Exclusive! Is Porsche testing its hybrid 911 in Spain?

Is Porsche testing its hybrid 911 in Spain? We went all the way to Almería and caught, exclusively, two prototypes of the hybrid Porsche 911.

Is Porsche testing its hybrid 911 in Spain? The idea of a hybrid seems anathema to the tireless spirit of the Porsche 911. For many, this idea betrays the mission of the legendary sports car, since adding electric motors and batteries could increase power but also its weight.

For all those fans of the Stuttgart brand and the iconic Porsche 911 with a combustion engine, it should be remembered that in 2015 the Porsche 918 Spyder offered 887 CV but was fitted with a hybrid powertrain with two electric motors and a battery. Will the hybrid Porsche 911 be inspired by the admired Porsche 918 Spyder?

August Achleitner, vice president of the 911 and 718 product lines, indicated some time ago that this summer the Porsche 911 of the 992 generation 2020 hybrid will be presented. It is important to note that the 991 generation car lacked space for an electric motor, and the model’s electrical architecture could not have supported a hybrid system. The 992, for its part, has solved those problems. “The battery is the main question for the car. It has to be resolved, along with the need for power output from the battery, because this affects the car’s overall performance.”

Hybrid Porsche 911 spotted testing in Almería?

For the moment it is unknown whether it will be a standard hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. Some sources have already suggested that if it were a standard hybrid, the battery would have a capacity of 3 kWh, while if it were a plug-in hybrid it could house 9 to 12 kWh. According to Achleitner, “a hybrid Porsche 911 would allow the Stuttgart brand’s owners to go where other sports car drivers could not.”

It is important to note that the Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid has a battery with a capacity of 14.1 kWh that gives it a range of 25.7 kilometers, and that is with a weight of 2,169 kg. Compared with the 992-generation Porsche 911 S Coupé, which weighs 1,534 kg, almost 1,000 kg less than the Panamera, it could have an all-electric range of almost 50 kilometers.

For the moment, the location chosen for the future battery of the hybrid Porsche 911 is unknown, but it could go under the floor, under the front seats or the rear ones. Some reports claim they should be placed at the front, since this would balance the weight of the rear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mya0r6XF8Mc

2020 hybrid Porsche 911

The hybrid Porsche 911 spotted testing in Almería would be fitted with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the same one that first appeared in the Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid 2018. This gearbox would leave room inside its casing for an electric motor, thanks to a gear set almost 4 inches shorter than the one it replaces. An electric clutch actuator engages and disengages the motor. Both the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and the Panamera Turbo S Hybrid produce 136 CV and 399 Nm of maximum torque.

Although this is the theory, if Porsche developed an electric motor more powerful than those of the Panamera and added it to the 3.0-litre, six-cylinder twin-turbo engine, it could deliver close to 600 CV. That figure matches Achleitner’s wish for the hybrid 911 to be a car that “the customer sees in the showroom and says Wow, that’s the car I want to own.”

When the hybrid Porsche 911 spotted testing in Almería may reach the market is unknown, but the 2020 model fits the pieces together. According to the lines of the spotted model, it could coincide with the launch of the mid-cycle update of the Porsche 992, called 992.2.

Perhaps a hybrid Porsche 911 is not so strange after all. 600 CV capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, fuel savings of 6 to 8%, and an electric range close to 50 kilometers. In addition, the car will use an electric brake booster to maximize braking regeneration.

The Stuttgart brand has already taken the step toward electrification with the hybrid versions of the Porsche Cayenne and the Panamera, and will take an even more important and radical step forward with the launch of the Porsche Taycan. The company’s leaders are clear that by 2025, 25% of their models will be electric and another 25% hybrid.

That Porsche 911 GT Hybrid from 2010 has little to do with the Porsche 911 4 E-Hybrid that will be launched. The main difference is that the single unit did not use batteries but stored energy in a flywheel. A system devised by Williams for its F1 team, which it later did not use, but which first supplied Porsche for the Nürburgring vehicle and then for the first Audi hybrids at Le Mans.

According to the snapshots taken in Almería, one can see a spoiler, alloy wheels that evoke the Porsche 911 Turbo, but the size of its exhausts and bumpers has left us puzzled.

Technical specifications of this car

CoupePorsche 91119 versions · from 157,835 €