RE: Koenigsegg - Geneva 2015

RE: Koenigsegg - Geneva 2015

Tuesday 3rd March 2015

Koenigsegg - Geneva 2015

Koenigsegg whips the covers off of the world's most powerful hybrid car



We'd love to talk about the new styling direction of the Regera, or those carbon wheels, but there's no ignoring the numbers. This new hybrid hypercar packs a 'standard' 1,100hp Koenigsegg twin-turbo V8 in addition to a groundbreaking combined theoretical 697hp of electrical propulsion from three motors and a 9.27kwh battery pack.

To put that into some context, the Porsche 918 Spyder, widely regarded as the most 'electric' of the three hybrid hypercars, makes do with a 6.7kwh battery and about 279hp from its motors. Whereas the McLaren P1 has just 4.7kwh and 177hp, and the LaFerrari just 2.3kwh and 170hp.

A Koenigsegg with a plug out the back?
A Koenigsegg with a plug out the back?
If you were secretly jealous of Tesla's P85D, but unable to commit to an all-electric car, don't worry. The Regera has a better all-electric power-to-weight ratio than Elon's zero-emission wonder car. And it still has an 1,100hp supercharged V8 in reserve.

The new wet 115kg battery pack can deliver up to 500kw to the motors and recoup around 150kw during braking. That means Koenigsegg claim a whopping 1,500hp on-demand, which leads to some pretty insane performance figures.

Koenigsegg is claiming a 0-400kph (249mph) sprint of less than 20 seconds. Yes, you read that correctly. A Veyron musters that same insane speed in 55 seconds. No word on top speed, though it'll probably be measured in warp factors instead of something so mundane as miles per hour.

Continuing the unconventional feel, the Regera doesn't attempt any four wheel-drive shenanigans as seen in the Porsche 918. And unlike the Ferrari and McLaren, it uses three individual motors to directly drive both hubs and the crank. But like those two, the Koenigsegg makes do with just RWD.

Ain't exactly stripped back in here
Ain't exactly stripped back in here
The smallest motor of the three is the one on the crank, rated at 160kw. This provides drive, torque-fill during moments of turbo lag, recovers energy when off the throttle and even serves as an over-blown starter motor for the V8. The two larger motors are 180kw and sit in each rear hub. These provide direct drive to the wheels with very nearly no loss, as well as allowing for torque vectoring and a reverse function.

And finally, the weirdest fact about the Regera. Some fair warning first; if the change from manuals to paddleshifts hit you hard, you should sit down before reading the next part.

The Regera is a single-speeder, with a fixed final drive ratio and a locking hydraulic coupling between the crankshaft and the prop. No gear changes at all.

Below 30mph the electric motors do most of the work, themselves running off battery power or even being powered by the V8 uncoupled from the prop. The nature of the hydraulic coupling allows the slip to be controlled, much like a clutch, and the power from the engine comes in strongly from as little as 2,500rpm thanks to the turbos.

At cruising speeds there should be practically no transmission losses at all, with only the differential gears between the tyres and the crankshaft. And the claim of a 20-second charge to 248mph suggests that the electric motors and incredible V8 torque do an ample job of getting the Regera off the line. Top speed simply coincides with the engines 8,250rpm redline.

Yes, you heard right, just one gear...
Yes, you heard right, just one gear...
It's not just the performance that Koenigsegg wanted to improve, as it has spent some time inside the Regera too. The latest Apple CarPlay system gives you something to fiddle with in traffic jams, and there are new eight-way adjustable seats too. New sound deadening and noise cancellations technologies should, it claims, make this the most comfortable Koenigsegg yet.

And while there might be a little extra weight in the cabin, surprisingly the new car isn't too heavy. While other electrified offerings can tip the scales at nearly two tonnes, the Regera is 1,628kg wet and ready to drive.

And so, finally, to the other Swedish hypercar offering at Geneva, the Agera RS. Boasting lightweight componentry first developed on the One:1, it's the purest and lightest Agera yet. Detail changes to the engine and an increased rev limit ensure that it's boasting 1,160hp on 'normal' super plus unleaded, while the wet kerbweight has dropped to 1,395kg. Not quite one-to-one on hp/kg, but not too shoddy either.

The aerodynamics package is where the Agera really shines though, with new splitters, new canards, a dynamic underbody 'flap' system and an active rear wing too. The new wing alone adds 450kg of downforce at 250kph (155mph).

You can even option in active suspension, self-levelling and something called Pre-Active chassis setups. There are no details yet on prices for either model, but the initial run of Regeras will total 80 and the Agera RS is limited to 25 (of which 10 were pre-sold anyway).

It says a lot when an entirely carbon, 1,160hp hypercar plays second-fiddle in the background of a show. But that's just how amazing the Geneva show is in 2015. PistonHeads will be bringing you more throughout the week. So keep checking!


Click here for the PH Geneva news hub!

Author
Discussion

mattwilko

Original Poster:

70 posts

121 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Any idea why the Regera has paddles if there's no gear change at all? Surely it wouldn't just be for neutral and reverse?

loudlashadjuster

5,081 posts

183 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Hats off to Koenigsegg, some innovative thinking there.

Boydie88

3,283 posts

148 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
I love Koenigsegg. Would definitely be my hyper car of choice.

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
article said:
Koenigsegg is claiming a 0-400kph (249mph) sprint of less than 20 seconds
yikes

pauly

434 posts

281 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Holy crap that sounds off its head! Can't wait to see old Stigy ragging it round the TG track. But seriously this is one incredible piece of engineering and hats off to Koenigsegg.

Amirhussain

11,486 posts

162 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Can't really get too excited about this, for some reason, doesn't rally stir my soul.

Dagnut

3,515 posts

192 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
How could Buggati wade into this battle now and impress? Will they even bother?
It will need to have 2,000bhp and do 300mph....it's gone bananas

Europa1

10,923 posts

187 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Amirhussain said:
Can't really get too excited about this, for some reason, doesn't rally stir my soul.
Nurse, quick, check him for vital signs!

rejn

1,991 posts

221 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
What an incredible car. Mind-blowing technology. No gearbox required and it can still accelerate that fast. Incredible. What I would give to have a drive of one.

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Yep, that's about as mental as I was expecting for Koenigsegg when they said they were doing a hybrid. Sounds like it's a bit of a one-trick pony though, will performance in the 40-140mph range be that special once the batteries start flagging?

dxbtiger

4,389 posts

172 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Anyone else see XJ220 in the design when viewed from rear?

Must be incredible to drive!

james64

33 posts

113 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
It certainly seems to have some resemblance to the xj220. Totally bonkers machine

CarreraWB

51 posts

117 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
rear visibility doesn't look great

Davey S2

13,073 posts

253 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Amirhussain said:
Can't really get too excited about this, for some reason, doesn't rally stir my soul.
+1

muppet42

326 posts

204 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
So basically when you put your foot down in the Regera, this happens...



Sounds absolutely mental, which is what a hyper-car should be smile

buckline

377 posts

162 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Biohazard symbol for the carbon wheels is a little odd given the "green" credentials. Great car i am sure it'll be a hoot to drive.

bogie

16,342 posts

271 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Seriously Impressive, and certainly the electric hypercar of choice smile

bobberz

1,832 posts

198 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
dxbtiger said:
Anyone else see XJ220 in the design when viewed from rear?

Must be incredible to drive!
Yep, I was going to mention that.

I don't know why, but I started this topic a full seven minutes before the first post in this thread, yet I still got snubbed the "first post" honours! It's happened before, as well. I guess PH doesn't like me. grumpycry

In any case, here's what I posted in the original thread:
bobberz said:
Holy scensoredt! Finally, a truly original concept in a supercar. Eliminating the transmission makes a lot of sense in an application such as this.

This may be the first car to truly make the Veyron seem unimpressive.

The wheels are supremely ugly, though.
I'm actually quite surprised no one's mentioned the wheels, yet. ETA: as I was typing this, someone has.




Dale Lomas

218 posts

154 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
mattwilko said:
Any idea why the Regera has paddles if there's no gear change at all? Surely it wouldn't just be for neutral and reverse?
Actually, I did ask! Forward and reverse. That's it!

Wheels are a whole new step forward, according to the man himself. I did a little carbon work in my youth, so I'll find out more soon smile

bobberz

1,832 posts

198 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
muppet42 said:
So basically when you put your foot down in the Regera, this happens...



Sounds absolutely mental, which is what a hyper-car should be smile
I was thinking more along these lines:

http://youtu.be/NP6DXoNKITc