Zeekr 001, the electric ‘made in China’ becomes the car with the longest autonomy in the world… and has plans for Europe

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Geely is a Chinese consortium that includes other brands such as Volvo and others focused almost exclusively on electric cars. One of them is Zeekr, who has an interesting model in his portfolio: the Zeekr 001, that now gains attractiveness after an update that has made it the electric car with the longest autonomy in the world. Will we see it in Europe? It seems so… but with a trick.

Like Lynk&Co, Volvo or Polestar, Zeekr is one of the brands of the Chinese giant Geely that, for the moment, is unknown in Europe. Something that will soon change because, This year, he plans to land on the Old Continent: will begin its European adventure, precisely, with the Zeekr 001.

Well known… in China

The Zeekr 001 is not a new model: it was presented in China a couple of years ago as a Lynk&Co prototype and ended up becoming Zeekr’s first production model in 2021. It is not easy to classify it because it is a vehicle that, according to the brand , mixes characteristics of a compact, a saloon and a Coupe-style SUV. It offers, yes, a minimalist interior finished off with good materials, where technology is evident: it offers the driver an 8.8-inch digital instrument panel and a 14.7-inch central screen. And all at an interesting price: it is available from 41,000 euros (approximately).

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A new 140 kWh battery

Until now, in countries where it was available, the Zeekr 001 could be ordered with two battery packs: 86 kWh and 100 kWh. With them, he could travel, respectively, 545 and 740 kilometers. These options will be preserved, but Zeekr now adds a third option: a battery with a capacity of 140 kWh, which gives the Zeekr 001 a range of 1,032 kilometers. Its mechanical configuration will also change: its dual motor will develop 543 hp, enough power to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.

Of course, this range is the one that marks the China CLTC Cycle, which does not usually coincide completely with the figures of the WLTP Cycle: theirs are usually 20-25% higher than those of the standard used in Europe. If those 1,032 kilometers are confirmed, we would be talking about the electric car with the longest range in the world. It would thus surpass the Lucid Air (830 kilometers on a single charge), the Tesla Model S (651.7 kilometers) and the Mercedes EQS (563.2 kilometers).

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This autonomy is possible thanks to a new battery developed by Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL). The company, which also founded a joint venture with Geely to assemble batteries in China, will install its Kirin packages in a limited number of Zeekr 001 units. Initially, Zeekr will only manufacture thousand copies of the 001 equipped with the 140 kWh battery.