The supercar industry is one of those industries that tries to go above and beyond even when no one really asked for it. Nobody requested for a 1000hp Volkswagen, yet we got the Bugatti Veyron. Nobody asked for a car that looks like a combination of Tamiya and Speed Racer, yet we got the uniquely-styled Lamborghini Egoista. But even though it was never asked for, manufacturers are willing to put themselves on the brink of bankruptcy just to prove a point.
However, Koenigsegg on the other hand is rather different. Instead of just making stylishly unique cars with 1000hp and calling it a day, they actually try to make the most out of the resources. This includes making things that can really benefit the industry and actually fitting them on their cars. One of which is the ‘Freevalve’ technology showcased in their Gamera or their single-speed gearbox Regera. Koenigsegg is really taking a leap into the future of cars.
So, What Has Christian von Koenigsegg and His Team Done Now?
Just like how they’ve done things in the past, it’s more of revolutionising the system entirely and this time around, it’s on electric vehicles. Yes, yes, I’m sorta the resident EV enthusiast here at NoEqual.co but I just find it rather brilliant. Cars that can go fast without the mechanical suck-squeeze-bang-blow is just witchcraft in my mind. But then again, any car from Koenigsegg seems magical. But back to Koenigsegg. They have recently announced their new innovation which they call the ‘Quark electric motor’. The Quark electric motor that utilizes a torque/power-rich balance between radial and axial flux topology dubbed Raxial Flux. What it does is essentially giving peak torque and power at low RPMs. Pretty neat for a motor that is comparable to the size of a soda can, as demonstrated by Koenigsegg themselves.
Oh, Did We Say That It’s Capable of 600Nm of Torque?
Yes, from something that small. While it only produces 335hp, bear in mind that an EV motor is mounted on the wheel. So if it’s fitted on a rear-wheel drive platform, that’s already 670hp just from the rear and 1340hp if it’s an all-wheel drive. The term ‘insanity’ just doesn’t seem to take the cake with this one. That being said, this is a technology that is yet to be used on any of Koenigsegg’s current line of cars but they have yet to make us doubt their innovations to begin with. “The Quark E-motor relooks at the fundamentals of magnetism, materials, cooling and packaging instead of following the norm, hence its name. The Quark elementary particle is the only particle to experience all four fundamental forces (electromagnetism, gravitation, strong interaction, and weak interaction). Given how it also relates to the mystery of magnetism, the name Quark rendered itself well for a novel E-motor design.” “The mixing of radial and axial flux layout enables the best torque to power to weight ratio in the industry. Spearheading this development is Electric Motor Design Lead Dragos-Mihai Postariu who comments: “the Quark is designed to bolster the low-speed range of the Gemera, where you need it, for brutal acceleration. The ICE then focuses on the high-speed range. What this means in terms of performance for the Gemera is a big power surge followed by a continuous record-speed push to 400 km/h without any torque or power losses.”
