Auto Enthusiastic!: Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid - a green ...

It is expected that the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid - designed as a successor to the Carrera GT - will be on sale late in 2013. The car will be exclusive, in part due the price - $845,000, but also due its rarity - only 918 units will?built.

Pros: Awesome performance ? the vehicle will be capable of 0-60 in 3 seconds. Green credentials ? it will be capable of an amazing 78 MPG (combined). Exclusivity ? only 918 will be made.

Cons: Very expensive. Hard to think of ?cons? actually ? but perhaps it will be a little too much of a head-turner from some buyers.

Performance/Ride

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The combination of the V8 and two electric motors deliver up to 720 HP and 553 lb/ft of torque*¹.

This car will perform like a race car, in fact it even has Race Hybrid, and Hot-Lap modes! 0-60 in 3 seconds and a top speed of 198 MPH is surely all the performance that any car enthusiast could ask for.

Handling will be exceptional, aided by several design factors, including a rear axle which can be steered either in the same direction as, or in the opposite direction to, the front wheels. At lower speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, which makes cornering direct, fast and precise. At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels, which results in more stable handling.

Economy/Energy efficiency

The Spyder Hybrid will produce an astounding 78 MPG combined!

Porsche have designed the car to be built with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). This brings the weight of the car down to only 1700 kg, which is very light for a hybrid with this kind of performance capability.

Range and Charging time

On electric power only (E-Power mode) the car can travel up to 16 miles before the? liquid cooled lithium-ion battery will run out. In electric mode the 918 can still reach an impressive 94 MPH, and do 0-60 in less than 9 seconds. A kick down function will immediate bring the gasoline engine to life, if extra power is needed.

A charging station is provided with the Spyder, which can be installed in the owner?s garage. This allows the car to be charged in about 2 hours.

Safety

No safety specs are available at the moment, but it is likely that Porsche will want to include every available safety feature. The car is high performance, so safety spec will have to match.

Equipment and Comfort

Take a close look at the interior - ?this is the type of styling that you can expect in future Porsche models. The circular dials, which are free-standing, are reminiscent of a 1960?s race car.

Exact specifications are unknown, but the level of equipment is likely to be extensive, as is normal in a car of this cost.

Pricing

The car will cost $845,000. A lot of money, but an investment too ? imagine what the car would be worth in 25 years.

Conclusion

A spokesperson for Porsche, Gary Fong has said that the 918 Spyder Hybrid is ?certainly a rare car for someone who has the means, but it?s also for people who are very tuned in to technical advances and leading engineering?. It?s also a supercar for individual who appreciates performance and exclusivity, but who also has concern for the environment*².

As always, I encourage you to post your questions and feedback in a comment and to share the post via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or any other social site, if you find it informative and beneficial. Please check out another of my blogs: http://learninghowtomakealivingonline.blogspot.ie/ 1. Torque: This is the measure of turning force. Lots of torque makes for a responsive drive at low revs, and also means that a vehicle will more easily carry a lot of weight, tow, and climb hills. 2. Co2 emissions: (Please bear in mind that the following calculations are based on approximate figures) On average 44 pounds of CO2 is emitted when producing 33.7 kWh of energy at a power plant. In An EV typically will travel about 95 miles on 33.7 kWh of energy, which means than the typical EV is responsible for about 0.463 lbs of CO2 per mile (44 divided by 95). In contrast, gasoline emits about?19.4 pounds of CO2 per gallon consumed. The average MPG of new vehicles in the US in 2012 is 24, so the average car would emit about 0.808 lbs of CO2 (24 divided by 19.4). Therefore, supplying an EV with electricity results in roughly 57% of the emissions of CO2 emitted by a gasoline powered car. Of course, even less CO2 emissions will result if EVs can be charged with electricity sources from wind, hydro, or solar power.

Source: http://www.autoenthusiastic.com/2012/08/porsche-918-spyder-plug-in-hybrid-green.html

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