Mercedes previews Taycan-rivalling AMG.EA
Cold weather testing suggests that the new Turbo GT won't have things all its own way next year
Of all the cars that Mercedes-AMG currently sells, it might be the 4-door GT 63 that best evokes the firm’s old-school mentality. It has the brooding, prizefighter-in-an-Armani-suit looks and it has an absurdly powerful, hard-charging V8. That it is also actually a very decent car to drive and sit in is almost just the confetti; you buy one because it looks and sounds the business. Which does present something of a hurdle for the electric car eventually charged with replacing it.
Obviously, Mercedes is well into its EV revolution elsewhere in the lineup, but AMG’s standalone model is very different from the comparatively staid, fast-in-a-straight-line stuff we’ve seen so far. Previewed by a Vision 2025 concept, the 4-door GT replacement gets a bespoke platform - the so-called AMG.EA - which has been designed from day one as a 'technological trailblazer' and has been lined up to receive a new generation of axial-flux electric motors from Yasa, a British startup acquired in 2021 specifically to work on the project. The manufacturer reckons they offer 'an unparalleled mix of power density, size, and weight.'
If that prospect doesn’t immediately float your boat, it’s worth pointing out that this is the same firm (before it became a wholly-owned Mercedes subsidiary) that debuted its electric motors in the Koenigsegg Regera - and then announced Ferrari as its first volume OEM customer with the SF90. So it’s got some serious game, in other words. And while anything as specific as total output is mostly guesswork at this stage, it’s safe to assume that Mercedes-AMG has the 1,108hp produced by the Taycan Turbo GT in its gun sights. Or potentially as a dot in its rearview mirror.
Either way, one look at the test mule confirms the Porsche as a key rival. The low-slung, prominently-spoiler’d car speaks not only to the AMG.EA platform underneath but also the bold design promises that were made with the concept. As ever, the visible details on a development model be taken with a hefty pinch of salt - although the fact that the incoming EV seems to have also adopted a very similar silhouette to its V8-powered predecessor must be taken as a good sign. We couldn’t stop staring at the GT 63; with nothing to listen to, the electrified follow-up will need to be at least as good-looking to exit from its shadow.
)Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
What use is 1000bhp on a road car? Except to a pub bore. Or a man with a really tiny winky.
Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
What use is 1000bhp on a road car? Except to a pub bore. Or a man with a really tiny winky.
TX.
Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
What use is 1000bhp on a road car? Except to a pub bore. Or a man with a really tiny winky.
The Merc EA AMG is an odd shape, looks more crossover than saloon to me.
The Merc EA AMG is an odd shape, looks more crossover than saloon to me.
The Merc EA AMG is an odd shape, looks more crossover than saloon to me.
I think we are where we are because of technology limitations, plus the oddity that the larger the battery (in principle) the faster it can charge and discharge. And further, that an empty battery weighs the same as a full one, so there's no "low fuel = less weight = performance boost". Imagine if ICE performance was so wildly affected by the size of the fuel tank and the pipe coming from it!
Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
What use is 1000bhp on a road car? Except to a pub bore. Or a man with a really tiny winky.
Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
Can only think of the modern Bugatti models in terms of factory 1000 bhp plus ICE models, maybe some kind of Hellcat ?
Wonder how far it will go ? What limits the power outputs of EV's ?
EVs don't have gearboxes, other than a few 2-speed ones.
ICEs develop higher wheel torques at low road speed simply because the total ratio of first and usually second gear multiplied by the final drive ratio are bigger numbers than the fixed final drive in the EV motors.
In other words, the power in an EV is dished out according to road speed, it is simply not available at low speed when it would break traction.
This is entirely intentional and a 'perfect' engineering solution, because the power required to accelerate any given car at a fixed g increases linearly with road speed (plus a little bit more for drag as the speed gets high).
Comparing headline power outputs between ICEs and EVs is a bit apples and oranges.
ETA: adding 4WD to significantly increase traction limits is a bit easier in an EV than an ICE.
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