TEXAS: Geely’s Electric Vehicle brand Zeekr is the latest to join the growing list of automakers that have turned to the “gigapress” die-casting technique pioneered by Tesla company to slash the cost of electric vehicles.
Zeekr’s manufacturing technology chief Jiang Kehong said the Chinese carmaker had started using huge aluminium die casts to make a large rear underbody section of its Zeekr 009 six-seat, multi-purpose van.
He said that the technique had helped Zeekr eliminate almost 800 welding points, cut defects, make the car lighter, and boost its structural stiffness, improving the ride of the multi-purpose van, which went on sale in China this year. Jiang said, “In the future, Zeekr will use giga-casting technology on more models,”
Zeekr’s shift to the gigapress technique comes when Chinese rival Xpeng has adopted a new car platform technology that mimics how Tesla designs and manufactures electric cars.
Plastic and metal die casting has long been used in manufacturing, but its application to large aluminium underbodies in carmaking is relatively new.
IDRA’s newest and biggest press has a clamping force of over 9,000 tons. It can punch out the front and underbodies, which support the vehicle’s outer skin and provide a platform for suspension components.
Three-piece EV chassis
The front and rear sections are connected with sizeable under-floor battery packs to form a three-piece EV chassis.
The heavy casting machines, dubbed “gigapresses” by Tesla company, have helped simplify manufacturing and cut costs by up to 40 per cent in some areas, according to the general manager of IDRA, Riccardo Ferrario, based in Brescia near Milan.
