Usually, when I don’t get to experience a car in person, I do not write a full road test but instead a shorter opinion piece which is a compilation of my best assumptions and reactions to a car based on a set of known facts. So while these are still 100% my opinions and I have in no way actually driven the car, the Gemera deserves to be discussed at length. This car has the potential to be one of the most influential cars of its time; a car that environmentalists and car lovers alike can worship. Christian Von Koenigsegg in all his intelligence and brilliance has created the ultimate hypercar that at the same time is almost surely more environmentally conscious than any other car on the market. So pardon if this article is a bit longer than usual, but as you shall see, the Gemera absolutely deserves your attention.  

Before I continue rambling on in my excitement that I have obviously failed to disguise, you must understand a few things about Koenigsegg as a company. They make some of the most mental automobiles on the planet, and do so with an absolute eye for detail. They pride themselves in precise and technical engineering, and are a hotbed for innovation. Swedish founder Christian Von Koenigsegg aims to build cars that test the limits of modern technology and does so without any compromise. This mentality has led to Koenigsegg being one of the most coveted hypercar brands in the world in a fairly short amount of time, but the Gemera is an entirely new level of innovation and madness. 

So after all of this fanfare, some basic details on the Gemera. Koenigsegg likes to call it a Mega-GT, but I think “hypercar with four seats” is probably a better description of what it is. Needless to say, nothing like this has been done before. Christian Von Koenisegg claims the idea for the car sprang into his head after having his first child and wondering why a family car that was just as fast as a hypercar didn’t exist. Seems like a far out thought, but no denying the man is a genius.

Performance:

The car comes equipped with a two liter, three-cylinder twin turbo charged engine as well three electric motors. Two of the electric motors directly drive the rear wheels and the third is attached directly to the crankshaft. So invariably you are wondering the power output, well here’s a figure you probably weren’t expecting: 1700 hp. Imagine that! An engine that weighs only 70 kg and is small enough that it can fit in a piece of carry-on luggage when paired with three electric motors can produce 1700 hp. Combine this with a curb weight of only 1850 kg and the car will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 1.9 seconds. 

As you can imagine, there is some clever engineering behind this. Koenigsegg have developed something called a Freevalve system which allows the intake and exhaust valves to be independently opened and closed. Not to get too technical, but what you have to understand is that on most automobiles the opening and closing of these valves is controlled by the camshaft and is not something that can be individually controlled. The timing of these valves opening and closing directly influences traits such as performance, mileage, and emissions. So, while a set of small valves may seem insignificant, they have an immense impact on the performance of the car. What Koenigsegg has done is found a way to optimize this process of opening and closing with results that speak for themselves.

For the Gemera, Koenigsegg has also developed a simplified two stage turbo system. The system sends exhaust gasses only to the first turbo during low revs by opening one exhaust valve per cylinder, but then when a certain level of boost is achieved the other valves are opened and a surge of exhaust gasses flows through the second turbo to provide a burst of power. 

Something even more impressive about the Gemera is the multitude of different fuels it can run on. The car can run on the usual petrol, E85 or simple alcohols such as methanol (100% alcohols such as methanol are preferred but often difficult to find). There is even something called sun fuel created by genetically modified algae living on top of solar panels which essentially create alcohols through some form of photosynthesis. So, ideally, you could even make your own fuel at home. If you use the preferred alcohols to power the Gemera you can be driving a carbon neutral or even carbon negative hypercar. Koenigsegg claims that when running on alcohols the Gemera burns more dirty particles from the surrounding air than what it actually produces, thus cleaning the air as it drives along. When running solely on the electric motors, the car has a range of 50 kilometers, but with the entire hybrid system in use the Gemera has a range of 1000 kilometers. So just to get this straight, we have a car that can rip your face off with tremendous amounts of acceleration and at the same time clear the air around it. What more could you ask for?

Styling:

Sometimes fitting the layout of a sedan into the body of a coupe can be difficult, but I think styling-wise Koenigsegg have done a rather good job. In my opinion there are a few angles that look disproportionate because of the accomodation of the rear seats, but I find the front and rear of the car to be quite striking. At the rear I especially like the titanium exhausts mounted on top of the body, much like the Porsche 918. The company’s trademark dihedral doors actually make quite a good bit of sense on the Gemera as it means when you open the door you do not have to shift any seats forwards in order to access the rear row. While the Gemera may not be the most pretty car I have seen in terms of proportions, it certainly possesses the sharp angles and aggressive face that usually characterizes a hypercar. 

Interior:

The interior is another remarkable part of the car. Because of the dihedral doors there are no B-pillars meaning that the view from the cabin is unobstructed. As the driver you get a level graphics screen which tilts the speedometer and rev-counter based on how sharply you turn the steering wheel. In addition to this you get haptic touch screen buttons on the steering wheel with numerous capabilities which adds to the jetfighter feel of the driver’s seat. You also obviously get four seats which despite looking thin and sporty are filled with memory foam. Rather thoughtfully, Koenigsegg have included eight cupholders, four of which are for hot drinks and the other four for cold drinks. A feature available depending on what country you live in is the side mirror cameras. If law permits it in your country, you can use these cameras instead of the traditional side view mirrors, with the feed being projected in two screens in the front two corners of the cabin. The interior is yet again a thoughtfully designed part of the car and certainly looks just as special as the rest of the car.

Pricing:

For all of the wonderful advancement on the Gemera there is one thing that has remained a constant: it’s priced like a Koenigsegg. Prices for the Gemera will start at around $1.7 million, but considering that it is one of the finest pieces of engineering on the planet, one might be able to forgive the whopping price tag.

In Conclusion:

I understand that not everyone will get to see a Gemera in their lifetime or even experience some of the innovations set forward by this machine, but this is still an important car regardless. It shows being environmentally conscious does not mean ditching the speed and excitement that we all love from automobiles but in fact proves that we will only be traveling faster in the future. Koenigsegg has implemented so many clever innovations with such impressive results, and the mere fact that someone was able to create this technology should be encouraging. Even if the average consumer cannot make use of this innovation today, the fact that these systems were invented means that at some point in the future it will be utilized by the general public. 

For a while now the automotive industry has been incrementally advancing in terms of technology and efficiency, but the Gemera is leaps and bounds ahead of its peers. The Gemera is the future in the world of today and should be an example for every other car manufacturer of exactly how they should be designing their cars. Christian Von Koenigsegg and his company took on immense challenges to create a car like this, and not only did they overcome these challenges but did so in a clever, intelligent manner that provided thorough solutions.

Citations:

“The Gemera – Koenigsegg”. Koenigsegg, 2020, https://www.koenigsegg.com/gemera/. Accessed 19 Apr 2020.

Koenigsegg Gemera – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhD2PlvpouA