Details Emerge on Mercedes-AMG's Hypercar Powertrain
Mercedes-AMG is the latest automaker to have a hypercar in the works and the brand has shared some fresh details on its upcoming Project One.
Essentially a race car for the street, AMG boss Tobias Moers showed a drivetrain mockup to a number of gathered media at the recent 24-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring, revealing the car’s F1-inspired powertrain.
The engine is nearly identical to the new 1.6-liter V6 unit found in modern Mercedes F1 cars, with some notable changes, all of which are geared towards making this hypercar easy to live with every day. First, the exhaust system has been made more substantial, while the redline and idle have both been decreased down to 1200 rpm and 11,000 rpm respectively. Changes to the pistons and crankshaft result in a revised compression ratio.
A large turbocharger is also strapped to the engine, which has its own 107-horsepower electric motor to help get it spinning at speed quicker. That electric motor also acts as a generator to recuperate power as the car drives.
SEE ALSO: Mercedes-AMG Hypercar to Make 1,020 HP, Weigh as Much as a Honda Civic
What Moers seems most proud of is the thermal efficiency achieved with the engine, sitting at 43 percent. Thermal efficiency is the measure of how much of the heat produced is converted into propulsion for the car.
Three electric motors are used in Project One, one 161-hp unit at each front wheel and one 168-hp motor attached directly to the crankshaft. Total system output will be over 1000 horsepower according to AMG, while earlier rumors put the output at 1,020 hp. The transmission will be an eight-speed automated manual.
An all-electric range of about 15.5 miles is expected thanks to the 220 lbs worth of batteries used in the car. Carbon fiber will be used to keep the body and structure light.
Just 275 of these cars will be built with each one selling for about $2.7 million, and as is usually the case with ultra-rare hypercars, they’re already all sold out.
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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The Porsche 918 Spyder will always be my first hybrid hyper car love, but this one sounds pretty neat too. A step in the right direction at least.