Mercedes reveals Formula 1 car for the road: Project One

September 12,2017

Showcar Mercedes-AMG Project ONE, two-seater supersports car with the very latest and efficient, fully-fledged Formula 1 hybrid technology, high-performance plug-in hybrid drive system with 1.6 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged petrol engine and four electric motors

Mercedes-AMG will reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show its Project ONE supercar. Billed as a road-legal Formula 1 car, the car packs 1000 hp and can top 350 kph. The complex development work on the hybrid road car was carried out in close cooperation with the Formula 1 experts at Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth and with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula 1 team in Brackley. Together with the four-door AMG GT Concept, the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE show car provides another insight into the future performance-hybrid drive strategy of the sports car brand within Mercedes-Benz. Here’s the news from Mercedes:

 

Showcar Mercedes-AMG Project ONE, two-seater supersports car with the very latest and efficient, fully-fledged Formula 1 hybrid technology, high-performance plug-in hybrid drive system with 1.6 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged petrol engine and four electric motors

“The Mercedes-AMG Project ONE is the first Formula 1 car with MOT approval. Our highly efficient hybrid assembly stems from motor racing and the electrically powered front axle generates a fascinating mixture of performance and efficiency. With a system output of over 1,000 hp and a top speed beyond 217 mph (350 km/h) this hypercar handles exactly as it looks: it takes your breath away,” Ola Källenius says, Member of the Daimler AG Board of Management responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

 

Powertrain: one turbocharged engine and four electric motors

The high-performance plug-in hybrid drive system of the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE comes directly from Formula 1, and was realized in close cooperation with the motorsport experts of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth. It consists of a highly integrated and intelligently networked unit comprising one hybrid, turbocharged combustion engine with a total of four electric motors. One has been integrated into the turbocharger, another has been installed directly on the combustion engine with a link to the crankcase and the two remaining motors drive the front wheels.

 

The 1.6-liter V6 hybrid gasoline engine with direct injection and electrically assisted single turbocharging comes directly from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 racing car. The four overhead camshafts are driven by spur gears. To achieve high engine speeds, the mechanical valve springs have been replaced by pneumatic valve springs. The vehicle is mid-engined (ahead of the rear axle) and it can easily reach speeds of 11,000 rpm, which is currently unique for a roadgoing vehicle. For higher longevity and the use of commercially available “Super Plus” gasoline instead of racing fuel, max engine speed remains significantly below the F1 engine speed limit.

 

The electric motors on the front axle are also true rev wonders, with rotor revolutions up to 50,000 rpm – current state of the art is a speed of 20,000 rpm.

 

The very high-revving engine is additionally boosted by a high-tech turbocharger. The exhaust gas and compressor turbines are separated from one another and located at an optimum position to the exhaust side and to the  intake side of the V6 engine, and connected to one another by a shaft. This shaft features an electric motor with approximately 90 kW which, depending on the operating status, electrically drives the compressor turbine with up to 100,000 rpm – for instance when moving off or following load changes. The Formula 1 designation for this unit is MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit Heat).

 

Lightning-quick response, faster than a naturally aspirated V8 engine

The major advantage of the advanced engine: the delayed response to accelerator pedal commands owing to the inertia of the large charger, known as turbo lag, is completely eliminated. Throttle response time is greatly reduced, and is even shorter than that of a naturally aspirated V8 engine. The electric turbocharger brings about another advantage: it uses parts of the surplus energy from the exhaust system to generate electricity, and either stores it in the high-voltage lithium-ion battery as part of recuperation or provides additional drive power by feeding it to an additional electric motor. This motor produces 120 kW, has been installed directly on the engine and features a link to the crankshaft via a spur gear (MGU-K = Motor Generator Unit Kinetic) – another technology that ensures maximum efficiency and performance in Formula 1.

Showcar Mercedes-AMG Project ONE

New all-wheel drive with purely electrically driven front axle

There are also two further 120 kW electric motors at the front axle. Each is connected to a front wheel via a reduction gear. The fully electrically driven front axle allows individual acceleration and braking of each front wheel, and therefore selective torque distribution (torque vectoring) for particularly high levels of vehicle dynamics. With the axle motors, we estimate that up to 80 percent of the braking energy can also be optimally used for recuperation under everyday driving conditions. This energy is stored in the battery and is available for a longer electric range. Each electric motor is controlled by its own power electronics located in close proximity to the electric motors in the floor assembly.

 

Top marks for thermal efficiency   

The thermal efficiency of the combustion engine with electric turbocharger (MGU-H) in conjunction with the electric motor on the crankshaft (MGU-K) will be over 40 percent. This is a previously unattained peak value for series production vehicles, and confirms the dominant position of the drive system where efficiency is concerned. This means that the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE show car obtains significantly more drive energy from one liter of fuel than other cars. It is therefore both economical and powerful. By way of comparison, the thermodynamic efficiency of conventional series production engines is around 33 to 38 percent.

Technical data at a glance

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE show car
Rear-wheel drive 1.6-liter V6 with direct injection, four valves per cylinder, four overhead camshafts and electrically boosted single turbocharger, electric motor connected to the crankshaft
Engine capacity 1,600 cc
Rear-wheel drive output > 500 kW
Front-wheel drive output 2 x 120 kW
System output > 740 kW (> 1,000 hp)
Electric range 25 km
Drive system Variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with hybrid-drive rear axle, electrically driven front axle and torque vectoring
Transmission Automated AMG SPEEDSHIFT 8-speed manual transmission
Acceleration 0-200 km/h < 6 secs.
Top speed > 350 km/h

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.