Swiss firm Morand Cars is on track to launch a new hypercar in 2023, with a choice of hybrid and full EV powertrains, both with an anticipated top speed of around 250mph.
Uniquely, the monocoque will be manufactured using carbonfibre while the body will be made from the sustainable flax-based composite, Amplitex, developed by Morand’s Swiss partner, BComp.
The full EV version will be powered by four permanent magnet motors, each driving through a reduction gearbox and producing a combined power output of around 1950bhp. A 70kWh battery will produce 1400kW, weighs 400kg including casing, cables and electronics. “We are working on a disruptive technology with cells that have a greater energy density than those used in Formula E at around 180Wh/kg,” Says Former Le Mans team manager, Benoît Morand, who founded the company with Former Lotus F1 team manager, and McLaren race director, Eric Boullier.
The target for the battery charge rate is 8C (eight times the capacity of the battery) bettering current high-end batteries which can accept up to five times the capacity. This means the Hypercar could be fully charged in 12 minutes using a 350kW charger and should a 560kW charger exist, seven minutes. The target range is the Grand Prix distance of 178 miles (301km).
The hybrid is powered by a bespoke, 5.2-litre, naturally aspirated, 690bhp, V10 engine developing over 400lb ft torque. It will be paired with an electric motor-generator sandwiched between the engine and an Xtrac, 7-speed, automated manual, transaxle gearbox. There are two further motors, one driving each front wheel and the total electric power is over 440bhp giving a total power output in the region of 1100bhp. The maximum torque delivered by the three motors is said to be “more than the grip of the tyres could handle.”
A new kind of storage device under development is a 300kW hybrid between battery and supercapacitor with a capacity of over 4.5kWh, giving an electric-only driving range of 31 miles. The aim is to keep the weight of both hybrid and EV beneath 1250kg, including batteries and electric drivetrains.
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I guess these super-expensive toys exist on the basis that the last car manufacturer to go broke will be Rolls-Royce, so someone will have the wherewithal to buy them. The whole premise seems to be bananas - do we really need another super/hypercar, when the world already seems overendowed with such things?
So a start up company is not only going to produce a ground up supercar, but one with two massively different powertrains with vastly differing packaging needs?
Come on Autocar, at least show a degree of journalistic cynicism!!
Even these types of cars are getting to look the same, just another boutique car, made in small number with a very exclusive price.