Zeekr 001 FR Electric Supercar Revealed: Quad Motor 1,265hp Supercar To Rival Telsa Model S Plaid

Zeekr, a Chinese-based EV manufacturer owned by the Geely group, has revealed a new sporty version of its 001 performance electric car. Called the Zeekr 001 FR, it is one of the fastest electric cars slugging it out with the likes of the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire. How has Zeekr achieved this and what more the FR version offers over the standard 001 model? Let’s find out!

The Zeekr 001 FR is dialled up to 11 with a quad silicon carbide electric motor setup that drives each wheel independently. Two motors at the front generate 155kW each and at the rear 310kW is generated by each motor. The quad motor setup draws power from the 100kW Qilin battery from CATL.

The FR stands for Future Roads, presently developing a whopping 1, 247hp and 1,280Nm torque. This enables the Zeekr 001 FR to sprint from 0 to 100kmph in 2.07 seconds with a rolling start and 2.37 seconds from a standstill. The top speed is rated at 280km/h.

In comparison, the Tesla Model S Plaid goes from 0 to 96kmph in 1.99 seconds with a one-foot rollout. While the Lucid Air Sapphire manages to complete the same in 1.89 seconds.

The Zeekr 001 FR is one of the few electric cars that can do a tank turn thanks to its quad motor setup. Also, the four-motor setup allows for torque vectoring, which makes the Zeeker 001 FR fast not only on straight lines but around the bends as well and defies the laws of physics.

Other Mechanical Improvements:

The 800-volt architecture allows the Zeekr 001 FR to charge its 100kWh battery from 10% to 80% in just 15 minutes. The range of the Zeekr 001 FR is expected to be over 1,000km on a single battery charge. So, from the claimed figures, the FR should give you a range of over 700km from a 15-minute charge. That’s really close to living with a traditional ICE vehicle.

The complete details of the changes are yet to be revealed by Zeekr. But we could spot some changes and these include:

The 15.4-inch infotainment and the 8.8-inch instrument cluster inside the FR run on the latest OS 5.0 software from Zeekr. The company has promised the OS 5.0 on other Zeekr cars later this year. The electric supercar also features in-built satellite phone and navigation, which will be using a network of 9 satellites orbiting the Earth increasing to 72 by 2025. As for autonomous driving, Zeekr has equipped the FR with NZP (Navigation Zeekr Pilot), a system similar to Tesla’s Autopilot.

The hope of getting the Zeekr via official channels seems bleak as the FR is produced in limited numbers — 99 units per month, starting from October 2023. For now, the supercar is available only in China and is expected to arrive in the Netherlands later this year. Other countries could expect the brand to arrive by 2026. A quick trivia on Zeekr, the brand is part of the Geely group with Volvo, Polestar and others under the same banner.

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