Consider this – most hybrid cars are designed to be more fuel efficient, giving drivers the feeling that they are doing their part to help the environment. But how do you be energy efficient with a 500 horsepower hybrid like the Porsche 912 Spyder plug-in hybrid?
The vehicle, which will go into production in September 2013 and will be limited to a run of just 918 models, will reportedly boast a 500HP plus V8 engine coupled with two electric motors capable of at least 218 horsepower.
The car will have a top speed of 320kph, will go from 0-100kph in 3.1 seconds and will have an electric-only range of about 27km.
There’s currently no word on fuel efficiency numbers – although with that kind of power you honestly can’t expect it to be very good. Which is why, when you compare it to the likes of the Tesla Roadster, you have to wonder why any Spyder loving rich man would want to opt for a hybrid when there are perfectly good petrol and fully-electric cars on the market.
Especially when the Spyder 918 will be selling for $US845,000. That’s a lot of money to pretend to care about the environment…
Roland
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 2:42 PMI don’t think it has anything to do with pretending to care about the environment. It’s about having a stackload of money buying a supercar and telling to your country club friends it’s a hybrid like the Toyota Prius they claim to drive.
Lasty
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 2:51 PMLove it! Finally an electric car that i WANT! :-)
Lets face it. The harsh reality here is a big questions of “just how environmentally friendly are these electric cars?”
I myself despise everything that a Toyota Prius stands for, purely based on the fact that it is marketed as the most Environmentally friendly car, however how many of you out there have considered the manufacturing of these electric cars?
The batteries alone are made from a Nickel composite that is quite hard to refine. Then once the car dies it is alot harder to dispose of. So keeping this in mind, the life-to-death impact of a PRIUS is almost equivalent to that of a Hummer…. Hypocritical much?
Correct me if i’m wrong here people
Jester
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 3:56 PMI’m not going to correct you Lasty as I’ve heard similar reports from varied sources, but my one argument against this rationale is that the movement needs to begin somewhere. If enough of the market gets behind the switch to hybrid or fully electric vehicles then the technology to produce these vehicles will improve drastically. That’s the end of my ‘greeny’ bit.
Now, on to the Porsche!! Nick, I love the Tesla brand, but I’d rather a Porsche hybrid any day of the week purely because of the pedigree. Porsche know how to build a car, they know how to set it up for both town driving as well as the track, so if I had the cash I’d be putting my money into one of these. Unfortunately here in Oz, this car won’t meet the requirements to be registered as a road car so if anyone buys one, it’ll be a track day car only. Yet it’ll still attract the luxury car tax, go figure.
Justind
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 4:31 PMYou may be right, but arguing against new, green technology because it’s expensive and difficult now is a sure way to make sure it stays expensive and difficult. I’m guessing the first few Hummers to come of the assembly line had a horrific lifetime impact, but we become more efficient at thing the more we do them.
On topic, the electric motors in this Porsche have nothing to do with being green and everything to do with getting to with getting more power at take off, instant, massive, full torque.
Troy MacDonald
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 4:56 PMNo, I think you’re right. I’ve heard something along the lines of a prius using as much emissions to create as a landrover does in its lifecycle, or a year, or something like that.
Im never gonna buy a hybrid. Granted, petrol is running out, but its not gonna be an issue anytime soon, and theres not much we can do about it unless they release a replacement fuel car that will actually kick off enough to make it viable.
matt
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 7:53 PMso it is actually a hybrid? as in the petrol motor charges the batteries? I guess thats pretty cool. range is a bit pathetic though. hears an idea! removable battery packs!
so, you drive to the track, for the drive there, you have all the batteries in, then when you get to the track, and its all about power, and speed… simply take a bunch of the batteries out! flexibility with the batteries would be good. given the dynamics of this car… you are going to spend a lot of time cruising (or hell, almost all ‘normal’ driving could be achieved entirely on the 200+bhp electric motor) yet, you don’t want to weigh it down when you are really going for it.
Stevothegoddamneddevo
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 10:54 PMHoly shit batman… Who cares about the environment.. That looks awesome and fast!!! I’ll probably need the electric motors to keep the heater pumping to keep me warm as I rocket around at Mach 2