For a long time, Porsche opposed the idea of turning its legendary 911 model into a fully electric one, but as time went by, the pressure from the competition was greater, so Porsche found a solution in the first 911 Hybrid model. The car will be premiered this summer.
The car has so far been tested on snowy roads, but also on one of the most famous racing tracks, the Nürburgring. Spy photos showed that the test prototype has a similar design to previous models. The front end with large air intakes and vertical slats, additional lights on the sides that should not be part of the final design, narrower arches, a smaller spoiler and centrally placed exhaust pipes are just some of the features of this prototype.
“With a reminder that Porsche already has excellent models that are driven only by electric motors, which will soon be joined by the new generation models of the 718 Series, we absolutely do not see a justified reason for the complete electrification of our icon,” said last year Michael Steiner, a member of Porsche’s department for development.
The 911 Hybrid should use technology developed for race tracks, so that it can compete with hybrid sports cars and supercars from competing brands.
“Once again we are using technology developed in the world of motorsport for series production models. Our customers can expect new technological innovations,” said Blume.
When it comes to the powertrain, there are a lot of speculations. Some say it could use a naturally aspirated 4.0L engine like the one in the Cayman GT4. Some say it could have over 650 hp (478 kW). However, there is no official information for now. There is also talk of cooperation with the company Rimac in the development of electric motors. The specially designed lithium-ion battery was developed with a focus on weight reduction, rather than range. As a result, the 911 is expected to be a standard, self-charging hybrid rather than a plug-in hybrid.
Anyway, let’s wait until the summer to see the first 911 Hybrid ever.
Source: Porsche