{"id":37442,"date":"2011-03-22T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2011-03-22T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=37442"},"modified":"2011-03-22T07:52:07","modified_gmt":"2011-03-22T11:52:07","slug":"porsche-puts-845000-price-tag-on-918-spyder-plug-in-hybrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2011\/03\/porsche-puts-845000-price-tag-on-918-spyder-plug-in-hybrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Porsche Puts $845,000 Price Tag on 918 Spyder Plug-in Hybrid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Porsche 918 Spyder will deliver 718 hp and 78 mpg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the subject is green machines you\u2019ll often hear the topic turn to \u201cpayback period,\u201d the time it takes to recover the added cost of an alternative drivetrain through the money you\u2019ll save on fuel.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the new Porsche 918 Spyder, the German maker\u2019s first plug-in hybrid, you\u2019ll have to count the payback period in centuries \u2013 but then again, how many buyers will really be buying the high-performance sports car just because it saves a few gallons of gas?<\/p>\n

More than a year after the 918 Spyder made its show-stopping debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche has confirmed the design will be going into production \u2013 with an asking price of $845,000.\u00a0 That will make the Porsche 918 Spyder the world\u2019s most expensive environmentally-friendly automobile, unless you consider some of the Formula One designs using hybrid power-assist systems.<\/p>\n

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Subscribe Now - It's Free!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For your money, you\u2019ll get a 500-horsepower V8 that\u2019s paired with twin electric motors \u2013 one mounted at each axle \u2013 kicking in another 218 hp.\u00a0 Lithium-ion batteries help capture energy normally lost during braking or coasting, though like the much more mundane Chevrolet Volt, the 918 Spyder can be plugged in when parked, and will yield up to 16 miles running on pure electric power.<\/p>\n

Recharge times will run about seven hours using 110v wall current, and less than half that relying on a dedicated 220-volt charger.<\/p>\n

In normal use, the vehicle can operate on batteries alone, gas power or a combination of the two.\u00a0 Around town, a careful driver will get an estimated 78 mpg, though the number will likely change by the time U.S. regulators finalize the 918 Spyder\u2019s sticker before its 2013 on-sale date.<\/p>\n

For those who aren\u2019t as worried about mileage, the Porsche 918 Spyder will launch from 0 to 60 in just 3.2 seconds, and top out at 199 mph.<\/p>\n

To maximize performance \u2013 and mileage \u2013 the Spyder will use a carbon fiber monocoque.\u00a0 The 2-seater\u2019s roof system relies on removable panels that can be stowed in the 918\u2019s front storage compartment.<\/p>\n

Porsche isn\u2019t the only maker investing in high-mileage alternative powertrain technology.\u00a0 Mercedes-Benz revealed the production SLS E-Cell, a battery-power version of its gull-winged roadster, at the recent Detroit Auto Show, though company officials hint that it will cost less than half as much as the Porsche 918 Spyder.<\/p>\n

Lotus plans to use an F1-derived hybrid drive system in several upcoming models.\u00a0 And even Lamborghini and Ferrari are developing hybrid systems, though they\u2019ll focus as much on maximizing performance as improving fuel efficiency.<\/p>\n

One of the advantages of an electric motor is that it provides maximum torque the moment it starts spinning, a definite plus over traditional turbochargers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You’ll have to lay out plenty of green for Porsche’s new green machine — $845,000 the price tag for the new 918 Spyder. But the 718-hp plug-in hybrid will save plenty of gas at 78 mpg, as TheDetroitBureau.com reports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37442"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37442\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37442"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=37442"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=37442"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=37442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}