ZEEKR’s 001 FR will have quad-motors, CATL Qilin batteries, and 1,265 bhp… oh, and tank turns

Less than a month after teasing a new high-performance version of its flagship 001 EV, ZEEKR has shared some of its upcoming specs – and they’re impressive. After straight up calling Tesla’s Model S Plaid “dull,” the Chinese automaker is “saying sorry to other performance brands,” because the ZEEKR 001 FR is packin’ some heat.

These are some more bold words from an automotive company that was founded as recently as March of 2021 and has introduced three all-electric bespoke models since. That began in October of 2021 when the 001 sedan began off its assembly lines in China.

With 001s now on their Europe, ZEEKR is not only expanding its lineup, but its global footprint. Next, however, the company appears to be attempting to turn some heads on the racetrack. In August, ZEEKR sent out a cheeky Tweet introducing a high-performance version of the 001 called the FR – its first luxury sports car.

While throwing shade at Tesla, ZEEKR described the 001 FR as “a new kind of beast,” but not much else. By calling out Plaid specifically, we surmised ZEEKR had some serious performance. You know, since that version of the Model S remains one of the fastest production EVs on Earth.

Today we have our answer – Quad-motors baby.

ZEEKR 001 FR is not only fast, but production ready

According to a press release from ZEEKR today, the 001 FR feature four silicon-carbine motors – double the powertrain of the boring old 001 we were talking about. The automaker says the quad-motors combine for a distributed e-drive design supported by in-house software and hardware technologies, utilizing torque vectoring to adjust each wheel in milliseconds.

Oh, and it can do tank turns.

Those motors combine for a staggering 1,265 brake horsepower (bhp) and can propel the electric sports car from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 2.07 seconds (rolling start). That’s fast, but what might be faster is the ZEEKR 001 FR’s charging capabilities thanks to a 100 kWh pack powered by CATL’s next-generation Qilin batteries.

ZEEKR states the upcoming EV can charge from 10-80% in a mere 15 minutes – that’s one of the company’s incoming V3 fast charging piles that offer a maximum output of 800kW (1000V, 800A). By 2024, ZEEKR says it plans to expand its fast charger network to 1,000 stations.

Long before then, however, we should be seeing the 001 FR starting rolling out as ZEEKR also revealed deliveries are scheduled to begin in October. Everything about this car is fast. To keep others safe, ZEEKR said it will give each customers personalized training sessions so they can handle the performance of the new EV.

When deliveries begin, ZEEKR is planning to produce 99 001 FRs per month thereafter. ZEEKR still has officially shared pricing yet, but as we reported during the original announcement, a source shared ZEEKR is asking over RMB 1 million ($138,700). We will have to wait and see.

Looking forward to getting behind the wheel of this one (with proper training of course). Check it out!