Geely rolls out first Zeekr 001 EV from new Intelligent Factory in Ningbo, China

Geely’s new fully-electric premium brand Zeekr has finally rolled out its first production electric vehicle (EV). The Zeekr 001 rolled out of the brand’s new Intelligent Factory in Ningbo, China with deliveries set to start on 23-October-2021.

The new Zeekr Intelligent Factory in Ningbo is one of the most advanced vehicle facilities in the world. The factory uses a fully automated welding section with over 300 robots with very limited human intervention.

The production process does not need full monitoring as the welding production line adopts monitoring systems such as glue application visual guidance, online measurement, and ultrasonic self-inspection.

This is possible thanks to the use of industrial-grade 5G+ intelligent internet system that allows production to be planned, tracked, and checked as the EVs go through each stage of production.

Also read: From plant to palm, Zeekr 001 buyers can track every step of their car’s progress

Zeekr 001 production model

The Zeekr 001 is the first model that Geely’s new premium electric brand has to offer. The car is built on Geely’s new Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA) platform.

It can generate 544 PS and has a max torque of 768 Nm. The 001 is able to make the century sprint in just 3.8 seconds and from 100-0 km/h in just 34.5 metres.

Also read: Geely's premium EV, the Zeekr 001 debuts in China, around RM177k

Powering the 001’s twin motor system is a 100 kWh Z-Battery that is good for at least 700 km on the NEDC method. Zeekr also claims that the battery can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.

Mind you, the Zeekr 001 is slightly different from when it was first unveiled back in April this year. This is because Zeekr engineers continued conducting tests at experience centres and real-world testing on city, mountain, and desert roads.

The production model is said to have ironed out the common issues that real-world testing has returned and is also based on user feedback.

At the moment, Zeekr is working on the first Over the Air (OTA) update to further improve the Zeekr Assisted Drive (ZAD) system so customers will always have the newest software technology in their EVs.

Also read: Geely shows off what the Zeekr 001 can do in new video

Solving the charging crisis

Over the past month, fights over the charging stations have been reported all over China due to the Golden Week holiday. Zeekr is ready to combat that issue with the installation of numerous 360 kW charging stations in 10 cities by the end of 2021.

Other than that, Zeekr will also open two more experience centres, known as Zeekr Space, in Hangzhou and Shanghai. Currently, Zeekr already has one experience in Hangzhou and Tianjin respectively. 10 more is expected to go online in the coming weeks.

Also read: China’s week-long holiday: BEV owners fight over charging ports, no A/C for families