engineering project introduced real-time closed-loop monitoring systems for resistance welding lines to eliminate structural warping during assembly. The automated systems dynamically alter electric currents instantly to ensure uniform bond strength across high-strength steel and aluminium panels, significantly reducing factory defects across multiple assembly plants.

The standardisation of these vehicle-side technologies directly supports the rapid scaling of the domestic high-voltage charging grid infrastructure. Automakers are currently expanding competitive high-power networks, deploying terminal stations capable of delivering up to 1,500 kW of peak output. These infrastructure deployments leverage the latest high-power hardware configurations optimised to dramatically reduce charging times, successfully scaling grid acceptance speeds while maintaining long-term battery durability across competing manufacturer lineups.

Sources: Sina, EastMoney

Updated: July 13 14:30 China time