Chinese automaker Geely is adopting Tesla’s Giga Press die casting technique to its Zeekr 009 six-seater, multi-purpose van (MPV).
Jiang Kehong, Zeekr’s manufacturing technology chief, noted that Geely has started producing aluminum die casts for the van’s rear underbody. Tesla was the first to cast the rear underbody of a vehicle with a massive Giga Press from IDRA.
“In the future, Zeekr will use giga-casting technology on more models,” Jiang told Reuters.
The techno chief explained that the die casting technique has helped eliminate nearly 800 welding points and cut defects in the six-seater Zeekr van. Through the technique, the Zeekr 009 has become lighter and boosted its structural stiffness, resulting in an improved riding experience.
Tesla’s die casting technique has allowed it to reduce underbody parts in the Model Y and decrease costs. Other automakers are following Tesla’s example. Besides Geely, Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai, Volvo, and NIO are turning to companies like IDRA to manufacture big Giga Press machines.
General Motors, in particular, is turning to large die casting for the Cadillac Celestiq. Meanwhile, Toyota is considering Giga Press machines to produce electric vehicles. The Japanese automaker plans to launch 10 new battery electric vehicles with a target sales goal of 1.5 million units by 2026. Gigapress machines would allow Toyota to ramp production quickly at low costs.
Check out Geely’s all-electric 2023 Zeekr 009 MPV below!
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