Koenigsegg Jesko
Hypercar looks to hit 300mph
The new Koenigsegg Jesko is set to be the fastest road-legal EV in the world, with a top speed exceeding 300mph. Other headline figures for the Swedish brand’s new model, which was unveiled in Geneva, are a power output of up to 1578bhp and up to 1000kg of downforce. Only 125 will be produced, with prices set to start at just under £2.3 million before local taxes. The car was introduced on Koenigsegg’s stand by company founder Christian von Koenigsegg, who conducted the presentation alongside his father, after whom the new model is named. The Jesko in effect replaces the Agera. It sits on a new platform and has a modest increase in dimensions over its predecessor. Power comes from a heavily reworked version of Koenigsegg’s own V8 engine, which uses a forged crankshaft, twin turbochargers and an all-new air injection system to cut down on lag. Power is quoted as 1262bhp when running on regular 95-octane petrol, and up to the claimed peak of 1578bhp when benefiting from the extra cooling effect of E85 ethanol fuel. Peak torque is said to be 1106lb ft. The Jesko has a carbonfibre structure and will weigh just 1200kg dry or 1400kg in fully wet road configuration. No acceleration figures have been released yet, although Koenigsegg says it plans to sell the car in two configurations, one for track use and one to maximise top speed. The latter version is targeting a 300mph top speed, which, if delivered, would make the Jesko the fastest road-legal car in the world, breaking the record set in the US two years ago by a Koenigsegg Agera. The Jesko features an innovative new Koenigs egg developed nine-speed transmission called the Light Speed Gearbox, in which each gear has a separate wet clutch. The result is the ability to swap between ratios in just 20 milliseconds and without the need for gears to be preselected, as is the case with a conventional dual-clutch automatic transmission. Koenigsegg claims a total weight of just 90kg for the gearbox. The gearshift will allow a driver to either swap ratios one at a time or to immediately shift to the lowest or highest possible ratio. Another feature is a socalled ‘Display Mode’, which opens the car’s doors and clamshell to better show it off. The car also gets a steering wheel with an in-built digital display that always orientates text upright, to make it easier to read under cornering. Koenigsegg has confirmed the Jesko will be homologated for sale in Europe and the US.