Love him or hate him, Elon Musk has completely changed the automotive industry. Now that Tesla's four-door commuter cars can challenge legit supercars in terms of performance, other brands are rushing to get in on the action. Just yesterday, Kia showed the forthcoming EV6 GT racing a lineup of six-figure supercars—and the day before that, even the most stalwart adherent to powerful naturally aspirated engine, Lamborghini, announced that the Italian firm's next generation of supercars will employ hybrid technology. Now, Mercedes and AMG have jumped on the bandwagon by announcing what sounds like a potent hybrid program including a 2.0-liter inline-four that will produce more power than any current Mercedes-AMG V8.
Turbochargers Meet Electric Torque
The benefits of instantaneously available torque made possible by electric motors prove exceptionally obvious in the drag racing videos that populate so much of YouTube these days. But from a manufacturer standpoint, that low-end grunt means that cars don't have to burn so much gas if an internal-combustion engine is mated to a hybrid system. The new announcement from Mercedes and AMG goes in-depth on plans that employ all the knowledge learned by Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains and the seemingly omnipotent Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
Front And Rear Axle Power
The modular concept combines either an AMG-built eight-cylinder engine or the four-banged up front with a high-performance electric motor at the rear axle producing up to 201 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor powers the rear wheels via both a two-speed transmission and a computer-controlled locking rear differential, allowing for AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive. A big advancement hidden deep in the Mercedes presser is the first installation of an electric exhaust-gas turbocharger in a road-going vehicle.
Gas Power Still At The Rear Axle
As the schematic above reveals, however, the V8 and inline-four won't just power the front wheels—note the driveshaft routing from the MCT gearbox to the rear, where the V8 biturbo engine's grunt gets complemented by the electric motor, which maxes out at about 13,500 RPM (dictating the use of a two-speed transmission). Perhaps the only question is the high mounting point of the AMG High Performance Battery seen between the rear coilovers, a notable departure from the popular lowslung "skateboard" layout that so many electric manufacturers prefer to allow for optimizing their cars' polar moment of inertia.
Sources: media.daimler.com and mercedes-amg-hpp.com.