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Chinese automotive conglomerate Geely Group has posted its annual sales results for 2022, which accounted for more than 2.3 million vehicles sold and nearly 5% growth overall. Although not all of those sales were all-electric models, EVs accounted for nearly a third of them. Here’s how each of the Group’s EV brands performed in 2022.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd., better known as Geely, is a multinational automotive company based in China with ties to several other OEMs around the globe – whether they are wholly or partially owned.

For example, Geely owns a large majority of Volvo Cars, just over 50% of Polestar, and co-owns the smart brand alongside Mercedes-Benz AG. Lotus has also been majority owned by Geely Holding Group since 2017.

In addition to the majority stakes above, the company operates its own brand of vehicles under its Geely Auto marque and has implemented EV-centric brands like ZEEKR in recent years as well. The list goes on, but it’s clear to see that Geely Group has a strong presence on the pulse of automotive sales in China, which has spread to other markets like the US and Europe.

But who pulled its weight for Geely the most in 2022? Was it Lynk & Co? Farizon Auto? Here’s how 2022 fared for each of the Geely Group brands below.

Geely Group
The 001 from Geely Group’s EV brand ZEEKR, which saw great success in 2022

Breaking down Geely Group’s 2022 sales growth by brand

According to recent sales numbers released by Geely Group this week, the company saw year-over-year sales growth of 4.7% in 2022, selling at least 2 million vehicles for a fifth year straight.

The Group is reporting the sale of over 675,000 electrified personal and commercial vehicles within that growth, accounting for 29% of its aggregate sales. That electric sales benchmark is double compared to 2021.

Here’s sales/progress broken down by each Geely Group brand:

  • Geometry (Geely Auto)
    • Geely’s mass market pure electric brand launched two new models in 2022 while expanding outside of China into Eastern Europe and South America. Its sales were 149,389 units in 2022, representing YOY sales growth of 170%.
  • Livan (Geely Auto)
    • Geely’s battery-swap EV brand sold 56,140 units in China during its first year of sales.
  • Lynk & Co (Geely Auto)
    • Geely’s premium ICE/hybrid brand sold 180,127 vehicles globally while expanding its subscription business model by 145% to more than 180,000 members in Europe alone in 2022.
  • ZEEKR (Geely Auto)
    • Geely Group’s EV-specific brand completed its first full year of sales by exceeding its target of 70,000 units, led by the ZEEKR 001 (seen above). The company aims to nearly double its sales in 2023 while its expands into European markets. Perhaps the US after that? We think so.
  • Lotus Cars
    • Lotus began its full transition into become an all-electric brand in 2022 with the start of sales of its Eletre SUV. The automaker also used 2022 as its swan song to the Emira, its final internal combustion engine model. Geely says orders are strong in 2023 already, but hasn’t shared any specific sales numbers.
  • Volvo Cars
    • Similar to Lotus, Geely’s Swedish venture used 2022 as a major turning point for electrification. Volvo Cars saw unit sales reach 615,121 vehicles, but fully electric vehicles only accounted for 10.9%. Still, Geely Group says that YOY EV growth is nearly threefold. Those sales should increase when the new, ultra-safe EX90 SUV arrives.
  • Polestar
    • Geely’s premium Swedish electric brand completed its IPO on the NYSE last year, before delivering on its goal to sell 50,000 vehicles globally, up about 80% YOY. With the Polestar 3 SUV on the way in 2023 and a new Polestar EV to follow every year thereafter through 2026, there’s a lot to be excited about surrounding the Polestar brand.
  • smart
    • Geely’s joint venture with Mercedes began deliveries in China of its first all-electric SUV, the smart #1, in September. It has already delivered over 10,000 units while it looks to expand to new markets in Europe and Southeast Asia in 2023.
  • Farizon
    • This brand saw a sales increase of 55% in 2022 and exists under Geely’s New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group. It has been developing electrified commercial vehicles of its own as of late too. This includes the “Homtruck”electric semi coming in 2024, and its highly customizable SuperVAN.
  • LEVC
    • In 2022, this British electric taxi and commercial van brand saw sales of its electric range-extended TX taxi and VN5 vans grow by about 67%. It will work in 2023 to become a zero-carbon vehicle manufacturer and mobility technology provider, aiming to grow at least 20%.

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Whisper Aero ultralight aircraft scores $500K for “UltraQuiet” electric jet motor tests

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Whisper Aero ultralight aircraft scores 0K for

Along with Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-based ultralight aircraft company Whisper Aero has secured a $500,000 grant to help advance the company’s innovative electric jet motor concept off the drawing board and onto the testing phase.

Earlier this month, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced plans to award $500,000 to Tennessee Tech and Whisper Aero through the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative.

“We look forward to using these award dollars to place students in internships working directly with Whisper Aero leaders,” said Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. “By learning from an electric propulsion innovator like Whisper Aero, our students will gain invaluable perspective and can take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it right here in Tennessee.”

The grant will see a Whisper Aero glider fitted with a pair of the company’s eQ250 electric-powered jet “propulsors” for UltraQuiet flight. Tennessee Tech faculty and students will carry out copper-bird ground testing to ensure the safe integration of engines, batteries, and controllers, and kickstart Tennessee Tech’s new Crossville Mobility Incubator.

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Those propulsors, by the way, are super cool.

UnltraQuiet WhisperDrive; via Whisper Aero.

Whisper Aero’s main claim to fame is its innovative UltraQuiet WhisperDrive (above). It’s effectively an electrically spun ducted fan jet engine that uses a large number of stiff composite fan blades inside a lightweight, acoustically treated duct. With so many blades, the Whisper Aero propulsor can push more air than a conventional prop while spinning much more slowly. As such, the “blade passage frequency” moves up to more than 16,000 Hz – outside the range of most human hearing but not, supposedly, high enough to freak out the beagles.

The Whisper Aero ultralight is effectively an Aériane Swift3 glider fitted with a pair of Whisper’s eQ250 propulsors, each capable of up to 80 lbs. of thrust. The Ultralight has a wingspan of over 40 ft with a maximum L/D of 35:1 and can be stressed to a design loading of +6/-4g, making it capable of some pretty impressive acrobatic feats.

The Swift3 glider is designed for a low speed, low power cruising speed of 45–55 knots with “just” 6.5 hp. Power-off glides from a few hundred feet showed a low sink rate, and a climb rate of 1,250 ft/min with full self-launching power (in other words: the Whisper glider doesn’t have to be towed by a launch vehicle, like a conventional ultralight glider).

Quiet cool

Dual WhisperDrive fans deliver ~160 lbf of thrust; via Whisper Aero.

Range under full power is about 109 miles with current battery tech, but it’s expected that range under the latest EPiC 2.0 energy batteries would rise to nearly 170 miles.

Nathan Millecam, CEO of Electric Power System, said, “EPiC 2.0’s leap in energy density and thermal performance has enabled a significant increase in range, a clear validation of our next-gen cell technology. We are impressed by what the Whisper team continues to achieve in advancing electric aviation.”

The press release concludes explaining that flight tests are expected to show that the Whisper Aero glider can be flown, “a few hundred feet away from neighborhoods without any disturbances, while carrying a 220 lbs. payload with full range,” which is all kind of ominous in today’s political climate, but still pretty neat from a purely tech perspective.

The TNGO grant follows a separate grant from NASA awarded last year, though that grant aims to develop the eQ250s – not as a propulsion system, but as a key component in future spacecraft ventilation systems.

Tennessee Tech announces TNGO grant

With support from TNECD’s Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative, Tennessee Tech University and Whisper Aero are partnering to advance next-generation propulsion technology in the aerospace industry. This collaboration will enhance aerospace research and workforce development, ensuring Tennessee remains a leader in cutting-edge mobility solutions.

TNECD

SOURCE | IMAGES: TNECD; via eVTOL Insights, New Atlas.


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Tesla Cybertruck owner gets stuck after beliving Elon Musk’s ‘river crossing’ claim

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Tesla Cybertruck owner gets stuck after beliving Elon Musk's 'river crossing' claim

A Tesla Cybertruck owner believed Elon Musk’s claims that the Cybertruck would be able to “act as a boat” and “cross rivers”, and he got his $100,000 stuck because of it.

Elon Musk has often made claims about how Tesla vehicles could float and briefly serve as a boat in the past.

We have never been taken too seriously because Tesla’s warranty states something different about taking the vehicle into water.

However, the CEO doubled down on the claim specifically for the Cybertruck.

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Ahead of launching the production version of the Cybertruck, Musk claimed the vehicle would be “waterproof enough” to serve as a boat and cross rivers:

Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes and even seas that aren’t too choppy.

The CEO added that the goal is for a Cybertruck to be able to cross the water between SpaceX’s Starbase and South Padre Island in Texas, which is about 360 meters (1,100 feet).

We have been taking the Cybertruck more seriously with water because we learned that Tesla built a ‘wade mode’ for the truck to be able to go into the water. Tesla says the mode increases the ride height to the max and temporarily “pressurizes the battery pack.”

The problem is that it is activated through the off-roading mode, which is not covered under Tesla’s warranty – so we are taking everything with a grain of salt.

Whenever Tesla’s warranty contradicts what Musk says, it is better to follow to the warranty.

A Tesla Cybertruck owner in Truckee, California, appears not to have received this sage advice since they activated the wade mode and attempted to get into the water.

The Cybertruck owner quickly got stuck. The local California Highway Patrol (CHP) shared some pictures of the aftermath (via Facebook):

CHP Truckee helped with the recovery and commented on the incident:

Cybertruck activated “Wade Mode”… and waded a bit too far… We’re all for testing boundaries… but maybe not the waterline. Remember folks, “Wade Mode” isn’t “Submarine Mode.” If your plans include exploring the great outdoors, make sure to know your limits and the terrain.

There’s no detail on the damage to the Cybertruck, if any.

As we recently reported, repair costs for the stainless steel electric pickup truck can increase rapidly.

This Cybertruck owner is also not the first one to get stuck in water. We previously reported on a Tesla Cybertruck sinking into the water when launching a jet ski.

Electrek’s Take

At the risk of stating the obvious, this is clearly more of a user error than a Cybertruck problem.

I think the verdict is clear: Cybertruck is far from the best electric pickup truck for off-roading.

However, in general, you shouldn’t expect a truck to get out of water on a muddy bank.

I think a lot of Cybertruck owners are new to trucking and off-roading, and they are making the truck look worse than it is at off-roading.

If you want to take your Cybertruck off-road, I recommend to first go with an off-roading guide that can help avoid some simple mistakes like this.

Also, in general, don’t take Elon Musk’s claims at face value when he says that Tesla vehicles can do something that sounds like an exaggeration. It probably is an exaggeration.

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Bang for the buck: Omoda 9 arrives in Europe, nothing cheaper has more power

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Bang for the buck: Omoda 9 arrives in Europe, nothing cheaper has more power

The latest Chinese EREV to arrive in the west, the Omoda 9 SHS crossover hopes to shake things up in the hyper-competitive class with a top-shelf tech package, more horsepower than a Porsche 911 GT3, and a €39,900 price tag.

Established in 2022 as an upscale electric sub-brand by the Chinese car giant, Chery, Omoda has global ambitions – a fact that’s underscored by launch of the new Omoda 9 SHS (for “Super Hybrid System”) SUV shown here. And, with up to 535 hp in the top EU-market trim, Spanish auto enthusiast site Motorpasión reports that nothing cheaper is more powerful.

To put those 535 hp into context, Porsche’s motorsports-focused 911 GT3 supercar generates “just” 502 from its 4.0L flat-six engine. The Omoda’s 535, meanwhile, are generated by a single electric motor powering the SHS’ front wheels and a pair of electric motors at the rear – good enough to rocket the SUV from 0-62 mph (100 kmh) in just 4.9 seconds.

Under the hood

Omoda 9 SHS under the hood; via Omoda.

The SHS version of the Omoda packs a 34.46 kWh battery pack that lets Omoda 9 SHS go 145 km (a little over 90 miles) on pure electric power. Once the battery is depleted, the 1.5 liter turbocharged ICE unit (shown, above) kicks on, providing an additional 935 km of driving for a combined 1,100 km of “range” from a full tank and battery.

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That said, this is a PHEV/EREV with more than enough all-electric range to handle all but the most extreme of edge-case daily driving needs – and, as such, Omoda expects the 9 SHS it to be used more like an EV. To that end, it’s capable of DC fast charging at up to 65 kW, charging from 20% to 80% in under 30 minutes.

Omoda execs, for their part, seem pretty proud of themselves. “The OMODA 9 represents a significant advancement for our brand, embodying modern living with its beautiful design, intelligent engineering, and usable technology,” says Victor Zhang, UK Country Director for OMODA. “Our SHS technology demonstrates the progress in hybrid vehicles, offering performance, range, and seamless integration into daily life. We believe the OMODA 9 delivers the comfort, power, and quality that today’s drivers expect.”

To meet those expectations, the Omoda 9 SHS offers drivers a dual 12.3″ curved screen display, a 540° rear-view camera, and a Sony sound system with HD speakers integrated into the front seats’ Nappa leather headrests. Those leather seats also feature fully electric adjustment, as well as heat, fan, and massage functions.

The 9 SHS is one of several new models introduced at this week’s Shanghai Auto Show, and is available for order in the UK and EU for delivery later this year.

Electrek’s Take

We can talk about tariff this and trade war that all day long. The real message here, however, is that China is objectively, unequivocally, and obviously years ahead of the US when it comes to American EVs in terms of manufacturing efficiency, battery and charging technology, and value. And, as long as they have a system that takes the burden of pensions and healthcare and other basics of life off the manufacturer, they’ll probably keep pulling ahead.

Head on down to the comments and change my mind.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Omoda; via Motorpasión.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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