You may be familiar with Koenigsegg, the Swedish car manufacturer that's known for its outlandish and excessive supercars. Not only do Koenigsegg's cars go really fast, they make use of groundbreaking technology, such as the single-gear transmission found in the Regera, and now, its new Raxial Flux electric motor it plans to use on the upcoming Gemera supercar.
A Raxial Flux motor, as they're calling it, combines the best of both worlds when it comes to radial flux and axial flux motors. Now, I'm no engineer, but some digging on the good old internet states that radial flux motors are known for producing loads of power, while axial flux motors prefer bottom-end torque. With Koenigsegg's Raxial Flux technology, I'm guessing it provides bucketloads of both power and torque in a compact package, and that's exactly what it is. The image above is that of the company's newest electric motor, and it's placed beside a 330 ml beverage can for perspective.
Given its size, I'd guess that it's about as big as a bunch of dinner plates stacked together. Now, here's where things get pretty crazy. Despite the Raxial Flux motor's petite size, the Koenigsegg's Quark EV, what they're calling the Raxial Flux motor, is claimed to be able to produce an outstanding 339.9 horsepower and 442 ft-lbs of neck-snapping torque—all in an ultra-light 30-kilogramn power unit. This means that the Quark delivers an absolutely insane power to weight ratio of 11.3 horsepower per kilogram.
Of course, this begs the question: can it be used on electric motorcycles? Well, judging from its petite size, chances are it could definitely be used on motorcycles. However, Koenigsegg, being the supercar company that it is, doesn't seem to have any intentions of rolling out high-performance two-wheelers just yet. Plus, the Quark EV, alongside its torque-vectoring Terrier drive unit, will surely cost a pretty penny, as the Gemera supercar is expected to fetch upwards of $ 1 million USD when released to the public.
All that being said, I think it's absolutely thrilling that this technology already exists. We can be certain, too, that it isn't all just vaporware, as Koenigsegg has proven time and time again that it's a force to be reckoned with in the hypercar world. It'll certainly be exciting to see technology surrounding electric motorcycles pick up the pace in the coming years, too.
