Yes, direct drive - well, sort of. The Regera uses a new form of transmission called Koenigsegg Direct Drive Transmission, or KDD. In short, the KDD saves huge amounts of weight and space by having only one gear, the final drive. This means that RPM is directly and constantly related to speed, and only works in one direction - forward... and it does so quickly... very quickly.
You may be wondering, "How is this possible? Surely, it would simply bog down at the start or have a very low top speed."
That is where the electric motors come in. While Koenigsegg has been resistant to succumb to the hybrid age, which seems imminent, they have made something of a compromise. Rather than simply adding a hybrid system, they chose to use it to make the car do something never before possible. The Regera uses three electric motors - one 300Nm/160kW motor mounted directly to the crankshaft which helps to turn the crank at low speeds, and two 260Nm/180kW Driveshaft mounted motors (one per rear wheel, which are also used for reverse as the KDD does not have a reverse gear).
This combines to produce 700 Hp and 900 Nm of torque from the electric motors alone. Add to that the 1100 HP and 1250 Nm 5.0 litre twin-turbo V8 combustion engine, all at a weight of only 1628 kg including all liquids and a full fuel tank, and the result is some truly staggering numbers. This amount of power, put together with the low weight as a result of the direct drive system means a completely insane power-to-weight ratio of over 900 Hp per tonne, and no time between gears. So what is the result?
3.2 seconds between 150 to 250 km/h and from 0 to 400 km/h in under 20 seconds.
So it would seem, Koenigsegg may have a revolutionary vehicle on their hands, if not for speed then for innovation. They haven't stopped at brute force either. The Regera features underbody active aero similar to that of LaFerrari, a fully foldable active rear wing, and even a fully robotic body option, which allows the owner to control doors, bonnet, and boot from their iPhone. Even better, this robotic option comes at a weight gain of only 6kg.
The bedroom poster madness hasn't stopped at power either, the Regera features Constellation DRL (Daylight Running Lights) which are supposed to look like the night sky on a carbon fibre background.
Though it may be some time as only 80 models will be produced worldwide, we will be anxiously waiting to see the Regera's true capability. While we may not know how it will all come together on the track, it's clear that Koenigsegg feel that the Regera marks a "New Era" in cars and are confident that the responsiveness of the electric motors and the KDD make it worth the loss of changing gears. While I am sceptical about the lack of shifting, I do believe they may be on to something.
Source: Koenigsegg
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