Video Shows Chinese EV Droppped Its Battery Pack While Driving

The car was built with battery swapping in mind, but dropping the pack on the road probably wasn’t part of the brief.

Cao Cao 60 EV

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jul 3, 2023 at 9:36am ET

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A Chinese all-electric vehicle known as the Cao Cao 60 was filmed on the 2nd Ring Road in Chengdu, Sichuan province, after it lost its high-voltage battery pack while driving, according to CarNewsChina.

The short video shows the white EV stopped about 65 feet (20 meters) after it lost its main power source, which could mean that the car simply rolled to a complete stop with the help of inertia.

There was no fire and no damage of any kind, but the whole story is quite ironic because the Cao Cao 60 – which debuted in March – was designed by Chinese car giant Geely (which also owns Volvo and Polestar, among others) specifically for battery swapping, with the carmaker claiming that a swap could be completed in just 60 seconds.

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By the looks of it, the white EV that lost its pack appears to have achieved at least half of the swap operation in just a couple of seconds.

Moreover, Geely’s slogan for its battery swap business is “separation of vehicle and electricity,” which fits like a glove to this particular situation. However, it’s worth noting that a single reported case doesn’t mean the vehicle or the swap system is compromised – all car manufacturers have made mistakes in the past but went on to rectify them. Remember the Tesla Model Y that had its steering wheel detach within a week of being delivered? Well, the American EV maker eventually replaced the car with a new one, even though it said it was “a gesture of goodwill.”

The Cao Cao 60 debuted on March 30 as Cao Cao Auto’s first-ever vehicle, targeting drivers that earn a living working for Cao Cao Mobility, which is Geely’s ride-hailing business. CarNewsChina reports that the EV costs 119,800 yuan (approximately $17,500), but it’s reserved for ride-hailing business customers, meaning that the general public can’t buy it.

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The Cao Cao 60 is manufactured by Ruilan Auto, which is another one of Geely’s car brands, and has a CLTC driving range of 258 miles (415 km), as well as a swappable battery.

As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so after watching the video embedded at the top of this page, head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.