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Automotive

Geely and Detroit Electric to develop an EV for the Chinese market – on sale next year

By Ben Coxworth
May 14, 2013
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A display model of the Geely/Detroit Electric EC7-EV, spied by Gizmag at the Shanghai Auto Show
A display model of the Geely/Detroit Electric EC7-EV, spied by Gizmag at the Shanghai Auto Show
View gallery - 17 images

Last month, recently-revived American automaker Detroit Electric unveiled its Lotus-bodied SP.01 – it’s said to be the fastest pure-electric car on the market. Although only 999 of the cars will be built, the company did state that other models were in the works for next year. At the recent Shanghai Auto Show, Detroit Electric and China’s Geely Automobile Group (which owns Volvo) announced they they would be teaming up on one of those – the EC7-EV.

The new car will be an all-electric version of Geely’s petrol-burning EC7, which is currently sold under the Emgrand brand name. The two companies will work together to develop all aspects of its chassis and electric powertrain, which will include its electric motor, vehicle management system, thermo-managed battery pack, battery management system and gearbox.

A joint venture company will be formed to manufacture those components, near Geely’s headquarters in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

The EC7-EV will be available in both medium- and long-range versions. The medium-range model will be able to go up to 165 km (102.5 miles) on one charge, while the long-range car will be able to manage 258 km (160 miles). Both versions will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under eight seconds, and will have a top speed of over 200 km/h (124 mph).

Detroit Electric claims that the inclusion of its twin-speed high-torque gearbox should allow the car to be particularly energy-efficient.

Plans call for sales to begin in China in the first quarter of 2014, with the first Emgrand EC7-EVs going mainly to business users and public-sector organizations. There is no word on price, or subsequent availability in other markets.

View gallery - 17 images

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AutomotiveElectric VehiclesGeelyDetroit ElectricShanghai Auto Show 2013Electric VehiclesGeelyDetroit ElectricShanghai Auto Show 2013
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Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
2 comments
Dsd Sds
No mention of the recharging times .If it was fast like 10 minutes with with heavy duty chargers found in garages and 160 mile range that would be very good .If its 1 hour with heavy duty chargers found in garages its getting marginal .If it 4 hours with heavy duty chargers found in garages then the market will find it hard to sell even 1000 of them .Affordable battery solutions with either Shorter range of 100 miles with ~10 minute fast charge or larger range like 500 miles with slow charging of one hour are where its at .Most cars will be happy to recharge for 8 hours of the mains as they only do short commuter hops and recharge of the mains at night time .But when you need to go places sometimes you need to have suitable ranges and /or suitable fast charging solutions at affordable costs . Many Battery car solutions now when you factor in battery costs its working out to be as expensive sometimes even much more expensive per mile as the gasoline or diesel solutions. So next time please try to include all facts battery types recharge times ranges at cruising speeds as the ~160 mile range might be at ~30mph and that's no use if the real range is only ~90 miles at~70MPH
Bryan Paschke
"fastest" currently produced all electric car? The author has never heard of a Tesla S or a Tesla X ( www.teslamotors.com ) both of which do 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds. It's kinda neat, but Tesla has already been there and done that with a greater range and more options.
[According to Detroit Electric, the SP.01 can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.7 seconds. See our article at http://www.gizmag.com/detroit-electric-sp01/26928/ - Ed.]
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