400-mile Lynk & Co. Zero EV will be first with Geely modular platform

Chinese auto giant Geely in September unveiled a modular electric vehicle platform destined for models spawned across the automaker’s portfolio of brands.

The first model to use the platform, branded SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture), will be a hatchback from Lynk & Co., and it seems development is already at a late stage.

The hatchback was previewed by the Lynk & Co. Zero Concept during Sept.’s debut of the SEA platform, and in prototype form Lynk & Co. refers to it as the Zero EV. There’s still a lot of testing to be done but the performance of the prototype is promising, Lynk & Co said Monday.

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Some of the claimed specs include a 0-60 mph time in under four seconds, a 50:50 weight distribution, and flying colors in the evasive maneuver known as the Moose Test, where a vehicle needs to swerve around an object at highway speeds.

The vehicle is also confirmed with an 800-volt electrical system, air suspension, and a targeted driving range of over 400 miles.

Lynk & Co. still needs to conduct hot- and cold-weather tests, as well as more testing in the wind tunnel before the Zero EV is finally signed off for production, which is slated to start in mid-2021. Deliveries in markets where Lynk & Co. operates—i.e. not the United States—will follow later in 2021.

Geely SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) modular EV platform

Geely SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) modular EV platform

“The speed at which we have taken the SEA-based Zero EV from concept to production-ready is really amazing,” Kent Bovellan, chief engineer for the SEA platform at Geely, said in a statement.

The SEA platform is capable of spawning models from the subcompact segment right through to the mid-size segment, as well as car, SUV and light commercial body styles.

Beyond Lynk & Co., expect to see it underpin vehicles at fellow Geely brands Volvo and Polestar, and perhaps even Lotus.

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