Koenigsegg, the Maker of $3 Million Supercars, Experiments With Volcano Fuel
The small Swedish outfit known for ultra-lightweight cars sees sustainability and cutting-edge drivetrains in its future.
Hypercars with $3 million price tags aren’t usually synonymous with environmental sustainability. Christian von Koenigsegg, founder and chief executive of Koenigsegg Automotive, wants to change that. The Ängelholm, Sweden-based company is experimenting with ultra-high-voltage battery packs and biofuels using emissions from volcanoes to build environmentally “benign” and potentially even carbon-neutral cars, without sacrificing performance.
Founded in 1994, Koenigsegg has slowly ramped up output of its vehicles to around 35 units a year. The company sells to the super rich in search of cutting-edge technology, exclusivity and hand-craftmanship using the lightest bespoke materials. In the midst of a global pandemic, Koenigsegg’s already-small volume was hampered, and the global shortage of semiconductors has not helped. However, Koenigsegg has big ambitions for a next phase: to double its factory footprint within two to three years and expand production capacity to thousands of cars a year.