It looks like Porsche has outdone itself once again. Actually, it looks Porsche has outdone a lot of people this time with their new concept car, the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid plug-in car. As a performance machine, it’s awesome! As a Green performance machine, it’s unbelievable.
Porsche says the 918 Spyder will get 78 miles per gallon. That in itself is outstanding, but throw in the fact that it will take you from 0 to 62 miles-per-hour (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds and it’s just about unbelievable. Unbelievable until you look at it, then it’s not only believable, but it becomes the stuff dreams are made of. At least my dreams…I love this car! This is just a pain beautiful piece of work, and it sounds like there’s a very, very, very good chance it will become more than just a concept.
[slidepress gallery='porsche-918']
Porsche accomplished the almost unheard of task of keeping this a secret until its unveiling last week at the Geneva Auto show, where it was an instant hit. Some thinks that make it so impressive, especially for a Green car? The 918 is powered by a 500-horsepower gasoline V-8 along with electric motors on the front and rear axle. The two electric motors combine to make 160 kilowatts of power, which is the equivalent of 218 horsepower. Total power output is 718 horsepower.
All of this delivers a top speed of 198 mph, 0 to 62 mph in 3.2 second, and 78 mpg. But there’s a catch. You don’t get all of these at once. There’s no way you’ll get 78 mpg if you’re driving around town at 198 mph (but then again, that’s probably the least of your concerns if that’s your driving style).
The Porsche 918 Spyder has four different drive modes, E-drive, Hybrid, Sport Hybrid, and Race Hybrid, all of which are explained further here on Porsche’s press release.
I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from Porsche on the 918 Spyder.
No excuses; one must leave comment after reading. That is what keeps the bloggers going besides many other things.
So true, thank you for your support!
electric motors would sometimes overheat if they are not properly ventilated*`:
What a great looking car. I think they (Porsche) realise to keep on with the 911 is a bit daft when with a clean sheet design they can move the engine forward into a more balanced Mid-Engine position.
I can see this being the car to beat when it hits the road. As far as I’m concerned, but I am biased being an ex Porsche owner. I used to own the last of the 928s the GTS 5.4 litres of V8 german power. What a great car it was, it could cross countries at 150-165mph and felt as stable as a train, but when needed I raced a 911 through country lanes at 5am on a summers morning and he edged ahead on the corners but I caught up on the straights.
Thanks for the great comment! I agree, it’s gonna be a tough one to beat.
I used to LOVE the 928′s, and I still think it’s a great looking car. I also had the pleasure of driving a 911 twin turbo for a weekend a while ago, and that was truly awesome! But I didn’t get it up to 150, must be exhilarating!
electric motors are great, they really help keep manual jobs easier:.;
If you are traveling a long distance, you may be at the risk of the battery getting discharged. As such there are no battery charging stations available on roads and highways. In some states like California and Arizona, shopping malls and some stores offer charging facilities, but they are not available everywhere. In future the trend of providing charging points is surely going to spread across other businesses and states.