Suzhou Times Xin'an Energy Technology Company (Synland), a subsidiary of China’s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited (CATL), announced it has completed the development of its new Kunshi chassis designed for battery-powered light commercial vehicles.

Synland was established in 2021 to focus on the development and production of new energy commercial vehicle chassis and components, using CATL's extensive EV battery resources. The company said it aims to help drive up demand for battery-powered commercial vehicles.

The new Kunshi “skateboard” chassis was developed to support high-efficiency light-duty truck logistics, offering extended range, fast charging and providing enhanced payload capacity. It looks to overcome some key challenges facing battery-powered light-duty trucks, including high highway energy consumption, limited range and overweight battery packs which affect cargo efficiency.

Synland claims the Kunshi 140E version of the chassis delivers a battery performance comparable to industry-standard 168kWh packs, while ensuring long-term operational efficiency with an extended 600,000 km warranty for core components. 

At the launch event last week, Synland signed strategic collaboration agreements with local commercial vehicle manufacturers including FAW Jiefang, Shaanxi Automobile and Qingling Motors. The company also said it had secured over 16,000 pre-orders from a number of local logistics firms.