Swedish Hypercar Manufacturer Koenigsegg Develops a 66 Pound Electric Motor That Delivers 335 Horsepower

author: FutureCar Staff    

Koenigsegg's Quark electric motor next to a beverage can to show its compact dimensions.

Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg Automotive AB has developed a compact electric motor called the "Quark" that weighs just 66 lbs, but can produce 335 horsepower and 442 ft lbs of torque. The Quark e-motor achieves new benchmarks in both size and torque and produces 250 kW of power. 

The Quark electric motor uses a novel torque between radial and axial flux topology dubbed the "Raxial Flux". Koenigsegg integrated two Quark E-motors with one 6-phase inverter and planetary gear sets, in order to create its class-leading torque vectoring EV-drive unit called "Terrier", which the company says is the most powerful drive unit in the world.

A key driver for the development of the Quark E-motor was to continue the company's record-breaking legacy with the Koenigsegg Gemera, the world's first first four-seat hypercar that uses both a combustion engine and electric powertrain.

According to Koenigsegg, the Quark E-motor reworks the fundamentals of magnetism, materials, cooling and packaging to enable the best torque to power to weight ratio in the industry.

The Quark is designed to bolster the low-speed range of the Gemera and offers " brutal acceleration," says Quark Electric Motor Design Lead Dragos-Mihai Postariu.  

Koenigsegg constructed the Quark motor's shaft out of high-strength 300M steel, which is also used in motorsports and aerospace. The Quark features direct cooling for higher efficiency. The electric motor's rotor uses Koenigsegg's "Aircore" hollow carbon fiber technology to make it lighter. The same Aircore technology is also used for the rims, steering wheel, seats, of Koenigsegg's hypercars. 

The launch of the Quark E-motor is in parallel with Koenigsegg's recently unveiled David inverter, which resulted in one of the most powerful EV-drive units that's suitable for many EV applications.

The flat design David inverter means it can neatly slot between two Quarks motors to create a square super-dense electric powertrain. In addition, The compact packaging allows the Terrier drive unit to be bolted to the chassis directly, which allows for design and engineering accommodations previously not possible in EVs.

Koenigsegg was founded in 1994 by Christian von Koenigsegg. The company is a world leader in engineering and manufacturing of ultra high-performance hypercars and cutting-edge mobility technologies. Koenigsegg is based in Ängelholm, Sweden and has around 500 employees. 

FutureCar Staff