Infiniti will begin electrifying its lineup in 2021.
Khodrocar - Back in 2017, Infiniti unveiled the Q60 Project Black S. The automaker billed it as an exploration of blending Formula 1 hybrid technology – from the RenaultSport Formula One Team – with a road car. Fast forward to today, and the company is again touting hybridization with the Project Black S prototype. It looks similar to the 2017 concept. The new prototype is based off the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 just like the 2017 concept; however, the new one packs an updated powertrain.Infiniti says the Project Black S prototype illustrates the company’s "commitment to developing exciting high-performance electrified powertrains, drawing on expertise from across the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.” Infiniti plans to begin electrifying its portfolio starting in 2021 by offering some sort of electrification on all-new Infiniti models, with the Q Inspiration Concept being the basis for a future electrified vehicle platform. The plan includes battery electric vehicles and unique e-POWER systems, combining performance and range.
But until those EVs and hybrids start rolling out, the company is showing what such a future would look like at Infiniti. The new Project Black S prototype combines Infiniti’s VR30 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with a unique energy recovery system. Combined output is 563 horsepower (420 kilowatts) and 350 pound-feet (475 Newton-meters) of torque, which allows the car to achieve a sub-four-second zero-to-62 (100 kilometers per hour) time. The 2017 concept produced a combined output of 500 hp (373 kW). Project Black S produces more power and accelerates more quickly than any Infiniti road car to date, according to the automaker.
The Project Black S uses three motor generator units (MGU). The single MGU-K (kinetic) unit harvests kinetic energy from braking. There are two MGU-H (heat) units that harvest heat energy from exhaust gases, allowing the car to generate electrical power during braking and acceleration, according to Infiniti. Energy collected by the three MGUs is stored in a high-rate discharge 4.4 kWh lithium-ion battery located in the rear compartment. The energy is used to spool up the turbine blades in the turbos and used to deliver up to 160 hp (120 kW) of power into the drivetrain. The power reenters the drivetrain through a newly-designed final drive assembly on the rear axle.
"The Project Black S represents the very top end of electrification in the Alliance portfolio, and is another example of Infiniti's entrepreneurial spirit on its journey to electrification from 2021 onward,” says Roland Krueger, Infiniti Chairman and Global President.
The Infiniti Project Black S prototype will make its official debut at the Paris Motor Show Oct. 1. Infiniti will release more information then.
Source: Infiniti
Latest News
