LA 2007: Porsche Cayenne Hybrid goes 75mph on battery power!
Click the Cayenne Hybrid for a high-res gallery
Joining in on the hybrid party, Porsche had the North American debut of the "upcoming" Cayenne hybrid at the LA Auto Show. Porsche has developed their hybrid system to be adaptable to a variety of platforms including the four-door Panamera that debuts in 2009. While the Cayenne uses nickel metal hydride battery like other current hybrids, Porsche is making some pretty fantastic claims about the capability of their system. The Cayenne hybrid can reportedly zip around at speeds of up to 75 mph on battery power alone. Although they would not say what the capacity of the battery is, it doesn't seem to be any larger than the one used in other vehicles of this type. It is unlikely the Cayenne can get up to 75 mph from a standstill on the battery. Instead it can probably shut off the engine at speed and "coast" on battery power for several miles maintaining speed. Porsche also wouldn't say specifically when the hybrid will launch, other than "by the end of the decade". Whether that means the end of 2009 or 2010 is also unclear. Porsche is targeting 26 mpg (US) on the EU combined cycle.
Gallery: LA 2007: Porsche Cayenne Hybrid
[Source: Porsche]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sam 11:33AM (1/28/2008)
We need doors to this car in Ghana.
Fender and headlights are also needed very urgently in my country.
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rgseidl 9:52AM (11/15/2007)
You need roughly 75 horsepower to cruise at 75mph in an SUV with the aerodynamics of a brick. Getting up to that speed on battery power alone wouldn't be the issue, as long as you accept modest acceleration at the higher speeds. All-electric range will likely be extremely modest at that speed.
The point here is that Porsche is tuning its hybrid system for higher power rather than all-electric range or fuel economy. Honda already tried this with its Accord Hybrid and discovered that US customers strongly associate "hybrid" with "fuel economy", so sales were disappointing. Porsche customers are in a different league, but at just 26mpg they will get very little green cred for having bought a hybrid.
What the Cayenne needs is a six-cylinder diesel with dual chargers: one advanced supercharger (e.g. Integral Powertrain Supergen) for immediate throttle response plus a largish turbo for high power. VW uses a similar approach in its 1.4L TSI inline four gasoline engine. BMW uses sequential turbos on its newest 3L straight six diesel.
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Domenick 10:43AM (11/15/2007)
For what it's worth, the 2008 Cayenne has a coefficient of .35.
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Throwback 11:18AM (11/15/2007)
I doubt Porsche buyers care much about green cred. I think they will care about getting V-8 performance with V-6 MPG. Porsche has stated they would not add diesels to their cars, this could change obviously. If they do decide to go the diesel route they have plenty of options, they effectively control the VW group. Not sure how their CAFE average will change when they do take over VW outright. If Porsche's average rolls up into the larger corporation they may be even less inclined to go with diesels.
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Spike 11:51AM (11/15/2007)
For the record the EV1 did 183mph on battery power although it was governor limited to 80mph.
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Rick 7:06PM (11/16/2007)
BMW had an all electric car doing 80+ in the late 1980s so I don't see the big hoopla over this.
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Chris M 8:15PM (11/16/2007)
Running that speed is no big deal for many electric cars, but running that fast on electricity only is extremely rare for hybrids.
To do that implies a powerful, thus large, battery pack. Hmm, could they be planning a suprise PHEV announcement?
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