Internal Combustion Still Reigns Supreme At Koenigsegg

Koenigsegg Jesko is the company's newest and most extravagant creation. There are twin turbochargers, an 8500 RPM flat-plane crank 5.1L V8 and 1600 hp on E85. To deliver maximum acceleration as quickly as possible, the engine is coupled to a cutting-edge nine-speed gearbox. 

However, Koenigsegg is also working on more intriguing powertrain technology. Freevalve, Koenigsegg's idea for a piston engine with no camshafts and endlessly variable valve timing, is undoubtedly familiar to you. So far, it's only been seen in action on the Tiny Friendly Giant, a 2.0-liter twin-turbo three-cylinder engine that produces a mind-boggling 600 hp.

Koenigsegg Gemera, a four-seat hybrid sports automobile, will launch with this engine. Von Koenigsegg said that he planned to combine a naturally aspirated V-8 with hybrid electrification from the start of Gemera development: "Removing the turbos, increasing compression and adjusting the intake has very little effect on emissions because you don't have the turbos cooling down the exhaust gases before the catalytic converters," von Koenigsegg said.

However, he hasn't yet created a V-8 using a Freevalve system. For the time being, Koenigsegg will stick with its two flex-fuel internal combustion engines, the V-8 and the three-cylinder TFG, which are both combined with variable degrees of hybrid electrification. Christian von Koenigsegg believes he can keep this combo while still satisfying the future's increasingly strict environmental regulations.