Mercedes-Benz and its AMG high-performance sub-brand have dipped their toes into electrified performance cars pool before, but in a move just announced the automaker is going all-in on the concept. It is enlisting the technology skills of its Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One racing team to help develop high-performance hybrids for the street. The new vehicle lineup will be called Mercedes-AMG E Performance.
One of the first initiatives of the new E Performance lineup will incorporate the F1 team's technical expertise in high-performance hybrid technology in select Mercedes-AMG road cars. One example is an electric turbocharger, which is currently used in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 cars and will soon be used in AMG production models.
In future years, Mercedes also expects to incorporate additional F1-proven technology including high-performance batteries and battery cooling strategies in upcoming Mercedes-AMG E Performance models.
Both Mercedes-Benz and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 racing team will use the E Performance branding. It is expected that the Formula One team will promote the Mercedes-AMG E Performance models as they are introduced.
"With this unique project, we are heralding the performance-oriented electrification at AMG," Philipp Schiemer, chairman of the board of Mercedes-AMG said in a statement. "Under our E Performance technology label, we are advancing our interpretation of a powerful and efficient hybrid technology for the future road-going models."
Mercedes-AMG first joined forces with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in 2012, much of the work being devoted to the powertrain. Since then, the partners have collaborated on several projects, but the new association formalizes the partnership and focuses it on electrified performance.
"In the elite class of motorsport, the current hybrid power units are not only extremely powerful, but they also have tremendous thermal efficiency – characteristics that we also pursue in our series models," Jochen Hermann of Mercedes-AMG said. "Through the close exchange, we can use a multitude of experience and technologies from Formula 1 in our performance hybrids for the road."
The 1,000-horsepower Mercedes-AMG Project One is expected to be among the first AMG vehicles to carry the E Performance label when it comes to market as a production car. AMG says it will combine "stunning racetrack performance and practical Formula 1 hybrid technology."
Another likely E Performance candidate is a turbocharged, V8-powered hybrid version of the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe. With electric-motor assist, total motive force could exceed 800 horsepower.
Mercedes-AMG is the source of information for this article. It was accurate on March 3, 2021, but it may have changed since that date.
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