In the grand narrative of automotive history, Koenigsegg's Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission isn't just a new chapter; it's an entirely new volume of mechanical sorcery, making it the only production transmission to enable all-wheel drive with one electric motor.
You may be wondering why "Tourbillon" is used to name a transmission. Well, in the high-dollar world of horology, a tourbillon is a mechanism that counters the effects of Earth's gravity on a watch's accuracy. In the high-dollar world of Koenigsegg, it's a testament to the meticulous craftsmanship and precision engineering that the Swedish automotive sorcerers have cast into the beating heart of the Gemera that, simply put, seems to defy Earth's gravity.
To better illustrate that fact, the Gemera has a total of 2,300 hp (1,715 kW) and 2,028 lb-ft (2,750 Nm) of torque winding its way through the transmission.
"We added tourbillon to the name of the LST, as this mechanism represents the automotive equivalent of a high-end Swiss watch and is simply beautiful," says Christian von Koenigsegg, CEO of Koenigsegg.
The Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission (LSTT) has been completely reworked to wrap around Koenigsegg's "Hot V8" engine – which was also reworked to fit within the small confines of the transmission's embrace – cradling the 1,500-horsepower (1,119 kW), 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of torque, 5-liter V8 like a mother swaddles her newborn.
Inside the transmission are compounded 3x3 gears, giving the LSTT nine forward gears, arranged in such a way – and with no flywheel to hamper the process – that no other production transmission can match its speed in banging through the gears.
Rather than dealing with the bygone days of differentials, Koenigsegg decided on a bevel gear to transfer power directly to a pair of gear-train cassettes mounted to output shafts on either side of the transmission. With this deviation from tradition, Koenigsegg can mechanically control torque vectoring to each of the rear wheels, as each cassette has hydraulic clutches and gears before reaching the output flange to the wheel.
Opening and closing these clutches can give the car a welded-rear-axle feel or offer no power at all.
And that's just the rear end.
From another forward output shaft in the LSTT, a carbon fiber axle stretches the length of the chassis to the "Bulldog," Koenigsegg's pet name for the front axle. Why Bulldog? Because clever Koenigsegg wizard-engineers crammed a bevel gear and two hydraulic clutches up front into an itty-bitty package.
Oh, and the kladdkaka on top: they also squeezed in "DarkMatter," an 805-hp (600-kW), 922 lb-ft (1,250 Nm) torque electric motor.
Compact, low center of gravity, and powerful. Som bulldoggen.
The 6-phase electric motor they call DarkMatter was specifically designed in-house for the Gemera and was unveiled in 2023. By using six phases rather than the typical three, Koenigsegg enhanced power delivery by reducing the interval between power pulses, also reducing "torque ripple" (variations in torque delivery that cause vibrations).
The Gemera can be driven in full petrol mode, as a hybrid with both the ICE and EV motor providing the go-fast, or in pure EV mode – without the internal combustion engine running – for about 31 miles (50 km) at least, depending on the lead content of your right foot.
The DarkMatter motor does more than simply add gobs of tunnel-vision-inducing G-LOC force when you mash the gas pedal to the floor. It also acts as the Gemera's reverse gear, as the LSTT ditched the "R" in favor of simplicity, fewer components, and a smaller package. It also replaces the starter motor entirely.
And with that, Koenigsegg was also able to accomplish something never before done in a production car: All wheel drive (AWD) with a single electric motor.
"You're a wizard, Harry!"
Using torque vectoring in the front axle with its hydraulic clutches, the electric motor can independently power each front wheel. But that's not all! It can also feed power back through the carbon fiber drive shaft and into the LSTT which – with its two hydraulic clutches – vector torque to each of the rear wheels.
Chief Executive of Operating hypercar-wizards, Christian von Koenigsegg, laughingly goes so far as to say that the Gemera hypercar can be driven by just one wheel with either the engine, the electric motor, or both.
Koenigsegg's LSTT is a setup that's every bit as elegant as it is complex ... and perhaps more fun than a Greubel Forsey.
Source: Koenigsegg
