Lynk & Co presents electric concept and platform

The Geely subsidiary Lynk & Co has delivered a preview of its first all-electric model with the Zero Concept. The new electric vehicle platform, which will enable ranges of up to 700 kilometers, is also to be offered to other OEMs. Apparently there is already an interested party from Germany.

Visually, the Zero Concept itself is not a big surprise: important design elements such as the headlights and rear lights are similar to the Lynk & Co 01, but this time in the form of a 4.85-meter crossover coupe instead of a sedan.

More interesting is the technology of the study: The Zero Concept is based on a platform called SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) and could go into series production by 2021 under the name Lynk & Co 08, according to media reports. A 100 kWh battery should enable a range of 640 to 700 kilometers. Two electric motors are to be provided for each axle, i.e. four for the four-wheel drive version and two for the rear-wheel drive version. In addition, the vehicle is to offer “latest connectivity”, over-the-air updates and autonomous driving functions.

The SEA is not only intended for high-reach premium crossovers but will enable vehicles from the A to E segment and even light commercial vehicles. Geely also wants to offer the SEA as an open-source platform to other OEMs. This should exploit synergies not only in-house (Geely expects several hundred thousand vehicles based on SEA in China) but also with third parties.

Lynk & Co has apparently already found a first prominent interested party, even if this is not completely external. Referring to “a high-ranking representative of the industry in Germany,” the German vehicle news site Automobilwoche reports that Daimler is among the first interested parties. Geely-Holding currently holds 9.7 per cent of Daimler, and since its entry, there has been speculation about further cooperation.

Geely founder and CEO Li Shufu confirmed that initial preliminary talks with other car manufacturers have taken place, but he did not name any names. “Our development of this changeable electric vehicle architecture represents the biggest step forward for Geely in the past ten years,” said Shufu. “We intend to make the benefits of this innovation available to other manufacturers. Open source architectures will be the key feature of the new mobility services in which Geely is a pioneer”.

The platform is not a purely Chinese development, the team of Kent Bollevan (Head of Advanced Vehicle Architectures) has also worked on the SEA in Sweden, Germany and the UK. It is considered certain that Geely will use the platform not only for Lynk & Co but also for other own brands, such as the Volvo subsidiary Polestar and the British sports car brand Lotus.

insideevs.com, ft.com, reuters.com, zgh.com, automobilwoche.de (in German)