First ZEEKR 009 MPVs roll off assembly line in China with 500+ mile range
Just over six months after teasing first images of its second EV model, Chinese automaker ZEEKR has officially begun production of the 009 MPV. Deliveries of the all-electric, multi-purpose vehicle are expected to follow soon, contributing to the Geely sub-brand’s quick growth and early success.
ZEEKR remains a relatively young luxury EV automotive brand in China founded as recently as 2021 under Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd, better known as Geely. Geely added ZEEKR to its EV umbrella as a high-end marque to compete in China against fellow automakers like Tesla and NIO. So far, it’s held its own and reported decent quarterly numbers in 2022.
The company’s flagship EV – the ZEEKR 001 – began deliveries overseas over a year ago, ahead of publicly shared plans to eventually expand to new markets in both North America and the EU. Before then however, ZEEKR has been working to deliver its second EV, the 009 which it began teasing last summer.
By August, we had our first full look at the MPV, which will feature CATL’s energy dense Qilin batteries, a contributor to the 822 km range the higher-tier version of the ZEEKR 009 is touting now that production is officially underway.
ZEEKR team celebrates 009 SOP, two models in two years
ZEEKR shared images of the first 009 models rolling off its assembly line Ningbo, Zhejiang province of China yesterday. Deliveries will soon follow. The ZEEKR 009 officially launched sales in China this past November, offering two different versions – the WE and ME.
The Zeekr 009 comes standard with a dual motor powertrain with 400 kW peak power, plus ternary lithium batteries. The size of those packs does vary alongside starting MSRP. For example, the WE trim starts at RMB 499,000 ($73,680) and includes an 116 kWh battery offering 702 km (436 miles) of range.
The higher end model includes an 140 kWh pack that includes the aforementioned Qilin technology, delivering 822 km (~511 miles) of range on a single charge and starts at a price of RMB 588,000 ($86,822). It’s important to note that these range estimates are CLTC and would likely equate to significantly lower distances from the EPA. Still impressive for such a large EV, nonetheless.
Even as the lower-end trim, ZEEKR is touting the WE 009 as the first MPV in China to eclipse 700 km CLTC range. In December, ZEEKR announced it had surpassed its output goal of 70,000 units for 2022 and shortly followed up with targeted plans for 140,000 annual units from 2023 onward.
So far, there have been no talks of a third model in the ZEEKR family, nor has the Geely brand shared more details of its expansions into new markets like the US. However, the company did quietly file for a US IPO in December.
At the pace this EV automaker is moving, we are sure to hear some more news soon.
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LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand spun out of Harley-Davidson, has just announced its latest electric motorcycle model. The new LiveWire S2 Alpanista is built on the same platform as the brand’s last two models, leveraging the Arrow platform as a versatile foundation for several diverse bikes.
The Arrow platform first received its debut with the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, which was then followed by the S2 Mulholland.
LiveWire announced that a high-performance electric maxi-scooter would be produced on the Arrow platform, but not before the company rolled out the S2 Alpinista. “The Alpinista is LiveWire’s first sport standard,” explained the company, “equipped with 17” wheels and tires, blending the best of street, sport, and hyper-tourer characteristics.”
The recently unveiled S2 Alpinista is mechanically quite similar to the two previous models sharing the platform. The 10.5 kWh battery that serves as the main structure of the bike will offer a maximum range of 120 miles (193 km) per charge under city riding conditions. It can be recharged with a Level 2 charger from 20-80% in just 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The 433 lb (196 kg) bike can achieve a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of just 3.0 seconds, thanks to its powerful 63 kW (84 hp) motor. The S2 Alpinista can also reach an electronically limited top speed of 99 mph (159 km/h).
Priced at US $15,999 and already available at LiveWire dealerships in North America and Europe, the S2 Alpinista officially becomes the most affordable LiveWire electric motorcycle available to date, undercutting the $16,249 S2 Del Mar electric street tracker and the $16,499 Mulholland electric sport cruiser.
“Alpinista reimagines the S2 by combining the urban agility of a supermoto with the do-it-all nature of a touring bike, creating a practical and thrilling sport standard,” explained the brand.
The smaller 17″ wheels help reduce the seat height of the bike, and combined with the Dunlop Roadsmart IV tires, the street-optimized bike is ideal for “both daily commutes and spirited rides through winding roads.”
The S2 Alpinista comes with 6-axis IMU from Bosch providing cornering-enhanced antilock braking and cornering-enhanced traction control systems, in addition to four preset ride modes and two custom modes.
Now the third model launched on the Arrow platform, the S2 Alpanista underscores the versatility of LiveWire’s workhorse. The approach was intended to allow the e-motorcycle offshoot to quickly innovate with multiple styles of motorcycles all sharing key structural and drivetrain components. The move has largely been seen as an engineering success, with three models hitting the road in under three years. However, sales have yet to reach targets set by LiveWire as the more premium electric motorcycle industry has experienced a rocky few years.
As a LiveWire S2 Del Mar owner myself, I can attest to both the performance and enjoyable experience of bikes built on the platform, though I do find myself in a somewhat smaller community than LiveWire had likely hoped for. With the backing of its powerful older brother H-D, which retains a controlling stake in the company, LiveWire has enjoyed the relative freedom to cruise for its first few years and focus on motorcycle development and rollouts, with profitability hopefully coming over the horizon in due time.
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