Volvo XC90 T8 e-Twinster Prototype: Call It the e-Drifter
Driving on a frozen ice lake is a strange experience at any time, but never more so than when the towering Volvo XC90 T8 that we?re piloting on the treacherous surface of a frozen lake starts to do a convincing impression of a Focus RS.
Look closely and you?ll see that, despite obviously being an XC90, this car has had its badges covered by black tape. That?s because it?s not a Volvo as much as a hard-working prototype vehicle belonging to British engineering company GKN, built to help with the development of a radical new electric rear axle.
The clue is in the name: e-Twinster. Which is an electric version of the existing GKN Twinster axle that?s fitted to the Focus RS, among others?and which uses separate electronically controlled clutches for each rear wheel to bias torque across the axle. It?s what gives the Ford its understeer-cancelling ability, and also its hoontastic Drift Mode. The idea of the e-Twinster is to offer the same ability to manufacturers who use either an electrically powered rear axle in a hybrid, or even a full EV. As with the Twinster, each coupling can go from open to fully locked in less than a tenth of a second, allowing torque to be shifted between wheels very quickly.
GKN makes the electric motor module that sits at the rear of the standard XC90 T8 hybrid, making it the perfect test bed for the e-Twinster. This is currently powered by a 60-kW motor (80-hp) which also produces 177 lb-ft of torque. However, a 10:1 gearing ratio within the unit mu...
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