Preview: Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept

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Along came an electric Spyder

On the road to production, Porsche previews its hybrid super sports

By John LeBlanc CARMEL VALLEY, CALIF.—The idea of an electric-gasoline hybrid with supercar performance is the automobile industry’s version of man’s goal to reach the moon in the 1960s. Over the past year, Audi, Ferrari, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have unveiled electric-powered sports car concepts. And like the original Space Race that saw the U.S. and U.S.S.R. go toe-to-toe for off-planet supremacy, Porsche has opened the equally hard-fought hybrid sports car competition with the first salvo. Porsche announced last month it plans on putting its two-seater 918 Spyder mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car concept (that debuted at this year’s Geneva Motor Show) into production. As proof of the German automaker’s serious intentions, it dragged media up the side of a central California mountain to record the 918 Spyder’s first drive-by under its own power outside of Porsche’s skunk works. First in gas-only mode, then a few metres via its twin electric motors only (see video above), a feat the 918 Spyder would repeat a few days later for the public at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance. “We wanted to show the whole world that this is possible,” said Porsche design chief Michael Mauer, who piloted his hybrid sports car creation at low speeds, back and forth in front of the media along a winding private road. Just as then U.S. president John F. Kennedy committed to beating the Russians to the moon by the end of the decade in 1961, based on the concept’s published figures, Porsche has set some lofty goals for the production version. Using a 3.4 L gas V8 engine from the American Le Mans Series RS Spyder race car, and electric motors on the 918 Spyder concept’s front and rear axles, at a combined 718 hp, the hybrid would be the most powerful Porsche road car ever (beating the current 911 GT2 RS, which holds that title with only 620 hp.) And at 3.2 seconds, the hybrid would be the quickest Porsche from zero to 100 km/h (just nudging the 911 Turbo S’s 3.3-second time) you could buy. Yet (and here’s the “moon shot” reference), the Porsche über-hybrid will apparently sip only 3.02 litres of fossil fuel for every 100 km it drives – about one-quarter what the 911 GT2 RS gets on the on the EU Cycle. Just don’t expect the 918 Spyder’s futuristic marriage of performance and efficiency to come cheap. Although there were rumours that Porsche was going to price the production 918 Spyder in the $650,000 range, more than likely, pricing to be a bit higher than the $450,000-or so cost of the German automaker’s last super sports car, the 2004 to 2006 Carrera GT. Like existing hybrids, the 918 Spyder will be able to be driven using various combinations of its drivetrain. An E-Drive mode will allow for a range of up to 25 km on electricity alone. The Hybrid mode uses both the electric motors and the gas engine for everyday driving. Sport Hybrid uses both drive systems, but with the focus on performance. While Race Hybrid is for the track, with the car “running at the limit to their power and dynamic output.” With its lithium-ion batteries sufficiently charged, a push-to-pass button feeds in additional electrical power for passing or environmentally unfriendly smoky burnouts. Additionally, the concept’s cockpit offers a glimpse at the potential interior architecture of future Porsche sports cars. There’s what the company calls Range Manager, basically an anti-battery range anxiety device that uses the map in the navigation system to figure out the remaining driving range of the car, allowing the driver to “influence” that number through the appropriate choice of power and performance. All in theory, at least; Porsche reiterated that it still has some work to do before you can buy a 918 Spyder Hybrid. There are chassis carbon-fibre bits from the old Carrera GT. But the reality is, the 918 Spyder is a one-off concept. “There will be some modifications to the layout and proportions, but it will be as close to the concept as possible,” said 918 Spyder project manager Gernot Doellner. Regardless of those challenges, Porsche, like many automakers, is serious about electric-powered cars. The 918 Spyder was one of three Porsche models with electric hybrid technology that debuted in Geneva, along with the 2011 Cayenne S Hybrid SUV, and the 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car, that almost won this year’s 24-hour race at Germany’s Nurburgring track. Porsche hasn’t committed to an on-sale date for the production version of the 918 Spyder. But it needs to go on sale sooner than later. Just like the 1960’s Space Race, the technology in electric-powered cars is moving rapidly. It was a dozen years between the launch of Russia’s Sputnik satellite to American Neil Armstrong’s’ walk on the moon. Expect Porsche’s own moon shot to show up here in two to three years.

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