Porsche 918 Spyder, splendid, ecological…
For now, it’s only a prototype. The most optimistic among us can already see it tearing up the the tarmac. When will this ecological monster emerge from the shadows ?
Rumors are rife : Porsche is waiting until it has convinced a thousand customers to launch production of the 918 Spyder. Nine hundred have apparently already yielded to the siren’s charms. But there’s a total black-out as regards the price. So what is in fact known about this high-performance sports car, awesomely efficient and unbelievably clean ? We know that it achieves the highly-coveted blend between a high-tech racing car and electric-mobility. We learn that it chalks up the performance of a super sports car (3.2 seconds from standstill to 100 km/hr) and the CO2 emissions of an ultra-compact city car (70 g/km). A real paradox, this Porsche 918 Spyder. It reaches a top speed of 320 km/hr and spins around the Nordschleife track at Nürburgring in seven-and-a-half minutes (a very worthy performance), but consumes only three litres per 100 kilometres. This open two-seater offers 700 hp and four engines : a V8 500 hp combustion engine and three electric motors contributing a further 218 hp, positioned on the front and rear axle. On the steering wheel, a button gives access to four different running modes. “E-Drive” is for all-electric driving, with a maximum range of 25 km. “Hybrid” calls on both the electric motors and the combustion engine. The “Sport Hybrid” mode focuses on performance and uses both drive systems. Finally, in “Race Hybrid” mode, the drive systems give priority to sheer performance with the highest standard of driving dynamics on the track, attaining the limits of their possibilities. To overtake or boost performance (when the battery is sufficiently charged), one simply presses a “push-to-pass” button, which releases additional electric power. Fast, easy to handle, this prototype benefits from lightweight construction. Thanks to very extensive use of carbon fiber, magnesium and aluminum, it weighs a mere 1,490 kilos. Even a little less. As for looks, it is clearly a Porsche. With the characteristics of a racing car, its proportions and forms. Esthetically, it is perfectly balanced and powerfully sleek. Porsche DNA never lies. The cockpit features sports bucket seats and offers the driver a synthesis of functionality and ergonomic high-tech control. With a nod and a wink to its ancestors of the ’sixties, the 918 Spyder has three individual circular dials : road speed to the left, engine speed in the middle, and energy management to the right. The ascending central console proposes a touch-sensitive surface for intuitive control of the vehicle's functions. Reflecting its day and age, the car also has a Range Manager system. Once activated, it uses the map in the navigation system on the central screen to indicate the remaining range that can be covered, which the driver can then influence by adjusting the car’s power and performance. When approaching towns with environmental alert zones, the Range Manager also indicates whether it is possible to reach the destination in all-electric mode. Thanks to all this information (and a list of special energy filling stations), the driver can choose his own strategy for driving style, battery charging, refueling… Tomorrow is already here.
By Cécile Olivéro
