Strategic partnerships and synergies are the order of the day in an increasingly competitive automotive industry. However, it is not so common to see an alliance between a manufacturer of solar electric cars, Light year in this case, and one of the hypercars like Koenigesegg. But this alliance is a fact and its objective is to revolutionize the technology of electric car.
Lightyear is a Dutch company that, after several years of work, recently presented the Lightyear 0, its first production model. A solar electric car capable of driving up to 560 kilometers on the highway at 130 km/h with a charge of its battery (approved 625 kilometers of WLTP autonomy). It is an exceptionally efficient car, both aerodynamically and energetically, and the proof is in its low consumption.
Of the Koenigsegg one could say many things, but the low consumption is not exactly one of its qualities. The Swedish manufacturer uses the latest technologies to maximize the performance of its vehicles, to the point that they easily exceed 400 km/h and have broken various acceleration records on several occasions. Koenigsegg is also distinguished by its innovation with technologies such as the Direct Drive transmission of the Regera, its FreeValve engine without camshaft, or the 9-speed transmission and 7 clutches of the Jesko. But even Koenigsegg already has a strong electrification component.
In a statement, Lightyear said: “We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg. The investment and partnership are designed to take automotive technologies to new heights, sharing knowledge and resources to co-develop innovations peak.”.
The deal comes just weeks after the launch of the Lightyear 0, the world’s first mass-ready solar electric car. The first units, corresponding to the “Edition Pioneer” edition, will be priced at 149,000 euros.
At the same time, Koenigsegg is finalizing preparations to deliver the first production units of the Koenigsegg Gemera, its first plug-in hybrid hypercar. This model, in addition to being the brand’s first plug-in hybrid, will also be the company’s first four-seat car and the first with all-wheel drive. It develops 1,748 horsepower thanks to the combination of a “small” 3-cylinder 2.0 petrol engine, three 1,100 horsepower electric motors and a lithium-ion battery.
Simply put, Koenigsegg already knows something about high-performance electric drives, and that’s why Lightyear sued them. Thanks to this new agreement, Koenigsegg will participate in the development of Lightyear 2 technologies, the second model of the Dutch company. A car of which, for the moment, we do not know its advantages and details at the technical level.
According to Christian Koenigsegg, CEO and Founder of Koenigsegg, “The automotive industry is undergoing a massive shift towards sustainable fuels and technologies. the ex [Hoefsloot] and his team have developed transformative technologies, and this partnership with Lightyear will ensure our products continue to be at the forefront, which is great news for our customers. »
Lightyear CEO and co-founder Lex Hoefsloot said he “looks forward to working closely with Christian and his team to drive real change in the industry together.” In the future we will know new details about this association, but we cannot forget that Koenigsegg has developed in-house technologies as interesting as burrow electrical systemthe name given to the set of two Quark electric motors and the David investorthe most compact and lightest in its class, named after the story of David and Goliath. The two Quark electric motors weigh only 28.5 kilos and are capable of delivering 500 kW of power (680 hp) and 1,100 Nm of torque. Upon launch, Koenigsegg announced that these engines could be used in third-party vehicles, even beyond the automotive industry.
David, on the other hand, is a silicon carbide inverter developed entirely by Koenigsegg, capable of supplying 1,300 Amps of alternating current at 850 Volts (direct current) in six phases, generating 750 kW of maximum power (1,020 hp). Two of them can be coupled, in the case of the Koenigsegg Gemera, with a total power of 1.5 MW (equivalent to 2,020 horsepower).