Zeekr thanks to the 007 really seems to be beginning to hit the big time sales wise. The brand hopes to add to that success with the mid-life upgrade of its first car the 001 which originally went on sale in 2021. Following on from yesterday’s article we bring you more details.
In terms of specifications the new version will address some of the shortcomings of the original. Perhaps most importantly the car will finally get 800V architecture which will help with recharging times. Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform was designed by CEVT in Europe and from the start has been compatible with the technology but for some reason the 001, which was the first car to use the new platform, didn’t feature 800V electrical architecture.
Another key omission on the original was Lidar, with the car coming about six months too early for the wave where every car in the price bracket had it. Equipped with Lidar the upgrade should gain considerably better ADAS capabilities. There will also be a wide-screen 35.5-inch augmented reality head up display. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip powers the cockpit, it’s the company flagship fourth generation chip and allows comprehensive AI driven voice control.
Appearance wise the revised car looks more like the newer Zeekr 001 FR versions with a similar front. The new lower front air vents are wider, and deflector grooves larger giving the car a more aggressive look. There are options for orange brake calipers and a tow hook – the car has a 2 ton towing capacity. Lower spec versions of the car will not have Lidar. Dimensions of the new car are slightly different with length, width and height at 4977/1999/1545 mm, and the wheelbase is 3005mm. While the wheelbase and width are the same this is slightly longer than the original which was 4970 mm and also lower, the original was 1560 mm.
Inside the car gets an upgrade in terms of material quality with touches like the wireless charging area now being covered with suede plus there is also a new three spoke steering wheel. The center screen is now a 15.05-inch 2.5K OLED unit. Reportedly the car also gets a 5D viewing mode which can replicate things such as wind. Like in the XPeng G9 the seats also vibrate to music.
Power is up considerably on the original which used 200 kW motors on the rear and additionally the front in the all-wheel drive version. With the upgrade the car uses the same 310 kW (440 Nm torque) silicon carbide rear motor as used by the Zeekr 007. All-wheel drive versions then adds a 270 kW motor to the front axle. Acceleration time for the performance version is 3.3 seconds (0-100 km/h, 0-62 mph).
Qilin batteries from CATL in packs of 95 kWh and 100 kWh provide the electrons. The smaller pack can charge from 10-80% in 11.5 minutes and in the rear-wheel drive version provides 722 km of range or 626 km in the performance model. Charging time for the 100 kWh pack is marginally slower at 15 minutes and means the car can travel up to 750 km CLTC in the rear wheel drive version or 656 km for the all-wheel drive.
Underlying Zeekr’s high hopes for the upgrade are some offers to mark the launch which mean the car should offer even better value for money. This gives people who purchase the upgrade before March 31 a 10,000 yuan (1,400 USD) discount on the final price.
Editor’s note:
The Zeekr 001 is one of the best driving electric cars I have driven to date but even when I originally tested it I thought there were some serious omissions. While the SEA platform has always been capable of employing 800V electrical architecture they chose to leave the debut of that to the Lotus Eletre. The upgrade fixes that along with lack of Lidar. When launched the 001 was just before pretty much every car in the price bracket had it and I can’t help but feel this made the car uncompetitive very shortly after it was launched to people who valued tech and self-driving capability. The new version will continue to rely on Mobileye self-driving technology but with Lidar on the more expensive versions of the 001 the car should be far more capable. Like with XPeng’s P7i upgrade this upgrade should help a very good car to remain competitive over the next few years.
So much great news about the 001. Still one of the best looking EV’s. The sale just started in Norway – delivery after summer. And they offer a 10+10+10 package till a certain date (ten years free service, ten years battery warranty and ten years on the car itself).
The estimated prices also look manageable. BUT – it’s the old model. When the new updated model will arrive in Europe we don’t know.
And another thing – where did the phosphate battery package go (“Gold”) – or is it the Quilin from CATL?