During a visit to Koenigsegg's factory in Sweden for the unveiling of its latest project, I asked Christian von Koenigsegg a question that's more relevant today than ever before: "Where does the company stand on building electric cars?" With Ferrari recently unveiling the Luce, and some of its other competitors at least discussing electrification, it would make sense that Christian and his team have at least considered the idea. For now, at least, Koenigsegg models leave the Ängelholm plant with either internal combustion power or hybrid systems. And that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.
There's no technological shortfall behind that decision, nor a lack of know-how: the company's founder and CEO is convinced Koenigsegg would have all the capability to build an electric hypercar, if it wanted to. It simply doesn't see that as the right path right now for the kind of car it wants to make. Christian von Koenigsegg told me: 'If you'd asked me 10 years ago, I probably would have thought that by 2026 we'd already have an electric Koenigsegg.'
View Price on AmazonBack then, he viewed EVs the way much of the industry did: the natural endpoint for high-performance cars. Then something shifted—and not because of spreadsheets or outright performance figures. For von Koenigsegg, the internal combustion engine does far more than push the car forward. Vibration, sound, mechanical response, character: those are elements he believes build a driving experience that can't be replaced in the hypercar world. He uses an image that captures the idea well: a combustion-powered car can feel almost like a living organism, while an EV—no matter how quick or advanced—operates on a different emotional level. 'It never becomes an animal.'
Koenigseggs, the founder emphasizes, aren't built to solve everyday transportation. They have air conditioning, comfortable seats, modern infotainment—sure—but those are features you can also find in far less expensive cars. He notes: 'The real value of a hypercar is elsewhere: in the design, in the engineering, in the sensations it delivers, in the almost emotional bond between driver and machine.' That's why, in his view, the combustion engine isn't a stopgap technology destined to disappear as soon as a viable alternative arrives. It's integral to what Koenigsegg wants to offer.
Then there's the environmental question, which von Koenigsegg approaches from a different angle than what typically dominates the public debate. He tells me: 'With hypercars, you can't compare EVs and combustion engines using the same criteria as mass-market cars. A vehicle with a very large battery has to be driven a lot to 'pay back,' environmentally speaking, the impact of producing that battery. But hypercars are driven very little—often they sit for years in collectors' garages—and that break-even point might never come.' The estimates he cites point to about 50,000 miles as the threshold beyond which a car with a small battery—or no battery—would be more advantageous than a pure EV. With renewable fuels or biofuels, that threshold rises to about 87,000 miles.
Koenigsegg hasn't ignored electrification, though. The company had also started work on a fully electric platform. In the end, however, it concluded that a hybrid setup was the best balance for what its customers want. A relatively small battery allows electric driving in the city, access to restricted-traffic areas, and quiet operation when needed. It also enables regenerative braking, reducing the materials required compared with an enormous battery pack.
Source: motor1.com
