A pedestrian in China recently captured footage of one of the most bizarre incidents we’ve ever seen involving an electric vehicle. It shows the aftermath of an entire battery pack falling out of the car.
The incident recently occurred on the 2nd Ring Road in Chengdu of China’s Sichuan province. The video missed the moment that the battery pack actually fell out of the car but it does show the battery lying in the middle of the road and the white EV parked just a few meters ahead of it.
The car involved is known as the Cao Cao 60. While you’ve probably never heard of it before, Cao Cao is actually Geely’s ride-hailing business and the 60 was introduced earlier this year as the unit’s first EV. It is available exclusively to ride-hailing business customers who work for Cao Cao Mobility.
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It is unclear precisely how the incident occurred but interestingly, the Cao Cao 60 supports battery swapping. In fact, Geely has proudly claimed that a discharged battery pack can be swapped out with a fully charged one in just 60 seconds. Is it possible that the SUV’s battery fell out soon after being changed? It’s certainly plausible, particularly given that EVs that support battery swapping rely on machines to bolt the packs into place. One issue with the machine, like it not torquing a bolt to the correct value, could conceivably lead to the pack working its way loose and falling out.
The video is very short so it’s impossible to say whether any damage was caused to the underside of the Cao Cao 60 or if the battery pack has been damaged after falling onto the road. Whatever the case may be, we’re sure Geely is looking into it.