KW automotive outfits 1,914 hp Rimac C

KW automotive outfits 1,914 hp Rimac C_Two electric hypercar:
R&D work on KW’s vehicle dynamics test rig Fichtenberg (Germany), Sveta Nedelja (Croatia), February 23, 2021 – KW automotive, the suspension manufacturer, has been a development partner and supplier for selected limited edition models in the automotive industry for years. Croatian electric hypercar manufacturer Rimac Automobili also relies on the expertise of KW automotive. The Rimac C_Two is much more than a hypercar; it’s an electric GT hypercar that needs to be comfortable during long journeys and deliver high performance on various racetracks. The Rimac C_Two can accelerate from 0 to 300 km/h in just 11.6 seconds. The requirements placed on the suspension are accordingly high. After years of development work, the Rimac C_Two is in the final phase of fine-tuning the fully KW suspension. More at www.rimacautomobili.com and www.kwsuspensions.net

In collaboration with KW automotive, the handling and driving dynamics of the Rimac C_Two were fine-tuned using KW’s specialized equipment, on numerous demanding racetracks around the world, even before the electric sports car has done any driving. In reproducible conditions, KW tested its shocks with adaptive damper control for the Rimac C_Two on the 7-Poster Rig specialized in Vertical Dynamics for chassis dynamic data analytics in Fichtenberg, Germany. Development of such a complex and unique vehicle requires multiple tuning sessions and changes to reach the highest possible refinement in terms of vehicle comfort, performance but also noise and vibration cancelation. As Rimac Automobili get closer to series production, the refinement is getting more and more detailed and demanding.

Fully controlled KW suspension technology from the factory KW automotive is a leader in its segment in the development and production of adaptive coilovers, software control systems, suspension control units and solenoid proportional damper valves. The suspension developed by KW for the Rimac C_Two is a fully controlled coilover suspension with adaptive valve control and a hydraulic lift system. The electric sports car has 1,914 hp, and within 11.6 seconds the hypercar accelerates to 300 km/h (0 – 100 km/h in under 2 sec). The top speed is 412 km/h. The battery technology used allows a range of up to 550 kilometers. In addition to the suspension, KW automotive also developed the chassis control and chassis control electronics for its customer Rimac Automobili. “The suspension system in the C_Two is the most innovative product that we have at KW automotive, and it’s necessary to deliver the broad range of abilities that Mate Rimac wants for the C_Two. We’re proud to say that this is the latest partnership between our two brands, and we’ve worked with Mate since the very beginning ten years ago when we provided the suspension for his all-electric BMW track car that inspired him to start building his own electric hypercars.”, says Klaus Wohlfarth, Founder and Managing Director of KW automotive.

Reproducible at any time: testing under laboratory conditions The Rimac C_Two is placed with its wheels on four stamps during the tests. The 4-post sweep tests various parameters such as axle kinematics, spring rates, suspension travel, damper settings, damper setups and much more. Each individual pillar has a wheel load scale and is moved by hydraulics. This generates a pressure of up to 230 bar in the hoses of the vehicle dynamics 7-post rig. The motion of the four large wheel actuators causes the entire body of the Rimac C_Two to vibrate. In the process, the KW engineers, together with their colleagues from Rimac, analyze resonance frequencies, among other things, at which the amplitude of the forced body reaches maximum. In this stroke sinusoidal oscillation, the electric sports car runs through a frequency band from one Hertz to 20 Hertz at a constant speed in phase zero passage. In addition to measurements at constant speeds of 75 mm/s, 150 mm/s, 200 mm/s, or 250 mm/s (excitation speed of the posts in the phase zero passage), the 7-Post Driving Dynamics test rig is also used to map various racetracks. After the tuning and development tests on the vehicle dynamics bench, further driving tests on various racetracks will begin shortly before the 1914 hp Rimac C_Two production model is presented to the public in a few months.

About KW automotive:To the KW entrepreneurial group belong the manufacturer KW automotive GmbH with its brands KW suspensions, ST suspensions, ap sportfahrwerke, Belltech, Reiger Racing Suspension, LSD Doors and RaceRoom, specializing in suspension. With its immense suspension portfolio, state-of-the-art production technology, development and test center, KW has been operating successfully in all markets for over 25 years. In the past years, KW automotive has developed more than 16 different damping technologies in order to meet its own claim, «The perfect suspension for every demand». In addition to its core business, the development and production of manually and adaptively adjustable coilover suspensions and other suspension components for the aftermarket, as well as the accessory program of various automobile manufacturers in the premium segment, the business field of original equipment of special models and super sports cars of the automobile industry is developing extremely positively for the Swabian suspension manufacturer. As a development partner for sophisticated controlled suspension systems, the manufacturer has the complete product portfolio of hydraulics, electronics, sensor technology, control units and damper control systems as well as the necessary know-how for the application and tuning of complex driving dynamics control systems from a single source. KW has established itself strongly in customer motor sports in the past years and produces homologated racing dampers and suspensions for more and more racing vehicles of different car manufacturers. Worldwide, successful racing teams rely on the patented valve technology of KW Competition suspensions of the multiple overall winner of the 24h Race Nürburgring, winner of the 24h of Dubai, ADAC GT Masters, ADAC TCR Germany, Spa-Francorchamps 24h Race, the Bathurst 12h Race and 9h Race Kyalami. The group has seven international subsidiaries in the most important markets worldwide, including Belgium, China, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan and the USA. Of the 450 employees worldwide, about 330 work at the headquarters in Fichtenberg. Additional business lines are software and hardware solutions as well as events for virtual motor sports under the umbrella of KW automotive’s subsidiary RaceRoom. www.kwsuspensions.net