Author: I The Office
On August 11th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the 360th batch of “Announcement on Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Enterprises and Products”, which included new car declaration information such as GAC Trumpchi M8, Stars Yuedi L Leishen Hi-P, and so on. Among them, a new car caught my interest – Jikua’s first MPV model – Jikua 009.
Actually, before this, the MPV market had already begun to stir with the appearance of some new players such as the Voyah Dreamer, Roewe iMAX8, and the DENZA D9. But what sets Jikua 009 apart is that it is built on Jikua’s “four-year sword grinding” vast architecture development, the industry’s first native pure electric MPV, without the engineering constraints of a second powertrain.
In this MPV blue ocean, what kind of answer sheet will Jikua 009 hand in?
“A new answer sheet” of the vast architecture
With the vast bandwidth of the vast architecture, Jikua 001, Smart #1, Lotus Eletre, and Laida RD6 were successively released. At this point, the vast architecture had completed the engineering of three types of vehicles: hunting, SUV, and pickup. In the most common types of vehicles, Jikua 009, as an MPV model, became a “new answer sheet” of the vast architecture.
The appearance of Jikua 009 instantly attracted everyone’s attention. The front of the car adopts Jikua’s brand-new design language, and the daytime running lights use a very unique “N”-shaped structure. Through 154 dot matrix LED light sources and a high-brightness grille, Jikua 009 has a high degree of recognition.
The body side uses simple lines that run through the tail and cleverly conceals the door sliding rails. The rear end adopts the current popular through-type taillights, and ZEEKR’s logo is particularly eye-catching.
Judging from the feedback under the Laxing Weibo post, the imposing appearance of Jikua 009 may become its first bonus point.
In terms of size, the body length, width and height of Jikua 009 are 5209 * 2024 * 1856 mm, and the wheelbase is 3205 mm. Simply looking at these figures, Jikua 009’s pursuit of space is evident. By simple calculation, with the support of the vast architecture, Jikua 009’s axle length ratio reaches 0.615.Excellent wheelbase ratio will bring better spatial performance. In addition to this, the Zeekr 009 has also improved the interior space by optimizing seat layout, front and rear suspension, internal structure size and other solutions, effectively releasing the maximum space to passengers, and also ensuring a more balanced seating space.
It is important to note that while ensuring the length and interior space of the car, the Zeekr 009’s trunk space has not been compressed, and it can accommodate 4 22-inch + 3 20-inch luggage cases. Even when the car is fully loaded, the luggage space is still effectively guaranteed.
In addition, the Zeekr 009 also has a low-threshold and high-roof design, with a door opening height of 1240mm, which minimizes the need for passengers to bend over during entry and exit, improving convenience.
However, ultimate spatial performance is not without a cost. On the other end of the scale, Zeekr 009’s body size makes it slightly cramped when facing narrow alleys and tight parking spaces. In engineering trade-offs between interior space and exterior dimensions, the Zeekr 009 clearly chose the former. In order to further understand the body size of the Zeekr 009, the Star Channel produced a comparison chart of currently available MPV body sizes.
As an MPV model, it is essential to discuss passenger comfort. The Zeekr 009 improves NVH performance by using double-layer soundproof glass. As Zeekr’s flagship model, air suspension is naturally essential, which also guarantees passenger comfort to a certain extent.
From the limited information currently available, it is difficult to extract more detailed design features of the 009. However, in terms of comfortable and convenient features such as seat material selection, softness, functionality, electric control, and even voice control, I believe that the Zeekr 009’s performance will not disappoint.
Consumers’ demand characteristics for MPV models can be further amplified in the era of electrification. Longer wheelbases, more spacious interiors, better NVH control, better smoothness, etc. The Zeekr 009 is a notable example that places comfort and spatial performance at a higher priority while ensuring the applicability of body size.
However, the MPV in the era of electrification is more than just that.
Faster, farther, strongerRecently, there is a popular phrase that “no matter how fast you drive on the expressway, there is always a GL8 that will overtake you”. As an MPV vehicle type, it often does not receive attention in terms of performance and mechanical quality, but “having” and “not having” are two different things. The powerful power reserve is also a guarantee for the safety of the vehicle. Coincidentally, in the era of electrification, performance becomes easier to achieve.
Zeekry 009 adopts the same dual motor specifications as Zeekry 001, with two peak power 200 kW permanent magnet synchronous motors and maximum torque of 768 N·m, which can be expected to have better power performance than the same level of fuel MPV.
However, it should be noted that the curb weight of 009 is more than 2.8 tons. With such a large weight and powertrain, I was worried about the endurance performance of 009, but in terms of technical system, Zeekry has made many engineering optimizations for energy consumption.
For example, although 009 and 001 use the same motor, Zeekry has added SiC control modules to 009, which will significantly improve the cruising range when mounted on the car. For example, NIO officially claims that the comprehensive loss is significantly reduced and the endurance is improved by 4%-6% after using SiC modules in ET7. XPeng officials also stated that the comprehensive endurance will be increased by 5% after using SiC modules in G9.
In addition, the lightning switching function that has just been launched on Zeekry 001 has also been quickly applied to Zeekry 009. Switching from four-wheel drive to two-wheel drive and reducing one motor’s participation in driving will naturally further improve the cruising range.
If it is calculated according to the comprehensive endurance conversion that the 001 YOU version can increase by 34 km (CLTC) through lightning switching function, Zeekry 009 can increase more than 10% of cruising range through SiC and lightning switching, which is actually very considerable.
With the multiple effects of SiC and lightning switching, how will this large block with no aerodynamic advantage perform in terms of cruising range? The official final data has not been announced yet. If the 86-degree and 100-degree battery packs of the 001 are used as references, there may be slight pressure on Zeekry 009 for long-distance travel.
However, it should be noted that The vast architecture can obviously accommodate larger battery packs, combined with the 2.8-ton vehicle weight, and it is not ruled out that Zeekry has left a trump card on 009 to solve the mileage anxiety once and for all through a super large battery pack.# Faster and farther, how can we satisfy the extreme Krypton?
It seems that the emergence of the extreme Krypton 001 was to tell consumers that electric cars can also have good handling. On August 12th, extreme Krypton 001 broke two Guinness World Records with handling as the core again.
As the second product of extreme Krypton, although the tuning level of extreme Krypton 009 is unknown, there is no doubt about the choice of chassis hardware. With front double wishbones, rear multi-link, air spring, CCD electromagnetic shock absorber, the hardware is fully loaded, which ensures the extreme Krypton 009’s handling and comfort lower limit. Based on the performance of the extreme Krypton 001 in terms of handling, there is obviously no need to worry too much about the mechanical quality of extreme Krypton 009.
From the perspective of power endurance and hardware parameters, extreme Krypton 009 is definitely the top student in the MPV market. Powerful power and corresponding mechanical quality can significantly enhance the driver’s driving confidence, and air suspension and CCD provide guarantee for comfort. Even with the blessing of a vast architecture, continuous iteration ability is guaranteed.
The “Safety” That’s Always Talked About
Recently, after a certain brand of luxury MPV model encountered a car accident and could not be opened, causing a tragedy, the safety topic was once again pushed to the forefront. Also because of this, when writing this article about the extreme Krypton 009, I am particularly interested in discussing its safety.
As the main force of business or family use cars, the importance of body structure safety of MPVs is self-evident. Therefore, extreme Krypton 009 has been fully “redundant” in active and passive safety and three-electric safety.
It is understood that extreme Krypton 009 adopts a high-strength integrated cage body, although the specific material and strength of the bare body are still unknown. One piece of data available for analysis is that the extreme Krypton 009 roof can withstand 11 tons of pressure.
For reference, in June of this year, a Tesla Model 3 was hit by a tree trunk, but the whole vehicle frame did not deform. According to Tesla’s official propaganda, the Model 3 roof can withstand 9 tons of pressure, which is equivalent to the weight of two African elephants. From this, it can be seen that the extreme Krypton 009’s grasp of details in passive safety is commendable.
In addition, Extreme Krypton 009 is equipped with a 2.7-meter same-level longest side air curtain, with a maximum of 70 L, from the driver’s seat through to the third row. This is an interesting detail that shows that the concept of safety is not to be ignored for every passenger in extreme Krypton.
It is worth mentioning that the Jinko 009 adopts a double A-pillar design as seen in the declaration chart. Its advantages include reducing the driving blind spots caused by traditional A-pillars and improving frontal collision force transfer compared to traditional A-pillar designs, further enhancing safety attributes and reducing intrusion into the passenger compartment after collisions to ensure passenger safety.
In terms of active safety, Jinko with Mobileye possesses active safety capabilities brought by high-perceive hardware and perception abilities that are a downgrade for traditional MPV models. Specifically, the “Antelope Avoidance” function demonstrated by Jinko 001 can not only automatically avoid large trucks and actively slow down to give way to pedestrians, but can even recognize door-open vehicles, which demands extremely high perception abilities.
The high upper limit of perception ability also means that the Jinko 009 has a higher upper limit in active safety functions such as AEB and collision warning. However, the Jinko software needs to improve in terms of speed.
The safety of the three-electronic system can be described as “exaggerated.” Over one hundred system-level tests and testing standards of 2 million kilometers. There is an excellent example. The Jinko 009 will raise the standard for cylindrical side impact test for batteries from one position to 15 positions. What does this mean?
I have seen on-site tests of the battery pack of the LanTu FREE in Tianjin Zhongqi. The side cylindrical compression position is about one-third of the battery pack. It is compressed by a rigid hemicylinder with a radius of 75mm at a force of 200 kN, and is maintained for 10 minutes to simulate the intrusion scenario after a vehicle collision. If I remember correctly, the General AutoNA platform’s side circular cylinder collision direction for batteries is six, covering both sides of the upper, middle, and lower positions of the battery. It is conceivable that the Jinko 009’s 15 positions should cover the entire battery pack.
In addition, the Jinko 009 uses a ten-square aluminum anti-collision beam to further strengthen battery safety in side collisions. The Jinko also considered the low ground clearance of the MPV model in most scenarios and the battery pack occupying the ground clearance. Therefore, the Jinko 009 installs a 10mm thick aluminum alloy bottom plate under the battery to prevent safety risks caused by battery collisions.
In addition to the self-reinforced three-electric safety of the Jinko 009, the Jinko 009 also uses a cloud-based BMS management system to remotely monitor battery status and take preventive measures while also providing real-time monitoring of battery health. Of course, this is a routine operation.
Whether it is passive and active safety, a large number of tests exceeding the national standard, intensive reinforcement of special regions, or real-time monitoring on the cloud, the goal is to maximize the safety attributes of the Jinko 009 under any conditions.
In conclusionIn my opinion, based on the vast architecture, the Geely KX09 achieves a more balanced performance in terms of safety, comfort, performance, space, and handling. Of course, it would be too “adventurous” to say that it is a hexagonal warrior without experiencing an actual test drive or driving the real car. Additionally, the most important factor, the price, is still unknown.
But the even more important fact is, even based on the available information, the Geely KX09 will become the most powerful new player in the MPV market this year. I believe it is worth our continuous attention.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.