That is, of course, fitting for something wearing the AMG name. Just as wild is the fact that the technologies that give this concept such remarkable performance will be arriving in a production car very soon.
Going Beyond Both Ludicrous Speed And Plaid
We won't waste any more time getting to the GT XX's crazy numbers, since that wouldn't be in keeping with the car's speedy nature. It packs more than 1,341 horsepower from three electric motors. Mercedes didn't give a 0-60 mph time, but it did give a top speed, which is 223 mph. That's a higher top speed than the AMG One, which tops out at just shy of 219 mph. Some of this is due to the also incredible aerodynamic efficiency. The car has a coefficient of drag of just 0.198.
But the charging speed is what's truly wild. Mercedes says that the Concept AMG GT XX is capable of charging speeds as high as 850 kW at 1,000 amps. No, that's not supposed to read 350, that is 850 with an "8" at the beginning. With that high charging speed, Mercedes claims that the GT XX can add 249 miles of range with just 5 minutes of charging. That's on the WLTP cycle, so would certainly be less on the EPA test cycle, but that's still an enormous amount of range in a very short time. To hit those speeds will require charging stations to match, but Mercedes has worked with a company called Alpitronic that has created some prototype chargers that should lead to ones in the real world. It all still uses the CCS connector, too, so the car will still be able to charge at today's fast chargers, just not at that insane speed.
How Mercedes-AMG Pulls This Off
Now that we've gone over the headline numbers, let's go over what makes them all possible. Generating the huge horsepower are a trio of motors. They're all axial-flux motors, which as Mercedes explains, has the electromagnetic flux parallel to the rotation, rather than perpendicular in a radial-flux motor. This results in sort of a pancake-shaped motor, rather than a more drum- or cylindrical-shaped motor. That makes it very compact, while still maintaining the same kind of output as a radial-flux motor. In fact, Mercedes says the motors have better sustained output and torque, while also being about two-thirds lighter and one-third smaller than equivalent radial units. We wish Mercedes had shared the torque numbers for this vehicle. At the rear, there are two of these motors, each with a planetary gear transmission, and each powers one of the rear motors. The front motor has a spur gear transmission, and it's there mainly to provide additional power on demand, extra traction in poor conditions, and added regenerative braking. It actually disconnects in most conditions for efficiency. We're willing to bet Mercedes will also have a performance mode that disengages it for easy drifting, too.
The battery pack arguably has the most magic, though. It uses a high-voltage architecture of more than 800 volts, and it uses a nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) cathode design, which aren't wild. The cooling system, though, is, as the 3,000 battery cells are directly cooled. Mercedes uses a non-conductive oil that can pass right next to each cell for extremely efficient heat transfer. That's bolstered both by the narrow shape of the cells with better surface area for the volume, as well as a battery pack casing made of aluminum. This makes it easy for the car to manage the temperature. It can keep it cool when having to discharge lots of power for performance, or when recharging extremely rapidly. It can also warm up the battery to ideal temperatures for better range and battery pre-conditioning.
As for that impressive aerodynamic number, much of the credit goes to the slippery body, but also the trick wheels. These have aero covers that stay close to the wheel most of the time, but when the brakes get hot, an actuator can push them out. The actuator is controlled via Bluetooth, and it has a small generator that produces electricity as the wheels turn. When the covers open, drag increases, but it pulls air past the brakes and out from under the wheel arches. This also improves downforce, which is further generated by the carefully sculpted undertray. That undertray also features some active cooling sections. Mercedes also hid some radiators in the grille that exit the vents on the hood.
A Striking Design For A Strikingly Fast Car
Now that we're done going over the wild technology, we can talk about the design. The orange paint is eye-popping, and based on some of Mercedes-AMG's wording, it seems to have been inspired by the orange cables used for high-voltage wiring. It's smooth and curvy, with seriously low windows and an even lower front grille with signature AMG vertical slats. The car does lack a rear window, and strangely, Mercedes didn't say anything about it. We still presume it has something to do with reducing weight, which makes sense considering the small motors, light battery casing, extensive use of aluminum and composites, and the fairly unadorned interior. Mercedes also added some fancy lighting in the form of electroluminescent paint that indicates the battery level when charging, and an LED rear panel that can display words and graphics.
The interior is bare as far as a Mercedes is concerned with exposed portions of the chassis that have been coated in a textured black finish like you might find on classic sports car valve and cam covers. The center console has fancy, finned aluminum structures, and you'll find no shortage of ambient lighting accents. Particularly sharp are the backlit panels in the doors. A compact steering yoke sits in front of two screens. The instrument one measures 10.25 inches, and the infotainment unit is 14 inches.
Mercedes-AMG hasn't said that this exact car will come to production. However, it did say that much of the technology used in it will. Production of the motors this concept uses start next year, so we should see a production electric AMG boasting some of these wild numbers in a year or two. We expect it to be a sedan of some sort, and it will also be followed by an SUV on the same platform.
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