Sign up now for your Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid!
- Posted by: AutoHaus
- On: 06/12/2012 08:57:48
- In: Autohaus at Large
Greener than a Prius...and still tops 200mph!
Porsche estimates the 918 will make the dash from 0-60 in the just 2.9 seconds and carry a top speed of 210 miles per hour. The electric motors alone are said to propel the sporty plug-in hybrid at up to 94 mph. Yet mileage should average 78 miles per gallon. Porsche has yet to indicate whether its inaugural plug-in hybrid will travel on battery alone, if at all, or whether drivers will be able to dictate electric motor usage while in the city — as opposed to highway driving where fuel return is typically worse.
In addition to the plug-in charging system, Porsche has indicated that the lithium-ion batteries used in the Porsche 918 Spyder will be able to recharge thanks to regenerative braking technology, as well as excess engine output while the car is coasting. Charging time estimates have not been given.
But it isn’t just the powertrain that has received attention from industrious engineers at Porsche’s headquarters in Stuttgart. The chassis of the 918, particularly the materials used in its construction, is a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic monocoque. Typically, powertrains consisting of electric motors and batteries serve to increase overall vehicle weight, but thanks to the 918’s use of magnesium and aluminum throughout its frame, the weight of car has been kept to 3,300 lbs.
Production for the 918 Spyder is scheduled to begin at the end of September 2013, with Porsche stating that buyers can look forward to deliveries of the first examples by the end of 2013. As to be expected, the plug-in hybrid sports car will command a princely price tag, which Porsche has indicated will start at $845,000.
