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Geely Group’s premium brand, Zeekr unveiled a new Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) featuring both a rear underbody Gigacasting and the world’s first mass produced magnesium electric drive unit.
The Zeekr 8X is an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). Like any battery-electric vehicle (BEV), it is powered primarily by a large high-voltage battery pack that drives the wheels.
What sets it apart is its onboard combustion engine, which never directly propels the vehicle. Instead, it functions solely as a high-efficiency generator to recharge the battery when needed, dramatically extending the total driving range.
What’s so noteworthy about this vehicle is the world’s only mass-produced 900V electric drive unit with a magnesium alloy housing, and it is the first time magnesium alloy has been applied at scale to all core structural components in a production vehicle-grade electric drive system.
Zeekr collaborated with China’s top material research teams to develop a proprietary vehicle-grade rare-earth magnesium alloy. Key load-bearing structural part, including the motor housing, reducer housing, inverter upper housing, and end covers, are all formed using magnesium die casting.
Compared with a conventional aluminum alloy electric drive assembly of the same specifications, the overall weight is reduced by 22%, to a total 77 kg.
At the same time, the magnesium alloy material delivers superior vibration and noise reduction performance, improving the assembly’s overall NVH by 8 dB. Even at ultra-high motor speeds of 22,000 rpm, the cabin remains quiet.
Rear Gigacasting
Nothing new to the Zeekr brand but other than the usual benefit reported by every other OEM, inlcuding weight, part, noise, cost reductions and torsional stiffness increases, it’s noteworthy to point out that the 8X is Zeekr’s seventh(!) vehicle to adopt a rear underbody Gigacasting.
In a short span of around 3 years, Zeekr was able to launch on the market 7 different models and Gigacastings played a massive role in reducing the BiW shop size of their factory in Zhejiang and maintaining a lean manufacturing process more flexible with fewer efforts when swapping production between different bodies.
The Zeekr 8X, along with the entire Zeekr lineup and many upcoming Chinese EVs not yet launched on the market, is fully featured in The Gigacasting Database with comprehensive specifications, including production numbers.
Automated storage of machined RUB Gigacastings in the Zeekr foundry. Source: WSJ on YouTube
