The Chinese multinational automotive company Geely's EV brand Zeekr is the latest to use Tesla's "Gigapress" die-casting method to reduce the cost of electric cars.
Jiang Kehong, the Chief of Zeekr's manufacturing technology, said, "Chinese carmaker had started using massive aluminium die casts to make a large rear underbody section of its Zeekr 009 six-seat, multipurpose van (MPV)."
"The technique had helped Zeekr eliminate almost 800 welding points, cut defects, made the car lighter, and boosted its structural stiffness, improving the ride of the MPV which went on sale in China this year. In the future, Zeekr will use giga-casting technology on more models."
Zeekr's switch to the Gigapress method coincides with Chinese rival Xpeng's adoption of a new vehicle platform technology that similarly imitates how Tesla creates electric vehicles. Die casting of metals and plastics has been utilised for a long time in manufacturing, but it is only recently that big aluminium underbodies have been used to make cars.
IDRA's newest and largest press has a clamping force of approximately 9,000 tonnes. It can cut out the front and rear underbodies, which support the outer skin of the automobile and serve as a framework for suspension components. Massive under-floor battery packs then join the front and rear portions to form a three-piece electric vehicle chassis.
According to Riccardo Ferrario, the General Manager of IDRA, situated in Brescia near Milan, the heavy casting machines, called "Gigapresses" by Tesla, have helped streamline manufacture and decrease costs by up to 40 per cent in some regions.
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