0-100 km/h time in just under 3.2 seconds
The 918 will be produced in a limited series
The fuel consumption is 3 L/100 km
According to Porsche’s Michael Macht, what makes Porsche 918 Spyder so special is that it answers the question of whether there can be high-performance supercars in the future. Porsche 918 Spyder - the faster road car that Porsche ever built - shows that there will be. It is also the latest supercar concept to showcase hybrid technology as the way to boost performance and use less fuel. Read this article to find out more.
The Porsche 918 Spyder was first shown at the Geneva Motor show in March 2010. Ιn an age where environmental awareness in Porsche and the auto industry in general is heightened, the hybrid concept car lays the template for the future of a supercar. Its’ interior and exterior design gives a glimpse of the styling elements and appearance of the new generation of Porsche models to come.
The car’s 3.4 litre V8 engine is a development of the engine used in the RS Spyder Le Mans Prototype racing car. The new engine can rev to 9,200 rpm and produces about 500 hp.
Τhe V8 engine is teamed with three electric motors which can boost power a further 160kW, taking overall output to about 540kW. This gives the Porsche 918 Spyder a 0-100 km/h time in just under 3.2 seconds and a top speed of over 320 kilometres per hour (200 mph). The CO2 emissions are 70 g/km and the fuel consumption is 3 L/100 km.
Porsche 918 Spyder’s transmission is a 7-speed gearbox coupled to Porsche's own (PDK) double clutch system. Two of the electric motors drive the front wheels directly while the third is connected to the transmission. Each motor draws electrical energy from a storage system of air-cooled lithium-ion batteries which have a capacity of 5.1 kilowatts per hour. Electrical energy can be generated either by the Lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged in a regular PowerPoint, or a giant flywheel that can convert the kinetic energy that would normally be lost in heat through the brakes.
The car has four different modes, including one that allows the car to be driven for up to 25km as a pure electric vehicle. The other three modes - Hybrid, Sport Hybrid and Race Hybrid - use the V8 engine and electric motors for varying levels of performance and power. A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to choose between the four modes.
Although more compact than Carrera GT, the new car, which is 77 inches long, 43 inches tall and 76 inches wide and has a wheelbase of 104 inches, offers a luggage compartment in its nose and more space for its two occupants than the Carrera GT.
The car’s chassis is a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic monocoque. Magnesium and aluminium are used extensively for the construction of the car, something that helps keep the Porsche 918 Spyder's weight down to 1,490 kilograms. The concept hybrid has retractable air intakes that are designed to improve aerodynamics and shove air into the engine under pressure for increased power, as well as an adjustable rear wing.
The Porsche 918 Spyder, which is claimed that it will lap the Nurburgring - the benchmark of performance - in less than 7:30 munutes, may still be only a concept, but according to Macht ‘Porsche has never shown a concept car that wasn’t built’. The 918 Spyder is a car with extremely low fuel consumption, supreme performance and long electric range and is destined to play a prominent role in the future road-car lineup of Porsche.
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The 918 will be produced in a limited series, and it will be developed in Weissach and assembled in Zuffenhausen. The cost has not been officially announced yet, but estimates put it around $650,000.
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