ZEEKR 001 and 009 first drives: Quality EVs offering proof this automaker is just getting started
After over two years of consistent coverage of Geely’s young, all-electric ZEEKR brand, I finally got the opportunity to see its first two EV models up close and take them both for a spin. As a bonus, ZEEKR also had its purpose-built EV designed for Waymo on display before first deliveries to the robotaxi startup begin.
Since its inception announcement from parent company Geely back in March of 2021, EV brand ZEEKR has held a mainstay on Electrek’s homepage for a number of reasons. For one, with a powerhouse like Geely in its corner, the company has scaled up and done so quickly, producing over 10,000 units of its flagship 001 shooting brake in a mere four months.
It only took ZEEKR 520 days to deliver 100,000 cars, a number that had already surpassed 120,000 as of June 2023. Deliveries should continue to grow as ZEEKR has now introduced a third model called the X, as well as a quad-motor performance variant of the shooting brake called the 001 FR.
Newly appointed CEO of ZEEKR Technology Europe, Giovanni Lanfranchi, joined us at the Monticello Motor Club in New York and talked us through the company’s fast-paced strategy explaining, “ZEEKR is moving faster than a very fast China.”
With two EVs already on the cusp of beginning sales in Europe and plans to expand to 70% of the continent’s markets by 2025, followed by the Middle East, ZEEKR is certainly moving fast. Its EV models are fast too, as I got to take the 001 and 009 out on the track and experience the Chinese automaker’s tech up close for the very first time. Here’s an up-close look at the 001 shooting brake inside and out.
Taking a spin in ZEEKR’s first two EV models
My first ride was in the ZEEKR 001 EV, which in my opinion, is even more sleek in person. As a shooting brake, the 001 offers a much more streamlined profile and simply looks faster than a sedan… and it probably is.
The dual motor Performance AWD version I drove goes 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.8 seconds, has continuous damper control (CDC) and delivers 544 hp (400 kW). Pretty impressive considering the EV weighs 2.4 tons. I’ll tell you what – when you’re hitting hairpin turns and accelerating through straightaways, the 001 feels a lot lighter.
It was a joy to ride and only makes me want to experience the 001 FR even more. That will take some time as production just began, but that will happen eventually. Trust me.
Once my adrenaline briefly settled, it was onto the 009 multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). In the states, we simply call it a minivan, but there is nothing mini about this vehicle. The team told us the internet in China has actually dubbed it the “ZEEKR Tank.”
My first impression of the second EV model from ZEEKR was how low it sits, how large its side door is, and how luxurious it looks inside. As you can see from the images above, the rear seats offer some serious incline… just as long as no one large is in the third row, because it looked pretty tight back there.
My first ride was as a passenger, and although it was comfortable, the large leather seats left room to shift around. Granted, most passengers won’t be experiencing a hot lap in the 009, so they should remain relatively still, but even the front seat left room for some shifting at high speeds.
Upon driving the 009 myself, it’s clear that this is a whole new beast altogether. Even at 2.8 tons, the 009 can accelerate 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, but it honestly feels a lot faster than that. Turns weren’t as tight as the 001, which made for a more “thrilling” experience, but after driving and riding in the 009, I’d like to see more of these EVs in the states because they might plow right through the “soccer mom” family car stigma minivans usually have.
The 009 is not only luxurious and comfortable, but its powerful, safe, and loaded with advanced technology. It will be interesting to see how it continues to fare in China’s MPV market and whether it makes it way over to other countries. I personally could see it as an excellent replacement for the Tahoe or Escalade as a livery vehicle.
ZEEKR also showed off its robotaxi built for Waymo
Last but not least during my East Coast visit, ZEEKR surprised us with an up-close look at its purpose-built EV that will soon make its way to Waymo, following an agreement signed back in late 2021.
Although the EV on display was a non-driving prototype, it was cool to get a glimpse of some of the technology and design cues ZEEKR is bringing to the table here. The EV is a bespoke model that will soon be shipped to Waymo, who will add its own technology to enable autonomous robotaxi rides. Essentially, ZEEKR could sell the EV to other commercial operators for different uses, this specific design however, was developed alongside Waymo.
According to ZEEKR, the prototype EVs are being built in China as we speak and will be sent to Waymo shortly. The robotaxi network plans to deploy the purpose-built EVs in five US cities to begin, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin, but there is no clear timeframe on when that will happen.
The version seen above does not include a steering wheel, but the first EVs you may see on city streets will likely have them for regulatory reasons. ZEEKR said that if regulations require the steering wheel, it can add it as necessary.
While experiencing the EVs at speeds well over 100 mph was a huge perk, my first experience with ZEEKR was much more than that. The quality, technology, and plans for expansion are grounds for excitement for this young company. Its growth in a short time and its current valuation of $13 billion is cause for optimism and its support from Geely should only harden that sentiment.
There’s a lot in the works across ZEEKR’s design center in Sweden and production hub in China. Trust that I’ll stay on this beat to keep you in the loop. Hopefully I can get behind the wheel of the aforementioned X and 001 FR EVs next and report back. Stay tuned.
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GreenPower Motor Company says it’s received three orders for 11 of its BEAST electric Type D school buses for western state school districts in Arizona, California, and Oregon.
GreenPower hasn’t made the sort of headline-grabbing promises or big-money commitments that companies like Nikola and Lion Electric have, but while those companies are floundering GPM seems to be plugging away, taking orders where it can and actually delivering buses to schools. Late last year, the company scored 11 more orders for its flagship BEAST electric school bus.
As far as these latest orders go, the breakdown is:
- seven to Los Banos Unified School District in Los Banos, California
- two for the Hood River County School District in Hood River, Oregon
- two for the Casa Grande Elementary School District in Casa Grande, Arizona
Those two BEAST electric school buses for Arizona will join another 90-passenger BEAST that was delivered to Phoenix Elementary School District #1, which operates 15 schools in the center of Phoenix, late last year.
“As school districts continue to make the change from NOx emitting diesel school buses to a cleaner, healthier means of transporting students, school district transportation departments are pursuing the gold standard of the industry – the GreenPower all-electric, purpose-built (BEAST) school buses,” said Paul Start, GreenPower’s Vice President of Sales, School Bus Group. “(The) GreenPower school bus order pipeline and production schedule are both at record levels with sales projections for (2025) set to eclipse the 2024 calendar year.”
GreenPower moved into an 80,000-square-foot production facility in South Charleston, West Virigina in August 2022, and delivered its first buses to that state the following year.
Electrek’s Take
Since the first horseless carriage companies started operating 100 years ago (give or take), at least 1,900 different companies have been formed in the US, producing over 3,000 brands of American automobiles. By the mid 1980s, that had distilled down to “the big 3.”
All of which is to say: don’t let the recent round of bankruptcies fool you – startups in the car and truck industry is business as usual, but some of these companies will stick around. If you’re wondering which ones, look to the ones that are making units, not promises.
SOURCE | IMAGES: GreenPower Motors.
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While some recent high-profile bankruptcies have cast doubt on the EV startup space recently, medium-duty electric truck maker Harbinger got a shot of credibility this week with a massive $100 million Series B funding round co-led by Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for fledgling EV brands like Lion Electric and Canoo, but box van builder Harbinger is bucking the trend, fueling its latest funding round with an order book of 4,690 vehicles that’s valued at nearly $500 million. Some of the company’s more notable customers including Bimbo Bakeries (which owns brands like Sara Lee, Thomas’, and Entenmann’s) and THOR Industries (Airstream, Jayco, Thor), which is also one of the investors in the Series B.
Other prominent investors include Tiger Global, the Coca-Cola System Sustainability Fund, and ArcTern Ventures.
As for what makes Harbinger such an attractive investment prospect, Dipender Saluja, Managing Partner of Capricorn Investment Group’s Technology Impact Fund explains that, “Harbinger has demonstrated a remarkable ability to reach significant milestones far quicker than other EV companies … the market has been impressed by their ability to develop large portions of the vehicle in-house to drive down unit costs, while remaining capital efficient.”
The company plans to use the funds to ramp up to higher-volume production capacity and deliver on existing orders, as well as build-out of the company’s sales, customer support, and service operations.
“Harbinger is entering a rapid growth phase where we are focused on scaling production of our customer-ready platform,” said John Harris, co-founder and CEO. “These funds catalyze significant revenue generation. We’ve developed a vehicle for a segment that is ripe for electrification, and there is a strong product/market fit that will help fuel our upward trajectory through 2025 and beyond.”
The company has raised $200 million since its inception in 2021.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Harbinger.
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There is no state more associated with cars and car culture than Michigan – and the state that’s home to the Motor City has just taken a huge step into the future with the deployment of its first-ever all electric police vehicle.
The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E patrol vehicle is assigned to the Michigan State Police State Security Operations Section, and will be to be used by armed, uniformed members of the MSP specializing in general law enforcement and security services at state-owned facilities in the Lansing, MI area.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to research, in real time, how a battery electric vehicle performs on patrol,” says Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. “Our state properties security officers patrol a substantially smaller number of miles per day than our troopers and motor carrier officers, within city limits and at lower speeds, coupled with the availability of charging infrastructure in downtown Lansing, making this the ideal environment to test the capabilities of a police-package battery electric vehicle.”
The MSP’s Precision Driving Unit is nationally renowned for its annual Police Vehicle Evaluation, which our own Scooter Doll participated in last year, driving the then-new Chevy Blazer EV Police Pursuit Vehicles in a game of “cops and robbers.”
In those tests, the EVs have impressed – but the MSP has been hesitant to commit to a BEV until now. “We began testing battery electric vehicles in 2022, but up until now hybrids were the only alternative fuel vehicle in our fleet,” said Lt. Nicholas Darlington, commander of the Precision Driving Unit. “Adding this battery electric vehicle to our patrol fleet will allow us to study the vehicle’s performance long-term to determine if there is a potential for cost savings and broader applicability within our fleet.”
Michigan joins other states like Wisconsin and California in deploying electric patrol cars and saving big money on fuel and maintenance, with many more out there and many more to come.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Michigan State Police.
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