[4/2/2020] Koenigsegg's 600MPH Inline-3 Gemera Explained

The Gemera is Koenigsegg's first four-seating hypercar with an output near an outstanding 1,700 horsepower. It can achieve 0-62 mph in a claimed 1.9 seconds, but perhaps the most remarkable thing about this Swedish made monster is its 2.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-3 which alone makes 592 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. This works in conjunction with three electric motors and Koenigsegg's single-speed direct-drive transmission. Together, these motors make exactly 1677 horsepower and 2581 lb-ft of torque.

Koenigsegg extracted so much power from such a small engine with a couple of large cylinders. Comparatively speaking, they're actually larger than the cylinders in Koenigsegg's 5.0-liter V8. Its twin turbos puts out 29 pounds of boost, and similar to naturally aspirated engines, rev excitably high to a redline at 8,500 rpm. According to Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained, the pistons moves at a speed that is about the same as that of current Formula One engines.

TThe 3-cylinder engine also uses Koenigsegg's cam-less FreeValve system. The FreeValve operates by making use of an actuator based system to control the valves. This allows engineers to create independent timing profiles for all of the valves in the engine. With this level of control, you can improve efficiency, power, and fuel economy of the engine while also reducing emissions.  

Each cylinder has one set of exhaust valves for each turbo. FreeValve allows one of those valves to stay closed at lower rpm, meaning only one turbo is used. That allows the single turbo to spool up faster and at a higher rpm, the second valve opens and exhaust gases are sent to both turbos.

Mounted behind the rear seats, the 3-cylinder engine works with two electric motors, for a total of 1,700 hp. Some of that power can be sent to the front wheels via a torque tube and clutch assembly, giving the Gemera all-wheel drive. A 16.6-kilowatt-hour battery pack provides the electricity, and allows for around 30 miles of electric driving, as measured on the European testing cycle.

Gemera production will be limited to 300 units at an unspecified price. That's exclusive even compared to many other supercars, but will still make the Gemera the most prolific Koenigsegg to date.

• Hoffman, C. (2020, April 1). 1677-HP Koenigsegg Gemera Has 3 Electric Motors, 4 Seats, 8 Cupholders. Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a31206198/koenigsegg-gemera-photos-info/

• Edelstein, S. (2020, April 4). How Koenigsegg's 3-cylinder engine makes 600 horsepower. Retrieved from https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1127582_how-koenigsegg-s-3-cylinder-engine-makes-600-horsepower