Last month, the first Zeekr 009 rolled off the production line. Officially launched in November, the second model from Geely Holding Group‘s premium electric mobility brand is a six-seat fully electric vehicle designed “for cool people” wanting an MPV.

With the launch of the 001 in 2021, Zeekr promised the world “no more dull EVs,” and the brand aims for the 009 to redefine the MPV age with an entirely new way of thinking. The MPV is no mere baby mover or pet carrier, it says. The 009 is meant to represent a new benchmark for luxury MPVs, with many claimed firsts to define the tone for future electric MPVs.

 

Designed in Gothenburg

The MPV’s designers, led by Stefan Sielaff, Vice President of Geely Design Global, at the Zeekr Global Design Center in Gothenburg, Sweden, pushed the frontier of MPV design, taking full advantage of Geely’s SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) electric product architecture.

Replacing air intakes in front is what is described as the world’s first smart grille. The Spring of Light vehicle face design is composed of 154 LED dot-matrix lights that can be intelligently programmed for different scenarios.

The 009 adopts what is said to be the largest aerodynamic windscreen in its class. Combined with a triangular double A-pillar structure, the shape results in a low-for-an-MPV 0.27 drag coefficient.

In another automotive first, the 009 is said to use the world’s largest one-piece die-casted rear aluminum body. The 1.4 m (4.6 ft) long, 1.6 m (5.2 ft) wide part is made in the world’s largest 7200-ton die-casting machine. Its design reduces deformations in the event in an impact and increases bending stiffness. A two-stage detachable buffer structure is added to reduce post-collision maintenance costs.

Sophisticated suspension technology was engineered into the vehicle with real-time smart adjustments enabled at each wheel for an optimal mix of comfort and performance. The independent double-wishbone front and integrated multi-link all-aluminum rear suspensions feature intelligent air springing and a CCD electromagnetic vibration reduction system as standard.

 

First with CATL CTP 3.0 Qilin battery

The vehicle’s SEA electric product architecture brings a combination of silicon carbide chip technology and two e-motors offering an efficiency of 98.5% and a maximum power of 400 kW. This helps to accelerate the 009 from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.5 s, making it the only MPV on the market to reach the 4-s club, according to the company.

The 009 is the world’s first vehicle to use CATL‘s CTP 3.0 Qilin battery. With a 140-kW·h battery pack, the electric range of the 009 ME is 822 km (510 mi), as measured by the less-stringent CLTC (China light-duty vehicle test cycle).

In August, Zeekr was announced as the first car brand to be powered by mass-produced Qilin batteries. A five-year strategic partnership between Zeekr and CATL is aimed at strengthening the interaction of supply and demand and promoting the technological advancement of the new energy industry.

“Upholding the principle of delivering solutions with joint efforts, we are dedicated to enabling automakers to build global high-end car brands with leading EV battery technologies and solutions, thus promoting global e-mobility transition,” said Dr. Robin Zeng, Founder and Chairman of CATL.

“Zeekr 009 with Qilin inside will be delivered to our customers in Q1 2023, and Zeekr 001 Qilin edition will be rolled out in Q2 2023,” added An Conghui, CEO of Zeekr.

The 001 will be the world’s first model equipped with Qilin batteries having a 1000-km (621-mi) range.

The Qilin batteries are based on CATL’s third-generation CTP (cell-to-pack) technology. With a record-breaking volume utilization efficiency of 72% and an energy density of up to 255 W·h/kg, the battery technology is said to achieve the highest system integration level worldwide so far.

Qilin supports a hot start in 5 min and fast charging in 10 min thanks to large-surface cell cooling. With the same chemical system and pack size, the technology is said to deliver 13% more power than the 4680 battery, accomplishing an all-around improvement in range, fast charging, safety, service life, efficiency, and low-temperature performance.

 

Supported by Mobileye SuperVision

Zeekr aimed with the 009 to create the safest MPV in the world, with its 6S6S safety concept of ensuring all six seats are safe with intelligent technologies. A suite of exterior cameras and sensors provide “a 720° safety zone” (not your typical 360 degrees!) around the vehicle.

Intelligent safety is achieved through a “safe chauffer” ADAS (advanced driver assist system) supported by Mobileye dual 7-nm EyeQ5H vision processor, seven 8-megapixel HD cameras, four 2-megapixel surround view cameras, one ultra-long-range millimeter wave radar, and twelve short-range ultrasonic sensors. The powerful algorithm and sensing capabilities allow Zeekr to safely offer its users more than 30 driver-assist functions as well as help protect pedestrians and other road occupants.

Mobileye says its SuperVision driver-assistance technology is derived directly from the vision supplier’s autonomous-vehicle development program. The system provides features like autonomous lane changing, adaptive cruise control, comprehensive surround emergency assist, advanced traffic sign and light recognition, front and rear collision avoidance, and evasive maneuver assist. The advanced feature set is supported in the 009 by a high-resolution surround-view camera array, the two EyeQ5H chips, and Mobileye’s RSS-based driving policy.

The advanced capabilities of SuperVision can be further upgraded as development progresses with over-the-air software updates like that which recently rolled out to over 50,000 001s already on the road. Zeekr highlighted its SuperVision-based Navigate-on-Pilot point-to-point assisted-driving system in the 009 with a special, pre-order promotion.

In September, Mobileye and Geely announced an expanded collaboration that will see SuperVision incorporated into additional models from Zeekr and into three further brands under the Geely Group umbrella.

 

The inner space

Zeekr describes the 009 interior as an intelligent, luxurious, mobile living room enabled by the brand’s 8155 intelligent cockpit system for feature-rich functions. Its digital TV ecosystem and multimedia suite are based around a 15.6-in five-way adjustable central ceiling screen that supports content streaming, wireless screen projection, and 1080P HD video conferences.

The MPV’s “best seats in the house” are Sofaro first-class aviation cabin seats in the rear rows. The soft Nappa leather seats have a generous 70-cm (27.6-in) width and cushion thickness of 12 cm (4.7 in). They are engineered to offer spa-class massage functions with multiple options. Adjustments are made with each seat’s smart armrests, and for added practicality, each seat comes with an adjustable 585-cm² (91-in²) deployable table.

Another industry first is the multi-modal interactive stereo system customized for MPVs. The Zeekr OS (operating system) provides users with interactive experiences between ecosystems and screens as well as six independent voice-recognition zones to facilitate interactions with the vehicle AI.

Independent sound-recognition zones facilitate communication through the “world first” ICC (in-car communication) system for MPVs. With it, passengers in the second and third rows can easily talk directly with those in the front through the speakers.

 

Mobility solution ambitions

Zeekr aims to create an integrated ecosystem using the SEA, with its own battery technologies, battery management systems, electric motor technologies, and electric vehicle supply chain. Its ambition is to become a “true mobility solutions provider” with “values of equality, diversity, and sustainability.”

That effort began with its first product, Zeekr 001 in October 2021, but it has an ambitious roll-out plan over the next 5 years to satisfy the rapidly expanding global EV industry. In China, Zeekr has established over 220 sales outlets in more than 330 cities. Zeekr Power has established 550+ fast-charging stations in 106 cities and partnered with third parties to extend charging coverage to 336 cities with access to 360,000 chargers.

In the next three years, Zeekr plans to expand its product line sales of 650,000 units globally by 2025. Next up is model #3.