Electromobility at Porsche – Pioneering Spirit Then and Now

Electromobility features prominently in Porsche’s past, present, and future. Ferdinand Porsche designed his first electric vehicle with rear-wheel drive back in 1898. More than a century later the sports-car manufacturer is returning to its roots.

The beginnings

1893 – Ferdinand Porsche
The company founder was interested in electricity as a boy. At the age of eighteen he installed a lighting system in his parents’ home.

1898 – Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton
Ferdinand Porsche’s oldest car that still exists today is powered by an Oktagon electric motor. Technical data: 2.2–3.7 kW (3–5 hp); peak speed (Vmax): 25 kmh

1900 – La Toujours Contente electric race car
The “always content” is the world’s first passenger car with all-wheel drive. Technical data: 4 x 10 kW (14 hp)

1900 – Semper Vivus Lohner-Porsche
This car is known as the world’s first hybrid vehicle. A combustion engine supplements its wheel-hub motors. Technical data: combustion engine 2 x 2.6 kW (3.5 hp), e-motor 2 x 1.8 kW (2.5 hp); Vmax: 35 kmh

1902 – Mixte Lohner-Porsche

Ferdinand Porsche wins the hillclimbing race on Mount Exel with the production-ready version of the Semper Vivus. Technical data: 2 x 10 kW (14 hp)

Mixte Lohner-Porsche, 1902, 2019, Porsche AG — Mixte Lohner-Porsche

Revisiting an early idea

2010 – Cayenne S Hybrid
Porsche presents the first standardseries hybrid car in the company’s history. Technical data: electric motor 34 kW (47 hp), combustion engine 245 kW (333 hp); Vmax: 242 kmh

2010 – 911 GT3 R Hybrid
This race car with electric front-wheel drive and a flywheel energy storage system is Porsche’s first hybrid vehicle developed for motorsports. Technical data: combustion engine 353 kW (480 hp), electric motor 2 x 60 kW (81 hp)

911 GT3 R Hybrid, 2010, 2019, Porsche AG — The 2010 911 GT3 R Hybrid

2011 – Panamera S Hybrid
The most fuel-efficient Porsche thus far, it consumes 6.8 liters per 100 kilometers. Technical data: electric motor 34 kW (47 hp), combustion engine 245 kW (333 hp); Vmax: 270 kmh

2013 – 918 Spyder
This high-performance hybrid sports car posts a record lap time of 6:57 minutes on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife (north loop). Technical data: system output 652 kW (887 hp); Vmax: 343 kmh

2014 – 919 Hybrid
Porsche wins the drivers’ and manufacturers’ WEC titles from 2015 to 2017 with the most complex race car of all time. Technical data: combustion engine 370 kW (503 hp), electric motor 184 kW (250 hp)