Road and Track tests battery-powered E-Ruf 911
Click above for high-res gallery of the E-Ruf
We only heard about the latest modified Porsche from Ruf about a week and a half ago when the tuner unveiled its new E-Ruf via press release. Apparently we weren't the first to learn of the all-electric 911, as Road & Track has already driven it and just published its first impressions, including details about the car's inner workings that were previously unknown.
Unlike most Ruf Porsches, the E-Ruf hasn't had its internal combustion engine boosted to within an inch of its life. It doesn't even have an ICE. Instead, the staff in Germany have ripped out the boxer 6-cylinder, back seat and fuel tank. The back seat area and front trunk have been stuffed full of lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor's been bolted to the stock 6-speed gearbox. Turns out that the E-Ruf is very different from other high-profile EVs like the Tesla Roadster in some interesting ways, but you'll have to click through to Road and Track to find out exactly why and what it means for the future of EVs.
Gallery: E-Ruf electric 911
[Source: Road & Track]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt 4:56PM (10/21/2008)
Sorry, I couldn't find how it was so vastly different from the Tesla... Li-Ion batteries, electric motor, existing chassis... eh...
Reply
paulwesterberg 5:54PM (10/21/2008)
Its slower, costs more and has less range which is not surprising considering it weighs 1500lbs more. I guess they wanted us to read the article to see how much it sucks.
Noz 2:56AM (10/22/2008)
It's a step in the right direction. At least they have the balls to try. Good thing they are more open minded and innovative than the last poster.
Reply
Serge 10:07AM (10/22/2008)
It will be interesting to see how they solve the transmission issue in future iterations. My guess is that instantly high torque of electric motor will shred the 6-speed tranny designed for laggard ICE engine in short order. 2-3K miles or so was the life of Tesla Roadster's old 2 speed.
I'm perplexed by the following closing statement question: "Will electric, or other sources of energy, take away the excitement, speed and handling we've long associated with internal-combustion gasoline-burning sports cars? Nobody knows for sure ..."
Does that mean that E-Ruf was not very exciting to Mr. Hong?
Reply