A bi-polar Swedish showcase of power.
Over the past two decades, some interesting things have been happening in Ängelholm, Sweden. Koenigsegg, the small supercar maker has been successfully taking on the big, bad, established sports car makers from around the globe with low-production vehicles. Small automakers like these aren’t supposed to put up the fight that Koenigsegg has, but then again Koenigsegg isn’t your average automaker. The new Koenigsegg Regera ushers in a new era not just for the Swedish automaker, but for the rest of the automotive marketplace with the fastest-accelerating, most powerful production car ever, packed with innovative technologies.
The new Koenigsegg Regera takes power to a whole new level thanks to an innovative “hybrid” powertrain that sets itself as the most powerful in the world while also offering superb levels of luxury. The new supercar takes its name from the Swedish word “to reign” and will be limited to just 80 examples, symbolizing the principle of domination, control, and achievement in Pythagorean Numerology.
Those are solid foundations from which to start, but the real story is about the actual mechanics and technology in the car. Koenigsegg’s ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) displacing 5.0 liters and sporting two small, fast-spooling turbochargers provides the basis for propulsion. The dry-sump V-8 engine churns out 220 horsepower per liter of displacement using regular pump gas. Output is pegged at 1,100 horsepower at 7,800 RPM and 737 lb-ft. of torque from 2,700 to 6,170 RPM. All that power is spit out from a custom titanium exhaust system developed in partnership with Akrapovic with a classic fish tail center outlet.
But that’s just the beginning for the Koenigsegg Regera. The traditional combustion V-8 engine is paired up with a unique Direct Drive (KDD) transmission that serves up a silky smooth drive. The entire rear sub frame and structure was redesigned and features active engine mounts that are soft under normal driving and hard under enthusiastic driving for better response.
The Koenigsegg Regera isn’t a normal parallel or series hybrid. In fact, those crazy Swedes don’t even like to call it a hybrid because it doesn’t have the traditional shortcomings of a hybrid. The patent-pending KDD system utilizes an innovative transmission that creates a direct drive to the rear axle for the combustion engine, negating the need for multiple gears or variable transmissions as with hybrid models to reduce energy losses. At highway speeds, the KDD cuts drivetrain losses by over 50-percent compared to a traditional transmission or CVT.
Three YASA-developed electric motors supplement the combustion engine and allow for torque vectoring, regenerative braking, improved response, and reverse and energy conversion. The power-dense, axial flux motors are an integral part of the KDD system. One YASA is used for each of the rear wheels for direct drive while one is used on the crankshaft for torque-fill, electrical generation, and the starter motor. These three motors help keep weight to a minimum and create the most powerful electrical motor setup in production car history.
In total, the Koenigsegg Regera has a combined output of over 1,500 horsepower and 1,475 lb-ft. of torque. That’s good enough to rocket the supercar from 93 to 155 mph in just 3.2 seconds and from 0-249 mph in under 20 seconds. That is just insane.
For the battery pack, Koenigsegg teamed up with the electric supercar specialist, Mate Rimac, and his engineers. They were able to develop a 620V fully-flooded battery pack that is the most power-dense pack ever created for a road-going car with 9,27 kWh of energy storage, 67 liters of volume, and a 253.5-lb. weight. The Koenigsegg Regera can tap into a full 500 kW for short periods of time during acceleration and 150 kW can be absorbed during regenerative braking and the ICE power generation mode.
The battery pack is positioned in one of the most protected parts of the Koenigsegg Regera – the carbon-aramid chassis tunnel. Every single cell is monitored for voltage, charge state, health, and temperature in a fully-machined aluminum casing. External radiators and an electrical air-conditioning system ensure the battery pack stays cool. A special pre-cool function can also cool the pack on a hot day via the Koenigsegg smart phone app. An EV plug-in feature utilizes a type 2 mode 3 charging port behind the robotized rear license plate. A special Battery Drain Mode (BDM) alters the driving behavior for a set destination distance to ensure the battery is fully drained and ready for EV plug-in charging upon arrival to minimize fuel consumption and emissions.
The drivetrain isn’t the only advanced and innovative part of the Koenigsegg Regera. The entire vehicle is the first car to operate all body closures automatically. There’s no R2-D2 hiding behind the cabin, but either way, all of the robotic functions add quite a bit to the car’s cool factor. A remote or the smartphone app can completely open and close the car at the push of a button. The active front and rear wings, chassis control and lift system, and more are all hydraulically operated with minimal weight impact. The mirrors automatically fold when the Dihedral Synchro Helix doors swing outwards and rotate 90-degrees upwards while every opening has a soft latching mechanism.
The design of the Koenigsegg Regera is that of a fresh, modern supercar with a commanding presence. A focal point for the design is the daytime running lights where the Swedish automaker created a unique Constellation feature. The Constellation DRLs are made up of scattered LEDs around the polished carbon fiber headlight cluster that is similar to that of a start constellation in the night. At the rear, a fully-folding rear wing extends outwards for greater amounts of downforce and folds seamlessly into the body during lower speeds for a clean, smooth look.
Only 80 examples of the Koenigsegg Regera will be built by hand at the company headquarters in Sweden with pricing yet to be released.
Koenigsegg Regera Specifications
Aerodynamics:
–Foldable active rear wing (top mounted)
Active independent front flaps
-Active ride height front and rear
-Active damping
-Total down force at 250 km/h 450Kg
Chassis:
-Carbon fiber with aluminum honeycomb, with centrally integrated fuel tank and battery storage.
-Monocoque torsional rigidity: 65,000 Nm/degree
-Weight including tanks: 75 kg
-Electronically adjustable ride height, fully independent per wheel
-Fully machined aircraft aluminum uprights, with SKF LeMans specification150mm angle contact ball bearings.
-GKN hollow/gun-drilled drive shafts, Koenigsegg Z-style progressive and lightweight anti-roll bars front and rear.
Transmission:
-Koenigsegg Direct Drive (KDD)
Brakes:
Front: – Ventilated ceramic discs Ø397 mm, 40 mm wide 6-piston
Rear: – Ventilated ceramic discs Ø380 mm, 34 mm wide 4-piston
-Koenigsegg calipers with ceramic pistons
Wheels and Tires:
Koenigsegg 2nd generation Aircore™ Superlight carbon fiber wheels with center locking
Front: 19” x 9.75”
Rear: 20” x 12.5”
Dedicated Michelin Supersport Unidirectional with asymmetric thread pattern
Front: 275/35 – 19” (Y)
Rear: 345/30 – 20” (Y)
Optional dedicated Michelin Cup2 tires
Body:
Two-door, two seater with removable structural hardtop stowable under the front hood
Body made from pre-impregnated carbon fiber/Kevlar and lightweight sandwich reinforcements.
Dimensions:
Total length: 4560 mm
Total width: 2050 mm
Total height: 1110 mm
Low speed ground clearance: 105 mm
Track mode ground clearance: 85 mm
Front lifting system activated: 150 mm
Wheelbase: 2662 mm
Fuel capacity: 82 litres
Luggage compartment: 150 litres
Dry weight 1420kg (Curb weight 1628 kg)
Combustion Engine – ICE:
Koenigsegg twin turbo aluminum 5,0L V8, 4 valves per cylinder, double overhead camshafts, dry sump lubrication.
Compression: 9.3:1
Bore: 92 mm Stroke: 95.25 mm
Twin ceramic ball bearing turbo chargers with Koenigsegg patented backpressure reduction system, 1.4 bar boost pressure.
Active hydraulic engine mounts
Dry sump lubrication
Carbon fiber intake manifold with optimized intake tracts
Total engine weight: 189 kg
Power output – Premium gasoline – 820kW (1100Hp) at 7800 rpm – redline at 8250 rpm
Torque: 1000 Nm from 2700 to 6170 rpm
Max torque – 1280 Nm at 4100 rpm
Electronic Drive:
One 300Nm/160kW Crank mounted motor
Two 260Nm/180kW Driveshaft mounted motors (one per rear wheel)
Combined continuous electric propulsion: 820Nm and 520kW
9.27 kWh liquid cooled battery pack.
50 km pure electric drive range on full charge (EU only)
Charging:
All batteries are charged from the combustion engine or through Type 2 mode 3 charging at the center rear of the car (behind number plate).
3 kW onboard charger
Total Propulsion – ICE + ED:
1,11 MW/1500 hp
Koenigsegg Regera Gallery
Source: Koenigsegg
Is the Koenigsegg Regera the best supercar on the market?
