Yahoo Autos The Porsche 911 Plug-In Hybrid Is Dead for Now
We've been hearing about the possibility of a hybrid Porsche 911 for years now, but that's about to change. According to our colleagues at Car and Driver, Porsche has killed development of a plug-in hybrid for its upcoming 992-generation 911. Apparently, Porsche actually cancelled the 911 hybrid project last year.
August Achleitner, the head of 718 and 911 development, told Car and Driver that the plug-in hybrid 911 was killed because the car would have been excessively heavy and exceedingly expensive. Achleitner said that the would be very fuel efficient, but it would have weighed hundreds of pounds more than any other 911 in the lineup.
"In the end, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages," Achleitner told Car and Driver. With the 911 hybrid out of the way, the company will work on eking out extra efficiency from its regular 911s.
Porsche raised concerns about the weight of a plug-in hybrid 911 previously. Adding heavy batteries and an electric motor would severely compromise the 911's sports-car dynamics. Porsche could probably make a quick hybrid sports car, but it simply wouldn't feel right.
Still, we bet there is hybridization in the 911's future, but probably not for a number of years. Porsche has already invested heavily in electrification with the 918 Spyder, the 919 LMP1 race car, and plug-in versions of its Panamera and Cayenne. The company is also set to debut an all-electric sedan, the Mission E, by the end of this decade.
As soon as Porsche can build a hybrid 911 that's still relatively light weight, we think that it will. Just don't expect it for a few years at least.
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