Geely-backed Livan Automotive to roll out 6 battery swappable models in 3 years

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Livan Automotive, the joint venture between Geely Automobile and Lifan Technology, today launched its dedicated battery swapping architecture “GBRC Crystal”.

The newly-launched architecture consists of a complete vehicle platform, a battery swapping power supply platform, as well as a cloud-based big data platform.

Photo credit: Livan Automotive

According to Yang Quankai, vice president of Livan Automotive, the complete vehicle platform boasts high scalability that can support the development of vehicles with wheelbases ranging from 2,700mm to 3,100mm, and is compatible with various vehicle types of sedans, SUVs, and MPVs.

Photo credit: Livan Automotive

In addition, the complete vehicle platform is available with several kinds of powertrain solutions. Based on a free combination of three different electric motors (100kW, 120kW, and 155kW), it can achieve FWD, RWD, or AWD layouts.

The GBRC Crystal architecture adopts the unified battery, which is named by the company as “Capsule Battery”. It can meet the demands of different users by offering 50kWh to 100kWh battery packs.

According to Mr. Yang, through over 100 items of tests, the Capsule Battery is proven to support 2,500 charge-discharge cycles and allow a car to drive for 800,000 kilometers in 8 years.

The GBRC Crystal architecture also incubated a battery swapping power supply platform. According to Mr. Yang, the company’s battery swapping station has already evolved into the second generation, which allows a battery swap to be completed in only 60 seconds.

RL 7; photo credit: Livan Automotive

At the launching ceremony, the automaker also unveiled the first production model riding on the aforesaid architecture, the RL 7, which would feature a drag coefficient as low as 0.24 Cd and could zip from 0-100km/h in only 4.9 seconds. The model is scheduled to hit the market in the first half of 2023.

Livan Automotive revealed it planned to introduce at least two battery swappable models per year from 2022 to 2024.

Geely Automobile announced in January this year the joint venture with Lifan Technology, namely, Livan Automotive, had completed the industrial and commercial registration procedures and obtained the business license issued by the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Liangjiang New District, Chongqing. Based on self-developed battery swapping technology, Livan Automotive is committed to creating an intelligent battery swapping ecosystem and providing the market with competitive battery swapping products and services.