Hyper Track | Why is ZEEKR bold enough to live stream endurance testing

Author: Zhou Yuan / Wall Street News

Recently, the car industry has been filled with gossip and attacks, with controversies and insults abound.

Various parties have joined the fray, engaging in heated debates and utilizing unlimited public resources, resulting in a rapid escalation of "verbal warfare". While these controversies may be cloaked in the guise of "considering users", the true user value needs have been "accidentally" forgotten and ignored.

Fortunately, not all car manufacturers have lost their way: there are also "hardcore" players in the car industry. As the saying goes, "less talk, more action". While ZEEKR may not excel in verbal battles, its strong technical capabilities are enough to allow ZEEKR to respond directly with "facts".

The core demand for new energy vehicles, such as range capability, is one of the key factors that cannot be bypassed. All technical indicators, such as pure electric architecture, three-electric systems, material selection, vehicle design, battery technology, tire quality, etc., involving aspects like space, comfort, power, etc., all revolve around range.

On April 9th, ZEEKR's new ZEEKR 001 and ZEEKR 007 products initiated an "executive live range test". The results showed that the range achievement rates of the two vehicles were as high as 83% and nearly 90%, respectively.

This is an outstanding achievement.

This achievement is closely related to ZEEKR's continuous technical efforts since its establishment in March 2021—features such as the "three 800s" possessed by the two models that initiated the range test this time, and ZEEKR's "vertical, horizontal, global" collaborative innovation with non-deformable execution.

ZEEKR Focuses on Facts: Letting Facts Speak

Originally, ZEEKR did not focus on verbal battles, as this is not ZEEKR's strength.

Since its establishment in March 2021, ZEEKR, backed by Geely Group, has continued Geely Group's pragmatic style—letting products that can infinitely satisfy users speak: successively launching hit products such as ZEEKR 001, ZEEKR 007, ZEEKR 009, ZEEKR X, ZEEKR 001 FR, and the new ZEEKR 001.

However, on March 29th, ZEEKR was "unexpectedly" labeled unfairly.

In response, ZEEKR's reaction can be described as direct and intuitive: conducting a real simulation of user actual scenario applications, starting from the ZEEKR Tower, reaching the destination at Hefei iFLYTEK, and driving around the Hefei ring road viaduct until the battery was depleted.

What was the purpose of this? Very simple, for clarification.

The test results proved that the new ZEEKR 001 (ME version) had a tested range of 586 kilometers, with a range achievement rate of 83%, which was 21 percentage points higher than the "ambiguous" test results from the third-party organization on March 29th; the ZEEKR 007 had a tested range of up to 689.8 kilometers, with a range achievement rate close to 90% (89.58%).

This is a concrete demonstration of technical strength, as well as a visual display of ZEEKR's systematic technical capabilities, further strengthening ZEEKR's pragmatic style of focusing on user needs, infinitely enhancing user value, and speaking through results rather than relying on fancy marketing tactics to win A brief review of the two test models in this test: the new ZEEKR 001 ME version and the ZEEKR 007 four-wheel drive intelligent driving version, both with a battery capacity of 100kWh; the CLTC (China Light Vehicle Test Cycle) calibrated range is 705 kilometers and 770 kilometers respectively.

Throughout the entire testing process, these two ZEEKR models experienced urban morning rush hour, intercity highways, with ZEEKR 001 covering 71% of the test route on highways, while ZEEKR 007 traveled 61% on highways. The average speed on highways was 110km/h-112km/h, with both cars not undergoing special tuning, not equipped with low rolling resistance tires, and with wheel sizes of 21 inches (new ZEEKR 001 ME version) and 19 inches (ZEEKR 007 four-wheel drive intelligent driving version), air conditioning set at 23°C, with two fan speeds... These conditions closely simulate real driving scenarios for users.

It is worth mentioning the wheels, which are metal components in a barrel shape inside the tire that support the tire.

Wheel size can affect the speed and stability of a car, as well as the smoothness of the vehicle's operation, noise, and energy consumption.

Large wheel sizes are usually paired with low aspect ratio tires. Vehicles with large wheels have less deformation during high-speed cornering, improving handling sensitivity. However, oversized wheels may result in poorer comfort due to smaller tire sidewalls.

On March 29th, a third-party testing agency used the new ZEEKR 001 YOU version with 22-inch wheels, while on April 9th, the test car was the new ZEEKR 001 ME version with 21-inch wheels.

So, what's the difference between 21-inch and 22-inch wheels?

In simple terms, 21-inch wheels offer higher comfort, lower cost, and great value for money, being less prone to bulging and deformation. On the other hand, 22-inch wheels have a higher aesthetic appeal, a firmer suspension, better performance, and higher cost. Generally, larger wheels provide better performance and visual impact but are less economical.

What does systematic technological strength reflect

Although one of the test models on April 9th, the "new ZEEKR 001 ME version," used 21-inch wheels, this was done to better simulate real-world scenarios.

This reflects the overall principle of ZEEKR's testing on April 9th. The confidence to uphold this infinitely close to "real" testing principle actually comes from ZEEKR's technological strength.

It is noted that ZEEKR's application technology is not fragmented but built on a systematic "vertical, horizontal, and global" collaborative innovation approach The so-called "vertical integration" refers to the vertical industry synergy promoted by ZEEKR. For example, ZEEKR has the first completely self-developed native pure electric architecture in China with independent intellectual property rights - the SEA Haohan pure electric architecture; new energy vehicles have the largest proportion of cost in the "three electric" technology and intelligent manufacturing, ZEEKR has achieved comprehensive self-research. This is the primary reason why ZEEKR has established the leading industry advantage of "three 800s".

The "horizontal integration" is the continuously strengthened horizontal ecological synergy. ZEEKR officially launched its globalization strategy in 2023, focusing on developed countries in Europe and other emerging markets. As of March 2024, ZEEKR has entered mainstream markets in more than 20 countries including Sweden, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

The test on April 9th has a solid market feedback foundation.

Lin Jinwen, Vice President of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology, revealed on April 9th that the cumulative large orders for the new ZEEKR 001 since its listing have reached nearly 40,000 units, with accelerated deliveries starting in April, and expected monthly deliveries of over 10,000 units in April.

Statistics show that from New Year's Day to the first week of April this year, ZEEKR 001 and 007 have consistently ranked first and second in sales of pure electric vehicles priced above 200,000 RMB in China, with a significant lead over the third place. In the first week of April, they also surpassed Tesla, becoming the sales "double champion" in the market for pure electric vehicles priced above 250,000 RMB and above 200,000 RMB in China.

The new ZEEKR 001 offers four models with a price range of 269,000 RMB to 329,000 RMB, all equipped with over 150 functional configurations as standard, such as the full-stack 800V high-voltage system, 800V large-capacity power battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 computing platform, integrated die-cast rear aluminum body, and equipped with 28 speakers and LiDAR.

In addition to the 800V high-voltage system and 800V large-capacity power battery, since the establishment of the brand, ZEEKR has also insisted on self-developed, self-built, and self-operated ultra-fast charging network, deploying China's first charging network with 800V high-voltage fast charging capability across the board.

Among them, the 800V silicon carbide (SiC) high-performance electric drive system uses the "dual-linked planetary gear reducer" from the same source as the ZEEKR 001 FR, providing 10 driving modes, including the same racing mode, catapult mode, and drift mode as the ZEEKR 001 FR. The four-wheel drive version accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds.

In terms of material performance, the breakdown field strength of SiC is 10 times that of Si (silicon). This means that the thickness of the SiC epitaxial layer is 1/10 of Si, and the bandgap and thermal conductivity are about 3 times that of Si, so the volume is much smaller than Si-based devices and the working performance is stronger.

The power of new energy vehicles comes from the electric motor drive, traditionally using Si-based power devices. If SiC-based power devices replace the original Si-based power devices, the energy efficiency loss of the drive can be reduced by 80%. This means that with the same range, using SiC materials can carry smaller batteries (with the same or higher density), and the cost will also be correspondingly reduced To increase the range of electric vehicles, the key lies in the lightweight design of the product itself. The all-new ZEEKR 001 adopts a high-performance steel-aluminum hybrid lightweight design for the body, utilizing Tailor Rolled Blanks (TRB) continuous variable cross-section rolling technology to further reduce the number of reinforcement layers, achieving the goal of lightweighting.

As a medium to large-sized hunting vehicle, the curb weight of the all-new ZEEKR 001 is 2470 kilograms, equivalent to a Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The so-called E-Class refers to large ultra-luxury sedans, one level higher than the D-Class, with common E-Class models such as the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Bentley Mulsanne.

From the test results of the ZEEKR duo's range, it directly validates the technical strength of ZEEKR's "three 800s": strong endurance and energy replenishment capabilities, while also confirming on a more practical level the outstanding competitiveness of ZEEKR's systematic technological capabilities.

This competitiveness not only effectively enhances the overall technical level of China's automotive industry system but also serves as a direct reflection of the breakthrough progress that the Chinese automotive industry is making