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Supercar maker pitches 'leccy sportster with stunning spec

Can't put a Quant in a pint pot?

'Leccy Tech Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg is probably best know in the UK for the time one of its CCXs tried to do for The Stig by spearing backwards off the Top Gear test track in Dunsfold.

Now, however, it has come over all environmentally friendly and the result is the Quant – which will hereafter by known by Reg Hardware as the Mary - a four seater, gull-winged electric supercar co-developed with Swiss company NLV Solar and about which both firms are making some impressive claims.

Konigsegg Quant

Koenigsegg's Quant: um...

The Mary has a top speed of 275kph (171mph), a 0-62 time of 5.2 seconds, a range of 500km (312 miles) and is powered by two electric motors pumping out a combined 512bhp (381kW) of power and 715nm (527lb ft) of torque.

While Koenigsegg is shy on exact technical details, is press release abounds with interesting 'facts' - including the claim that that it will be possible to charge the Mary's NLV-developed "redox FAES (Flow Accumulator Energy Storage) to full capacity in 20 minutes and give the vehicle a range of 500 kilometres".

As to what exactly the FAES is, your guess is frankly as good as ours. Sounds a bit Back to the Future, to be honest. NLV does say it is an electrochemical energy storage system made up of 4V cells and capable of unlimited charging cycles. It also apparently “only weighs around 450kg and contain no hazardous material or heavy metals”.

The Mary's range is apparently enhanced by it being covered in a film of ultra-thin photovoltaic cells that contain the iron-sulphur compound pyrite (iron disulphide).

So its powered by Fool's Gold. Checks diary to make sure today is not 1 April...

Konigsegg Quant

'Fool's Gold' on board

Apparently, NLV “has developed an iron-sulphur composite semiconductor using digital prototyping, with very promising results. The research indicates unique properties which include an average photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 38 per cent and a peak performance of over 50 per cent. As a multilayer thin-film cell, the material could be applied to substrates in a transparent or tinted coating”.

Of course, the key words in that paragraph are 'promising' and 'indicates'.

Koenigsegg and NLV are currently working on running prototypes to "scale up for series production.” Price? You guessed it – TBD.

Incidentally, NLV is run by one Nunzio La Vecchia, who is quite the Renaissance Man: inventor, aviator, car racer and... er... singer-songwriter. ®

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