Leaving the V8 in the past: The all-electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door

Axial flux motors The four-door hatchback will launch in two variants, as usual a 55 and a 63. Both share the same hardware, though the former restricts output to “just” 805 hp (592 kW) and 1,328 lb-ft (1,800 Nm) of torque, while the latter bumps up to 1,153 hp (848 kW) and 1,475 lb-ft (2,000 Nm). All that shove comes courtesy of Mercedes-Benz’s wholly owned subsidiary, YASA, which last year announced a new world record for the most power-dense electric motor ever built. YASA’s axial e-motors can be found in McLarens , Lamborghinis , and Ferrari hybrids and in this application promise a 67 percent reduction in both weight and physical length versus a more traditional radial-flux motor—with double the torque density and triple the power density, no less. The GTs house two of the YASA motors at the rear, with dual water-cooled DC/AC converters and a planetary gearset to each side. Up front, a single motor mates to a spur-gear transmission with an integrated disconnect unit to allow for less drag while freewheeling. The motor sizes truly boggle comprehension, at just 3.5 inches (89 mm) wide for the front and 3.2 inches (81 mm) wide for each rear. YASA eventually believes that these units with a custom planetary gearset can effectively replace wheel hubs and brake rotors entirely, but apparently that solution wasn’t ready for mass-market production quite yet. 600 kW charging The motors save space and mass, but Mercedes-AMG also put serious work into the battery tech. …