All posts in “Fuel Efficiency”

De Tomaso P900 uses synthetic fuel to spin past 12,000 rpm

It’s not a trendy electric hyper car. The Italian-built De Tomaso P900 is another kind of anomaly in the automotive upper strata where it lives: The P900 is propelled by a V12 engine that runs solely on synthetic fuel, all the way to 12,300 rpm.

Priced at about $3 million and limited to a production run of only 18 examples, the carbon-bodied P900 weights just less that 2,000 pounds.  Its 6.2-liter powerplant accounts for about a quarter of that weight.

Although De Tomaso is hedging the full specs on the car except to customers who have ordered one, the engine is expected to generate about 900 horsepower; it’s still in development until 2024, although the model is set to be revealed officially in the spring.

For customers clamoring to show off their P900s, it will be available prior to 2024 using De Tomaso’s F1-derived V10 engine. The design of the two-seater is pure science fiction, adapted from the De Tomaso P72, which used a carbon fiber monocoque chassis constructed to LMP1 standards and a 5.0-liter supercharged Ford Coyote V8.

“As a passionate automotive enthusiast, it is difficult for me to accept a silent EV-driven future,” said Norman Choi, De Tomaso CEO, in a statement. “We believe that alternatives do exist, and the development of our new platform, driven by synthetic fuels, is our solution for keeping this shared passion for the theatre of combustion engines alive.”

In pursuit of zero-emissions mobility, Choi says this new venture doesn’t envision a future that sacrifices “the crucial element which we all hold so dear — the soul and symphony of an engine.” 

November 30, 2022 / Comments Off on De Tomaso P900 uses synthetic fuel to spin past 12,000 rpm
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AMG lays out an electrification roadmap with high-performance hybrids at its core

Mercedes-Benz has lifted the sheet off its new modular AMG E Performance hybrid powertrain, giving us our first in-depth look at the electrified system that will power the company’s future high-performance models. Borrowing tech from the AMG Project One and its recent line of mild-hybrid gasoline engines, the new E Performance powertrain represents a significant evolution of the AMG formula. 

This new modular powertrain pairs a rear-mounted electric drive unit to a turbocharged gasoline engine. The electric motor drives the rear axle directly, but power can be sent to the front axle (essentially the same way it is transferred from the gasoline engine to the rear, just in reverse), thanks to AMG’s advanced all-wheel drive system.

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In its most basic form, the electric drive unit comprises a 6.1-kWh battery pack and an electric motor producing up to 201 horsepower. Thanks to its holistic electrification strategy, both the company’s platforms and this new powertrain were engineered with plug-in tech in mind, which we expect to see introduced at the higher end of the performance spectrum first, such as in the rumored AMG GT 73e, which is expected to utilize an E Performance variant capable of producing up to 804 horsepower and more than 738 pound-feet of torque. 

While the ICE engine up front is of a fairly conventional design, be it an inline-four or V8, it does incorporate one notable new element: an electric turbocharger. Mercedes has dabbled in electric boosting with its 48-volt mild hybrid powertrains, but this represents a fairly significant evolution of the tech. 

At its core, it’s still an exhaust-powered turbine, but at lower engine speeds and throttle openings, it will be juiced by electricity from the E Performance hybrid’s battery, spooling it instantly and effectively eliminating any potential turbo lag. In this capacity, it eliminates the need for additional (or more complex) turbochargers to smooth out power delivery at different engine speeds. 

Apart from the inclusion of electric power, AMG’s powertrain remains fairly conventional. Power from the engine goes through a nine-speed, multi-clutch automatic gearbox on its way to all four wheels, thanks to a 4Matic all-wheel drive system designed to harness both power sources. Torque can be vectored to all four corners from both the gasoline engine and electric drive unit, meaning even the front wheels can benefit from electric power under the right slip conditions. In typical AMG fashion, the advantages of this tech will be integrated into its cars’ available drive modes.

AMG has not yet confirmed individual power outputs for its new line of E Performance hybrids, but given its habits, we’re skeptical that there will be any regression in the performance of models whose powertrains get the hybrid treatment. This includes the enthusiast-favorite C-Class AMG lineup, which will pair the 2.0-liter engine from the smaller 45-series AMGs with the new electric drive unit, for a total expected output that should easily eclipse the current C63’s 503-horse figure.

March 30, 2021 / Comments Off on AMG lays out an electrification roadmap with high-performance hybrids at its core
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