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Thunder Power, a Hong Kong-based start-up carmaker, has debuted its brand in Beijing, unveiling ambitious plans to tap into the world’s largest new-energy vehicle market.
It has been 21 months since it premiered its first concept vehicle at the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
A prototype electric sedan features a 125 kWh battery capacity, providing a range of up to 650km, a new benchmark in the industry. Half-an-hour charging will enable it to run 300 km, according to the carmaker.
The range is the result of a lightweight body plus low air drag and a more efficient battery pack, according to its chairman and CEO Wellen Sham.
Production is due to start in late 2018 at its plant in China’s Ganzhou. By 2022, the plant’s production capacity is expected to reach 100,000 units a year.
Christopher Nicoll, the carmaker’s sales and marketing director, said the company will take a city-by-city approach. The automotive veteran, who worked at Jaguar Land Rover and Fiat, said the brand will build a network of 100 dealerships by 2021 in Asia and the Middle East and 50 dealerships in Europe.
Thunder Power has recently signed an agreement with the Catalan authorities in Spain to build its European manufacturing site in the country.
Products will continue to focus on incorporating technology to ‘enhance the driving experience’, but some of the key focal points will be to converge a selection of applications, electrification and autonomous driving capabilities, such as optimising 3D parking and integrating biometric sensors.
