Motoring31.03.2015

Insane supercar tech

Supercars are epically cool.

Whether you are a minimum-wage earner or a telecoms CEO, no one is immune to the moment of silence and yearning which is brought about by the insane engineering the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani produce.

Combine this with the fact that the 2015 Geneva Motor Show took place from 5 – 15 March in Switzerland, and it is only right that we take a moment to explore what is going on in the world of supreme motoring.

While vehicles are not our specialty at MyBroadband, tech certainly is, and with this in mind we decided to look at the coolest technology currently available in supercars.

Koenigsegg Regera – Koenigsegg Direct Drive

Koenigsegg Regera

Koenigsegg has chosen the Geneva Motor Show to unveil arguably the most insane car it has ever built – the Regera.

With over 1100kw and 2000Nm of torque, the Regera will travel from 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds; 0 – 300km/h in 12 seconds; and 0 – 400km/h in just under 20 seconds – all without a normal gear box.

This is thanks to Koenigsegg Direct Drive – KDD for short.

The Regera’s KDD system replaces a conventional gearbox with a small, crank-mounted electric motor – and a hydraulic coupling – which fills the torque gap at low speeds.

Both rear wheels also get an electric motor – giving the car 521kw of electric power alone.

When the car takes off it uses only the electric motors. Once you reach 50km/h, though, its 5-litre twin-turbo V8 kicks in, the hydraulic coupling closes, and the third electric motor turns on, too.

For those of you who really know your stuff, the car has a final drive of 2.85:1.

Regera Propulsion

The price of all this tech and speed – $1.89 million, or R22 million.

A video detailing the new Koenigsegg is embedded below.

Tesla Model S P85D – Insane Mode

Tesla Model S P85D

While electric cars would be an obvious choice for a “tech in cars” article, purely battery-powered vehicles are generally quite boring.

Without the sound of petrol exploding in a combustion engine as it reaches 8,000rpm, you are missing out on so much of the supercar experience.

The Tesla P85D’s “Insane Mode” might make up for that, though.

Packing 515kw – 165kw from the front engine and 350kw from the rear engine – the car is no slouch, and will manage a limited speed of 250km/h.

What makes the P85D stand out, however, is the aforementioned “Insane Mode”, which will propel drivers from 0 – 100km/h in 3.2 seconds. That’s the same acceleration as a Porsche 911 Turbo.

Simply select “Insane” from the car’s large touchscreen and let Elon Musk’s speed machine blow Ferraris and Bentleys away… if you have $105,670 (R1,2 million) to spend, that is.

See the reactions Insane Mode inspires in the video below. Note: quite a bit of swearing included.

Quant F – NanoFlowcell

Quant F

The Quant F is both impressive in its performance and the technology it uses to achieve those results.

The gull-winged car uses something called NanoFlowcell technology, which we have to wrap our heads around before we can look at how fast it goes.

How NanoFlowcell technology works

In short, the technology works by taking two ionic liquids – one negatively charged and one positively charged – and mixing them together.

When mixed, they produce energy, which is used to drive the car. All that is discharged afterwards, according to the manufacturer, is “harmless” ionic water dust.

The video below provides a visual explanation of the technology.

The Quant F

Now, onto the car itself.

The Quant F uses four electric motors to produce 801kw of power, which will take you from 0 -100km/h in 2.8 seconds.

The electric motors produce 2,900nm of torque each, and help get the Quant F to a top speed of 300km/h.

The downside of most electric vehicles is the limited range compared to petrol-powered alternatives, but the Quant F is good for 800km thanks to its two 250-litre fuel tanks.

Check out the Quant F, and its performance, in the video below.

BMW i8 – Overall

BMW i8

The BMW i8 could be on this list alone for its beauty alone, but under its carbon fibre shell there is some interesting tech going on.

The car is powered by a hybrid 1.5-litre 3 cylinder turbo engine and electric motor which push out 266kw. This power will take you from 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds, and to a top speed of 250km/h.

Besides the impressive speed, the i8 sports carbon fibre scissor doors, LED headlights, and a heads-up display which projects your speed onto the windscreen.

Expected features like an LCD navigation screen, battery usage indicators, BMW’s iDrive controller, a Harman Kardon audio system, and voice command functionality are all available.

Having been fortunate enough to take a seat in an i8, the car also possesses a vital supercar quality – it makes you feel better than other people when you are inside it. Overall, it is quite the well-rounded supercar.

If you have R1,755,000 to spend, you can order your own i8 today.

Take a look at the interior of the hybrid in the video below.