For most people it is hard to imagine that Porsche, particularly Ferdinand is accredited with building the first electric hybrid. So what is the company doing now to renew with its prestigious past?
The gist is that you would expect nothing more from Porsche then technology and performance. If the paper specs of the 2010 Cayenne is anything to believe, it will be one intelligent car, aligning German ingeneering with performance and economy… a rare match these days.
Performance Hybrid. The 2010 Cayenne looks promising on paper. According to NewsOXY, it will be a parallel full hybrid, HEV solution that has some of the advantages of a serial HEV. As a quick reminder, a parallel HEV system uses both gas and electric engine to move the car while a series (or serial) HEV system only uses the electric engine as a means to propulsion. Well developed parallel HEVs can be ultra performers, as in the case of AFS Trinity’s technology that let’s you chose when and how to use any combination of engines while maximizing efficiency and performance.
Technically speaking, the Cayanne will allow you to drive up to 86 mph using only its electric engine. The Hybrid Manager efficiently works with the gas engine to switch the electric motor to an alternator and generate electricity stored in the NiMH battery. The idea is to have V8 performance with a four-cylinder efficiency while cutting C02 emissions by 20%. The 0 to 60 will be done in 6.8 seconds, using the supercharged Direct Fuel Injection, DFI, Audi 3.0-liter V6 engine rated at 333 horsepower and 324 lb-ft of torque from 2,900 to 5,300 rpm with a 52 hp three-phase synchronous electric engine producing around 221 lb-ft of torque.
Having the high-end performers tackle hybrid technology and the electric drive is a sure way of pushing the envelop of performance. We would like to see it with AFS Trinity’s choice of mode to add some extra fun to driving this machine.