For many years, Australia’s EV landscape has been evolving. Recently, it has stepped up a notch with drivers having many more EV choices in the market.
A lot goes into designing, engineering, manufacturing and delivering these EVs. During the last month, I was fortunate enough to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of one of these Australian-bound EV brands, thanks to the premium EV maker, Zeekr.
Over four days across three cities in China, much was seen, including what goes into:
- Designing EVs for the global market;
- Developing technology that underpins EV architectures;
- Manufacturing them at scale;
- Distributing to local and international customers;
- What’s to come in Australia?
So without further ado, let’s get into some of the things an EV enthusiast with a background in engineering observed and why our local EV market is about to step up another notch later in 2024 and beyond.
Designing EVs for the global market
My China tour started in Shanghai at Zeekr’s Design Centre. This is the company’s latest global design studio which opened earlier this year after the success of its design team in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Here I got to see multiple products that have been developed for both International and local Chinese markets. We’ll get to those a little later on as it was the first time to learn more about the design studio itself and the company’s design philosophy.
The design studio is led by Javier Garcia-Gallardo who was very generous with his time to run through the design processes that go into bringing an artist’s impression of a new EV all the way to reality.
This included initial artist sketches of a prototype to the iterations in exterior design needed to bring it to life.
An original sketch of the Zeekr 001 model was also shared with many of the styling details bought to the production car which I also got to see and test in the following days.
The design studio is not only responsible for the exterior design of the EVs but also all the elements to go on the inside.
This included the design of the seats, interior, steering wheel and user interfaces (UI and UX) around the infotainment system.
With a focus on elegant design and the end user/driver in mind, the team juggles multiple design priorities to come up with an interior that makes it a minimal yet pleasant space to be in.
After learning about the design process, there were multiple Zeekr production models on showcase. Having understood the design process a bit more, it helped me get more appreciation of the design elements that go into these EVs.
One of these vehicles that stood apart from the rest of the model lineup is currently the company’s largest offering.
This is the Zeekr 009 and is expected to head to Australia in the coming months. It features a sleek exterior and uses lights in the front grille to make itself stand apart from other people movers on the market.
Over the course of the tour, we got to see more of what makes this quite a unique model, including the engineering underneath the skin.
Other vehicles on the showcase included the Zeekr X which is an electric SUV that aims to deliver space and technology in the premium EV segment.
The technology elements were quite interesting as the design team shared some of the features they are currently trialling with customers in China.
This included the centre screen sliding over to the passenger side for in-car entertainment. This feature can be activated by the passenger with a three-finger slide on the main screen itself.
Another key design and functionality feature available to customers in China is what the brand calls “zero-gravity seat support”. The unique zero-gravity seat support provides a comfortable reclining seat for front passenger on longer journeys.
These features are currently available to customers in markets like China but it’s unclear if they’re likely to be heading to international markets.
Speaking of markets, according to the company, the Zeekr X would be the first model heading to the Australian market in the coming months, with one confirmed sighting of the Zeekr X last week in Sydney.
Other models on display at the design studio included the company’s latest production model, the 007. It’s a stylish sedan that would offer a very comfortable EV with a design trick that few other cars can match.
The front grille incorporates what the company calls “Stargate”. This is a 90-inch interactive light panel that runs across the width of the car’s front grille. It can be customised to showcase text, images and signs to other cars and road users.
The incorporation of this technology in the design of a production-ready car may set off a trend with limitless applications to make our roads safer in an era where autonomous vehicles might just be around the corner.
The rear of the car is also very sleek and is designed by a team overseen by Stefan Sielaff, who previously was a designer at Audi and Bentley.
Developing technology that underpins EV architectures
From the design studio in Shanghai, we took a trip down to the city of Ningbo where Zeekr’s Intelligent Factory is based.
The experience here started with getting to learn a bit more about the all-electric architectures the company has been using in the vehicles seen at the design studio.
Zeekr’s electric lineup is based on Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) which has been developed and is currently in its third generation.
A cutaway of this architecture was on display at the factory and highlighted the key structural, drivetrain and battery pack sections of the vehicle.
Image: ZeekrAlong with that, we got to see the focus on safety that underpins EVs produced by the brand at this and other factories around the world.
Two safety tests were also presented on a Zeekr 001. The first simulated a side impact scenario and the other a battery impact test. After both impacts, the final state of the vehicle was seen and the Zeekr tour guide told us that the car was still driveable.
Manufacturing them at scale
After this test, the team invited us for the intelligent factory tour. Being able to see the cars being produced on multiple production lines was eye-opening, to say the least. Maybe this was the inner mechanical engineer in me that got me quite excited.
With robotic arms doing a lot of the structural lifting of the key components, it was clear to see that this was a world-class production facility with multiple lines operating.
Each day, this factory produces hundreds of vehicles including the models seen at the design studio.
On the same production line, vehicles for the right-hand-drive markets like ours were being built as well as for Chinese and European customers who drive left-hand-drive vehicles.
The quality assurance process was also very thorough with multiple tests being undertaken by the evaluation team before the cars are ready to be shipped off to delivery centres and hubs across China and internationally.
Distributing to local and international customers
On the tour, I got to see the local distribution by heading to the company’s flagship store in the lake-side city of Hangzhou.
Here all four of its production models were on showcase including the latest 007 which from the rear looked as sleek as the Stargate lighting front.
The showroom had sales staff to help customers with any questions about the products and customers could just walk off the street and book test drives or experience what it’d be like owning one of these cars.
The two-level store also had a merchandise area and a customer lounge that showcased the brand’s focus on the customer, design and innovation.
Multiple books on innovation were also spotted on the bookshelves on this level as well as the various accessories customers can opt in for when getting behind the wheel of their new EV.
What’s to come in Australia
Zeekr plans to launch two of the four production models in the coming months. The first will be the Zeekr X, a premium electric SUV.
This model is expected to be the volume seller for the brand to kick things off in our market. It offers comfort levels and driving dynamics that many drivers in the premium segment are looking for in their first or second EVs.
The second model to head to our shores is the 009 people mover. Having been driven around across parts of Shanghai upon arrival and at the flagship showroom in Hangzhou, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever been in.
That’s before we start talking about what this high-performance people mover is like on a racetrack. More on the driving experience of these models to follow.
