BYD's 'SEAL', which features Integrated Drive Module (IDM) and Cell To Body (CTB) technology, has officially announced its domestic launch, and interest in these technologies is growing. It is expected that interest in related technologies will increase among consumers, along with a sense of alarm among domestic automakers who are still lagging behind in these technologies.

BYD unveiled the 'SEAL' model at the '2025 Seoul Mobility Show' that opened at KINTEX on the 4th and announced the start of full-scale domestic sales.

BYD's confidence that the SEAL, despite being a Chinese car, will perform well in the domestic market is due to its technological prowess that domestic electric vehicles do not possess.


SEAL is a vehicle built primarily on the e-Platform 3.0 with an 8-in-1 integrated drive module.

The integrated drive module is a system that integrates eight key electric vehicle components: the vehicle control unit (VCU), battery management system (BMS), motor control unit (MCU), power distribution unit (PDU), DC-DC converter, onboard charger (OBC), drive motor, and transmission. This can reduce the weight and volume of the vehicle and significantly improve energy efficiency and driving performance.


As competition in the electric vehicle market intensifies, global automakers are rushing to develop integrated drive modules.

BYD is the only company in the world with 12-in-1 IDM technology and is applying it to actual vehicles through e-Platform 3.0 Evo.

Not only BYD, but also JAC MOTORS of China, Nidec of Japan, Huawei of China, Changan of China, Nissan of Japan, and Valeo of France possess integrated drive module technology of 6-in-1 or more, Schaeffier of Germany possesses 4-in-1, Equipmake of the UK, GKN of the UK, Volkswagen of Germany, Allison of the US, and Hyundai Transys of Korea possess integrated drive module technology of 3-in-1 motor, inverter, and reducer.

The integrated drive module integrates previously separate components to reduce weight and volume, and minimizes power loss between components to increase energy efficiency.

Additionally, the manufacturing process is simplified and maintenance of parts becomes easier. It also improves driving range and power performance by increasing the efficiency of the entire system.

Accordingly, the world's major electric vehicle manufacturers are strengthening the competitiveness of electric vehicles through integrated drive modules, and recently, they are developing advanced integrated technologies that integrate more parts into a single module.

Another innovative technology applied to the BYD SEAL along with the integrated drive module technology is the Cell To Body (CTB) technology.


This technology uses battery cells as a structural part of the vehicle body to increase rigidity, reduce vehicle weight, and maximize space efficiency.

Tesla has applied similar cell-to-chassis (CTC) technology to its Model Y, while China's Leaf Motor has demonstrated improved performance by applying CTC technology to its Model C01 and Xiaomi has demonstrated improved performance by applying CTB technology to its SU7.

CTB technology offers groundbreaking improvements in not only vehicle rigidity and weight reduction, but also space utilization. The vehicle's interior space has been expanded and its weight has been reduced, which has greatly contributed to extending driving range and improving stability.

Currently, the domestic automobile industry is somewhat behind in the IDM technology competition in the global market.

Domestic companies are still focusing on developing individual technologies for each component, but securing IDM technology is essential to being competitive in the global market.

There are indications that domestic automobile manufacturers should actively pursue the development of integrated drive modules and establish close cooperative systems with parts suppliers in the future.

Experts emphasize that in order to strengthen domestic electric vehicle competitiveness, it is necessary to secure structural battery technology such as CTB as well as IDM technology.

If the industry actively pursues securing IDM and CTB technologies through technology sharing and industry-academia cooperation, it is expected that sufficient competitiveness will be secured in the global market.

Interest in IDM and CTB technologies is expected to increase further with the domestic launch of BYD's SEAL.

Attention is focused on whether the domestic automobile industry will be able to secure competitiveness in the electric vehicle market by actively adopting IDM technology.