Koenigsegg Regera Is (Almost) The World's Most Advanced EV

Feb. 18, 2018 12:17 PM ET by Jay Traugott Supercars / Comments

Put it like this: without its V8, the electric motors alone produce 700 hp.

Like it or not, electric vehicles are in the process of becoming more mainstream, no longer limited to high-end luxury vehicles. Even the world's finest supercar companies have, more or less, accepted this EV reality and are adjusting appropriately. As for Sweden's Koenigsegg, it appears to already kind of, sort of built an EV. Speaking to AutoGuide, company founder Christian von Koenigsegg not only acknowledged his interest in electrified powertrains, but also something quite interesting regarding the Regera hybrid hypercar.

Koenigsegg

"With the Regera, in many ways, if we were to remove the combustion aspect of it, it's probably the most advanced EV in the world," von Koenigsegg said. "It has the world's first homologated 800V propulsion system. Just the EV aspect of it is around 700hp, which is up there with one of the highest, and the battery pack only weighs 70 kilos (154 lbs), to get 700 hp. So that's the most extreme battery system ever created for a road car. So in one way were kind of on the bleeding edge on EV technology, but it's sort of hidden by the fact we also have a combustion engine in there." So what about dropping the Regera's 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 entirely and stick with the current three electric motors or, better yet, add one more of the latter?

"We could of course expand on that and push for more EV and maybe not reduce the combustion engine side, but not increase it as much, or eventually make something that's only EV and I think that will come. That technology is getting better and better very rapidly," von Koenigsegg added. Like all other EVs, however, the downside to an all-electric Koenigsegg is the lack of noise. The Regera offers the best of both worlds, so to speak. On the one hand, you get that instant acceleration of an EV, but there's also the wonderful music coming from the twin-turbo V8. As the owner of a Tesla Model S, Koenigsegg appreciates its immediate acceleration, so there are certainly opportunities for EV tech on future Koenigseggs.

With the unveiling of the Rimac Concept Two happening in just a few weeks' time, we wouldn't at all be surprised to see Koenigsegg follow suit with an all-electric hypercar of its own, though it looks as though we'll have to wait a few years for that. But if there's one thing Koenigsegg isn't afraid of it's this: pushing the boundaries, both performance and technological.

Koenigsegg Regera Is (Almost) The World's Most Advanced EV

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Koenigsegg Regera Is (Almost) The World's Most Advanced EV

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