Porsche develops its hybrid and electric technology supercars before applying it to other cars

Porsche sports cars ever built. Since the first Porsche 356 from the 50 to 911 undaunted, through remote current initial concept models as the Panamera, Cayenne or Macan, the German brand has always imbued his creations with a touch of sportiness that other brands have failed attain.

So, we can say that sportsmanship is intrinsic to the DNA of the brand, a brand that in recent years has managed to reinvent itself to making use of the most modern and avant-garde technology, keep making more and more sports cars and while respectful of the environment. We tell you what the secret of Porsche to make hybrid and electric little time with those who already dreams of any lover of sports cars.

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The electronics of the car and its evolution

Until the advent of electronics to cars, sportsmanship was achieved based on weight horses and containment. No electric windows, no airbags, no automatic gearboxes or electronic control units that involve definite overweight compared to the basic model. Simply containment of weight to a minimum and an overhaul of the car that allowed the driver to drive in perfect communion with the rest of the set.

Porsche arrival of electronics to its sports models marked a before and after. While models like the Porsche 959 and incorporated electronics in the 80s, was in the generation 911 called 997 when the first traction control and stability began to become popular. The cars changed for the better, because since then they are easier to driving safer and therefore easier to push the boundaries.

Over the years, technology has been extended by sports Porsche, one of the brands that have chosen to spearhead many technological advances in the sports car segment. But perhaps the most significant arrival of the Porsche technology change has been that many electronics are used today to improve performance than the purely mechanical development would not be able to get. Let’s see…

The legacy of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid active aerodynamics and performance

The hypersensitive dream car that any lover of Porsche sports cars is the Porsche 918 Spyder and hybrid. I was lucky to get on one for a co-driving a couple of years in Germany does, and I assure you that never in my life had I felt a similar sensation, and that I’ve been lucky enough to drive and ride in some of the fastest cars of the world.

When a car brand gets into a multimillion dollar project to develop a vehicle as technologically advanced as the Porsche 918 Spyder, it does for several reasons. On the one hand, of course, to demonstrate the technological power of their disposal. A hypersensitive like this, with a price of one million dollars and thousands of customers around the world fighting to seize any of the 918 units produced, is cause for celebration.

On the other hand, these cars are used to experiencing some technical solutions then more or less developed, will apply to other models. Porsche began work on the 918 Spyder in 2010. At that time, hearing about active aerodynamics with several adjustable aerodynamic elements according to three modes, sounded future.

But when the Porsche 918 Spyder started shipping, the reality was that the rear spoiler and flaps front and a small spoiler located between the wing supports, could vary its positions to generate more or less downforce or optimize the flow to improve air drag and reduce fuel consumption.

Only a few years later, these futuristic technological solutions that seemed already applied to a relatively common car like the Porsche 911 Turbo, the first 911 to incorporate active aerodynamics on the rear wing and front spoiler. Today, this technology has already reached the 911 standard, which incorporates air intakes in the front apron that are opened or closed depending on the needs of the moment.

But the Porsche 918 Spyder has left a legacy that goes beyond. It was a hybrid model, available as an internal combustion engine and electric motor. While the gasoline engine was entrusted to a 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V8 that developed 608 hp and 530 Nm of torque, two electric motors that helped to obtain the best possible performance.

The secret was that the 918 Spyder was a parallel hybrid, which means roughly that could work with each of its three engines independently or in combination with them.

An engine of 115 kW (156 hp) is responsible for generating power for the batteries and power the vehicle systems. Another electric motor of 95 kW (130 hp) on the front axle is used to move these wheels using battery power. This engine drives the front axle only with electricity, but is decoupled from 235 km / h to avoid too revolutionize.

In total, the Porsche 918 Spyder getting offer 887 hp and 1,275 Nm of torque, all with an average consumption of 3.3 l / 100 km. The numbers are spectacular, unthinkable a few years ago, but more importantly this is not numbers. The most important thing is that thanks to this hybrid system, the car is faster than one that had the same power and not disputed of a hybrid system.

The Porsche 918 Spyder was the 0-100 km / h in 2.8 seconds, the 0-200 km / h in 7.9 seconds and 0-300 km / h in 23 seconds, reaching a top speed in excess of 340 km / h. And you could get home and plug it into the wall like any appliance to charge your lithium-ion battery located just behind the cockpit and consists of 312 cells with 6.8 kWh.

Thanks to this battery, the Porsche 918 Spyder could move in purely electric mode for 30 kilometers, and do so with performance worthy of a supercar. The development of this high performance hybrid technology has allowed other more mundane refine models such as the Cayenne S E-Hybrid and the Panamera S E-Hybrid.

Today a Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid 416 horses, is able to accelerate from 0-100 km / h in 5.5 seconds and reach 270 km / h top speed. The equivalent of gasoline, the Panamera S, with 420 horses does 0-100 km / h in 5.1 seconds and reaches 287 km / h top.

They are very similar benefits, which only weigh a hybrid version overweight posed by batteries and electric motors. While pure gasoline model weighs 1,885 kilos, hybrid goes up to 2,170 kilos and that’s a difference too bulky yet.

Porsche Mission E: The laboratory for electric sports

As in the time Porsche began work on developing a hybrid supercar, the 918 Spyder, which allowed him to gain experience and to apply hybrid technology to their cars, Porsche has now given the green light for development of the Porsche E. Mission

What is that? So basically the Porsche Mission E will be the first 100% electric supercar Porsche , a model prototype version promises futuristic technologies such as the dashboard which is controlled by the eyes and gestures or Porsche Turbo Charging that allows a range of 400 kilometers It is plugged in only fifteen minutes, enough to load 80% of battery time.

This car has technology inherited from the competition, which is perhaps the first of all development labs as advanced technical solutions. As the 919 Hybrid with which they have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it has two permanent magnet synchronous motors which together develop more than 600 horsepower. Treading background, the German prototype reaches 100 km / h in 3.5 seconds and 200 km / h in just 12 seconds.

Many see it as the future of Porsche, which has certain given the green light to this bold concept with the same purpose for which at the time they embarked on the development of the Porsche 918 Spyder: Develop electric technology that will allow its sports models move using only electricity between now and the near future. There is already talk of the arrival of a Porsche 911 hybrid and dare to venture that the power will be on the market in less than fifteen years.

And is that both hybrids as pure electric models, Porsche is demonstrating the benefits intrinsic emotion and sportiness to their cars for more than 60 years ago are not incompatible with technological developments. We welcome hybrid and electric sports.