Chinese start-up U Power’s radical view of our EV future

Chinese EV technology start U Power has revealed its vision for the future of battery electric vehicles and a smart skateboard to underpin them.

Backed by tier one auto supplier Bosch among others and headed by Li Peng, the former boss of Chinese goliath Great Wall’s high-end EV brand Saloon, U Power has only been in existence since April 2021.

Clearly, the team has been busy because not only was the UP Super Chassis that’s the core of the project unveiled, but so was the sleek UP Space 01 Super Coupe, versatile 02 MPV and Hummer-like 03 SUV.

The UP Space 04 electric ute was also shown in renders but didn’t make it onto the stage during UP Day yesterday evening (January 11) Aussie time. A UP Space 05 van was also shown.

U Power actually says it has no intention of building cars itself, but wants to sell its chassis to automakers, which sounds like the same concept other suppliers such as Foxconn and REE are already following.

But U Power says its chassis has unique design features – including integration of both hardware and software demands for modularisation and intelligence – slashes costs by as much as 60 percent and development time of a car line by 50 percent.

It claims a battery range between recharges for its chassis can be more than 1000km.

The skateboard chassis integrates the electric motor, all-wheel drive system, battery and thermal management system, steering mechanism and suspension mechanism, allowing an almost infinite choice of upper body designs, which can be developed separately.

The chassis design increases interior space by between 30 and 60 percent compared to an orthodox design, according to U Power.

“In the future the space of a car will no longer be defined by its wheelbase but by how many purposes it can accommodate,” English subtitles read during a video presentation.

“Embrace a new era of car-making, every brand will have its own UP Space.

“Embrace a new era of space and experience, it is just the beginning, it is not just a technological reform but a reform of the experience and the business.

“Embrace car-making era 2.0. what remains unchanged is the passion for cars, for every purchase and every one.”

U Power is forecasting its chassis could reach mass production as soon as 2023.