Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is continuing to extend its performance and high efficiency competence via intensive development work in the field of hybrid technology. With the Porsche 918 RSR, the company plans to achieve a new high when it comes to Hybrid technology. The two-seater mid-engine coupé 918 RSR clearly reveals what happens when the technology fitted in the 911 GT3 R hybrid and the design of the 918 Spyder are transferred to a modern super sports car. Â
The V8 engine is a further development of the direct injection engine from the successful RS Spyder race car and now offers an output of precisely 563 hp @ 10,300 rpm in the 918 RSR. The electric motors on the two front wheels each contribute 75 kW, i.e. a total of 150 kW, to the peak drive power of exactly 767 hp. This additional power, which is generated during braking, is stored in an optimised flywheel accumulator. Â In the 918 RSR, the two electric motors offer a torque vectoring function with variable torque distribution to the front axle. This additionally increases agility and improves steering response. With the new 918 RSR racing laboratory, Porsche is now elevating this motor racing hybrid concept to an experimental level.
The 918 RSR was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show and this just goes to show that car manufacturers are working hard to optimise and improve the performance in Hybrid cars. It will be a long time before we get to see this car in the Indian market but the technology could trickle down. This technology, though, has made its way to India and car manufacturers like Toyota with the Prius and Maruti Suzuki with the CNG versions of their cars are working towards making the concept of a 'Greener Planet' possible.
