Leapmotor is targeting one of the most overlooked weaknesses of modern electric cars: the humble 12-volt battery. While EVs can carry enormous high-voltage battery packs capable of delivering hundreds of kilometers of driving range, they still typically depend on a conventional low-voltage battery to operate many of the systems needed to start and run the vehicle.

Now, the Chinese automaker, in which Stellantis holds a 51 percent stake, says it has developed a solution that could make the traditional 12V battery obsolete.

The technology is part of Leapmotor’s new LEAP 5.0 New Mobile Space Architecture and CTC 3.0 High-Low Fusion system. Rather than maintaining separate high-voltage and low-voltage electrical systems, the new architecture integrates their functions into a more centralized electrical and battery system.

If the technology performs as claimed, it could represent an important change in how future electric vehicles are designed, serviced and powered.

Why Do Electric Cars Still Need a 12V Battery?

The continued use of a 12V battery in electric vehicles is one of the more curious aspects of EV technology.

An electric car can have a high-voltage battery containing enough energy to propel the vehicle for hundreds of kilometers, yet a failed 12V battery can still leave the car unable to operate.

The reason is that the high-voltage traction battery and the low-voltage electrical system traditionally perform different functions. The 12V system supplies power to numerous vehicle components, including lighting, windshield wipers, multimedia equipment, control electronics and other accessories.

It also plays an important role in bringing the vehicle’s electrical systems online.

According to figures cited from Germany’s ADAC automobile club, almost half of its approximately 3.7 million annual roadside assistance calls are associated with discharged 12V batteries. That makes the small auxiliary battery a surprisingly significant source of vehicle breakdowns.

For electric vehicles, the situation can be particularly frustrating. A driver may have plenty of energy remaining in the main battery, but a dead 12V battery can nevertheless prevent the vehicle from functioning normally.

Leapmotor’s Answer: LEAP 5.0 and CTC 3.0

Leapmotor is attempting to address the problem by combining the traditionally separate electrical architectures.

Its LEAP 5.0 New Mobile Space Architecture works together with the CTC 3.0 High-Low Fusion system, creating an electrical architecture in which high-voltage and low-voltage functions are more closely integrated.

Instead of relying on a conventional 12V battery alongside the main traction battery, Leapmotor’s system uses a 48V power supply and a centralized Clover 5.0 electronic architecture.

The company says the new system provides seven times the low-voltage power capacity of its previous-generation architecture.

The objective is not simply to replace a 12V battery with another type of auxiliary battery. Instead, Leapmotor is attempting to eliminate the traditional component altogether by integrating its functions into the vehicle’s broader high-voltage electrical architecture.

That approach could reduce the number of individual components required and simplify the vehicle’s electrical system.

A Simpler Electrical Architecture

The potential advantages extend beyond the battery itself.

Modern electric vehicles contain increasingly complex electrical networks, with numerous control units, wiring systems, converters and electronic components. Consolidating these functions can reduce component count and potentially create more efficient packaging.

Leapmotor’s CTC 3.0 system is therefore part of a broader industry trend toward centralized vehicle architectures.

The company claims that the new system is designed to remain maintenance-free throughout the vehicle’s entire service life. If that claim translates into real-world durability, owners could benefit from fewer maintenance requirements and fewer replacement components.

There is also an environmental argument.

Conventional 12V batteries eventually reach the end of their service life and must be replaced. Eliminating them could therefore reduce the amount of lead-acid battery waste generated over the lifetime of an electric vehicle.

However, the real-world reliability of the new architecture will ultimately determine whether those theoretical benefits translate into meaningful advantages for owners.

When Will Leapmotor LEAP 5.0 Reach Europe?

European customers will have to wait before experiencing the new technology.

Leapmotor says LEAP 5.0 will not arrive in Europe immediately. The first vehicle from another brand within the wider Stellantis group to use the technology is scheduled to arrive during the fourth quarter of 2027.

The timing is significant because Leapmotor’s existing models will not immediately transition to the new architecture.

The Leapmotor C10 is scheduled to receive an update in early 2027, but that refresh will continue using the previous-generation technology rather than LEAP 5.0.

That means customers purchasing the refreshed C10 should not expect the new high-low voltage architecture.

Leapmotor’s European 800V Strategy Also Differs From China

The company’s European product strategy is already diverging from its Chinese lineup in another important area.

Leapmotor has decided not to introduce the 800V version of the B10 to European customers, despite the higher-voltage version having been available in China since July.

That decision highlights the differences between Leapmotor’s technology roadmap in China and Europe.

The company is developing increasingly sophisticated electrical architectures, but the timing and specifications of individual technologies will vary depending on market.

Could the 12V Battery Become Obsolete?

Leapmotor’s approach raises an interesting question for the wider electric-car industry: does the traditional 12V battery still have a long-term future?

For decades, the 12V electrical system has been a standard feature of passenger vehicles. Electric cars changed the propulsion system but, in many cases, retained the familiar low-voltage architecture for the rest of the vehicle.

That arrangement is increasingly being challenged as automakers move toward 48V systems, centralized computing and more integrated electrical architectures.

Leapmotor’s CTC 3.0 takes that evolution one step further by attempting to eliminate the conventional 12V battery altogether.

If the technology proves reliable in large-scale production, it could eventually influence how other manufacturers approach low-voltage electrical systems in future EVs.

For drivers, the potential benefit is straightforward: fewer components that can fail and one less conventional battery that needs periodic replacement.

For automakers, the attraction could be even greater. A simplified electrical architecture can potentially reduce component count, free up packaging space, streamline manufacturing and reduce long-term service requirements.

The biggest question is no longer whether an electric vehicle needs a large battery. It is whether it needs a small one sitting beside it.

Leapmotor believes the answer may soon be no.

For European buyers, however, the transition will take time. LEAP 5.0 is still several years away from becoming widely available in Europe, with the first Stellantis-group application expected in late 2027.

Until then, the conventional 12V battery remains an essential part of most electric vehicles—and potentially one of the smallest components capable of stopping a very large battery-powered car in its tracks.

Source: Leapmotor