Mercedes-AMG to unveil Project One at the Frankfurt Motor show

Words by Afzal Rawuther

Mercedes-AMG has revealed images of its upcoming hypercar salted to  be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show. The images give away the brawny silhouette and also some of the primary design cues. It has been given the working title of ‘Project One’.

The LED lights, that have 3 U shaped elements each in them, characterise the design along with the front spoiler and what appears to be, a roof scoop. There are visual indications that the AMG might receive a race grade aerodynamic package. The teaser also showcases the rear of the car that has large air vents to cool the engine.

Mercedes-AMG’s hypercar will be powered by a hybrid drivetrain that incorporates 4 motors laong with a turbocharged petrol engine for a combined output of over a 1000bhp, a la Formula 1. The powertrain is a reworked version of the electrically turbocharged, 1.6-litre, V6 that powers the Mercedes-AMG W08 EQ Power+ F1 hybrid race car driven by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in the 2017 F1 World Championship.

The upcoming all-wheel-drive road-going hypercar features both MGU-K (motor generation unit – kinetic) and MGU-H (motor generation unit – heat) as part of a Formula one-esque Energy Recovery System (ERS) around the mid-mounted petrol engine.

The MGU-K develops 136hp and acts as an electric motor under acceleration and a generator to recover kinetic energy during braking. The 107bhp MGU-H is used to electrically power the petrol engine’s turbocharger for instant response and convert heat from the turbocharger into electrical energy for storage in the new car’s sophisticated battery. The engine and the rear-mounted electric motors provide drive exclusively to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automated manual gearbox that also acts as a structural bearing element supporting a multi-link rear suspension setup.

The front wheels of the hypercar can be driven individually by the two electric motors at the front and a pair of fixed ratio gearboxes mounted within the front axle assembly, with torque distributed proportionally to the wheel with the most grip. This layout has previously been used in the Mercedes-AMG SLS Electric Drive and Merc calls the tech as AMG Torque Dynamics.

The front-mounted electric motors deliver a combined 326hp exclusively to the front wheels, providing Project One with a claimed all-electric range up to 26km according to AMG CEO Tobias Moers. When required, the MGU-K can also provide electric drive to the rear wheels making the Project One a pure-electric four-wheel-drive albeit for a short while.

The battery is based on the same lithium ion cell technology found in the Mercedes-Benz F1 car. It has four times the energy density as the battery used in the race car, is mounted low towards the front, giving it favourable weight distribution and a low centre of gravity.

The new hybrid system is claimed to weigh 420kg, with the batteries adding a further 100kg. Moers is reluctact to speak on Project One’s kerb weight but admits earlier claims that it will be under 1000kg are premature. “There are a lot of regulatory factors to consider. We have to build in all the safety features, including crash structures,” he says.

Engineering for the hypercar is being carried out in a joint programme between AMG in Affalterbach, Germany and its powertrain sister company located in Brixworth, England. Moers claims it achieves a thermal efficiency of 43 percent as compared to the current AMG 4.0 litre V8’s 25 percent.

Assembly of the production version of Project One is expected to begin at AMG’s manufacturing headquarters at Affalterbach during the third quarter of 2018, before deliveries start late next year.

Moers says AMG is developing a special programme to support buyers of Project One, although he believes the new car will not be as difficult to drive as many have come to think: “Because of the F1-derived technology used by the new car, prospective buyers have been asking if they will require a support crew or dedicated lubricants to run it. My answer is always no. It will be a street car. You keep it plugged in the garage. You fill it with fuel. That’s it.”