Leapmotor plans to eliminate 12-volt batteries in electric cars

The 12-volt battery has been an integral part of cars for decades. They are also still on board with electric cars. A Chinese manufacturer now wants to phase them out.

Rüsselsheim. Electric cars also still carry a classic on-board battery with them. Leapmotor wants to abolish it in the future and transfer its task to the large traction battery. The technology called “CTC 3.0 High-Low Fusion Battery” is scheduled to premiere in 2027.

In addition to the traction battery, which usually operates at around 400 or 800 volts, electric cars usually also have the classic 12-volt “starter battery”. Although it no longer has to set an internal combustion engine in motion, it does supply control devices, lighting, windshield wipers and security systems, among other things.

It is also important in order to start up the high-voltage system when starting the vehicle. Leapmotor is now integrating these functions into the large vehicle battery. The high and low voltage supplies should use the same cells and modules as well as common thermal management and energy distribution.

Leapmotor expects the technology to, among other things, require fewer components and lower maintenance costs. Above all, there is no need to replace an aging on-board network battery. This could also be interesting for reliability: According to ADAC, problems with the 12-volt battery were among the most common causes of breakdowns in electric cars in 2025.

However, the Chinese car manufacturer is still cautious about the details of the technology and has not yet provided any concrete weight and cost savings or details about how the on-board electrical system is supplied redundantly when the high-voltage system is switched off or faulty. It is precisely this safety and failure protection that has so far been an important reason for the separate on-board power supply battery.