Mercedes-AMG prepares retro electric supercar as its first EV
Mercedes-AMG is hatching plans for a spectacular electric supercar that will launch the performance brand into the EV age.
As reported by Move Electric's sister title Autocar, the new performance halo model was previewed by last year’s retro-inspired Vision One-Eleven concept, and it is described as a “brand-defining successor to the SLS Electric Drive”, the 730bhp quad-motor EV that was launched in 2013 and which cost £333,000.
But while that car was limited to just nine examples, the new AMG supercar is planned for significantly higher production numbers when it arrives later this decade.
The new electric supercar is considered a key part of Mercedes-AMG’s future, despite company CEO Michael Schiebe moving to extend the life of some of AMG’s more profitable combustion-engined models amid slower than expected sales of its EVs. However, Schiebe says the tuning firm remains committed to going all-electric.
The new supercar has to continue AMG’s legacy as it switches from high-output combustion engines to electric power. We understand it is likely to be faster than the 1049bhp Mercedes-AMG One, which had a Formula 1-derived and V6-powered electric hybrid set-up that was good for 0-62mph in 2.9sec and 0-186mph in 15.6sec.
Despite being tipped for higher production numbers than the SLS Electric Drive, the forthcoming supercar is expected to cost more than the new £160k AMG GT.
Not only this, but given its performance credentials and price, it is likely to compete with the ultra-exclusive Porsche Mission X and Alfa Romeo 33 supercars.
The production version of the Vision One-Eleven – itself inspired by Mercedes’ experimental C111 supercars from the 1970s – is set to use the AMG.EA platform, which has been engineered specifically for AMG’s electric models. The platform is modular in its design, with varying lengths, wheelbases and track widths making it suitable for a wide range of models.
Like that car, the new supercar will use an 800V electric charging architecture and a new cylindrical-cell lithium-ion battery featuring silicon-anode developments from US-based battery specialist Sila.
Power will come from high-revving axial flux electric motors. To be used first in the electric GT 4-Door, they were originally developed by Yasa, before the British-based company was bought by Mercedes-Benz in 2021. Since then, the motors have been further advanced by a team of engineers from both Yasa and Mercedes-AMG.
With a highly compact disc shape that allows them to be packaged in small spaces, they are roughly half the size and half the weight of the conventional synchronous and asynchronous electric motors employed by the AMG-fettled EVs currently on sale.
Yasa officials have revealed that the patented electric motor to be used by AMG offers more than twice the power of Yasa’s existing electric motors on a power-to-weight basis: up to 489bhp and 590lb ft, with a weight of just 24kg.
They also revealed that a number of different drivetrain layouts have been developed, including a single- front and twin-motor rear set-up as well as a quad-motor arrangement with two front and two rear units.
Yasa’s axial-flux electric motors have already featured in the plug-in hybrid systems in the 986bhp Ferrari SF90 Stradale and the 1479bhp-plus Koenigsegg Regera.
Depending on the layout, this confirms the next generation of electric AMG models will have a significant increase in power and performance over that of those models on sale today.
