Porshe's Board of Directors today Approved the 918 Hybrid Super Car !!!

Nice. All that horsepower and 78mpg. I'd love to have one, but I'd be afraid to park it anywhere

 

SHAME....

Why not a more reasonable "every-man" total of ~300HP...

Sell faster than hot cakes.

Beautiful car none-the-less.

 

Porsche 918 Spyder News: Porsche 918 Spyder Confirmed for Production

I read another article. It doesn't say how big the pack is but it will do 16 miles in ev mode. Its lighter than a prius plug in, but of course there will be higher rolling resistance otherwise it would not stick. So electric flywheel on the engine, and a motor for each front wheel for a very simple 4 wheel drive, 4 brake regen hybrid. I assume porsche can idle 4 cylinders and make the motor act like a very powerful 1.7 liter 4 cylinder. I have no idea how much friction the engine has when its rotating in thrifty mode.

 

Technologically it is past time for someone to build a multi-mode DFI engine, even SuperCharged, should be a "boxer" 4 but a V8 would work...

15:1 compression ratio with low to moderate throttle openings transitioning to as low as 8:1 (BOOST assumed) using the variable Atkinson cycle concept.

 

The after sizing the hybrid system to efficiently handle transients, the fundamental problem is drag, rolling and aerodynamic. Having a fully controlled, intake valve angle and duration control, the engine can be configured in low power modes to run Atkinson and eliminate the throttle plate. Thus steady state cruise should achieve near diesel BSFC. Plus there are topping cycle technologies that could use waste heat for cabin heating and cooling and vehicle overhead power functions (aka., electronics, fans).

A stepped transmission works perfectly fine if under computer control. Although dual-clutching is nice to eliminate the shift points, we're really talking about sub-second shift points with a simpler, single clutch. Add an electrically assisted synchro, and it should pass through the shift points faster than a human.

As for the hybrid system, improved handling and surge power are definitely a plus. It won't be the amount as much as the impulse load that it should be sized. However, it would be nice if it can take the car up an 8% grade at 70 mph to an altitude of 500 ft. (150 m.)

During the initial drive, the car will try to use the hybrid system stored energy while running the ICE for warm-up in 'no load' idle. If additional power is needed, the ICE would be running but the warm-up would not be accelerated by any fuel burning means. However, this would be minimized by a built-in, ICE, transmission and wheel bearing heaters that cycle as needed to minimize drain. A smart system, it would learn the driving habits and allow more float when the vehicle is less likely to be driven. Heating elements would not be on exterior surfaces but buried to maximize effect and minimize loss.

The air inlets would be fully articulating and driven by actual cooling demand. Thus at high speed, cold air, steady state cruise, they would fully close and air pass around instead of through the engine compartment. The front air-dam would articulate and come down at speeds over 100 km/h and possibly side skirts.

Now a true supercar would be smart and use the GPS and a terrain map to anticipate hills and if enabled, say a +/- 3 mph variance, do terrain following. Of course it also needs automatic cruise control adjustments to deal with vehicles and lane following. It should also "learn" regular routes including the stop lights and their timing. In this mode it could under operator control, auto-speed to minimize stops while learning how the driver prefers to drive the route. Finally, accident avoidance to keep the insurance rates down.

In fact, the accident avoidance should include both backing and lane changing checking for blind-spots. It should have a wide view so critters coming from the side can be handled. I'd also like the horn to be activated and light blinks if the driver enables it as well as braking to avoid an accident. But it would also help to have adaptive suspension and tire inflation.

When in "sport" mode, the suspension becomes tighter and the tire inflation optimized for traction. In "cruise" mode, the suspension becomes soft, perhaps even adaptive to road surfaces and the tires inflated to maximum sidewall. A dealer option would enable "Fat American" mode also called "boat." Of course the tire temperatures are monitored and pressure adjusted to optimize either "sport" or "cruise" handling.

The rear axle might also have a +/- 0.5 degree range of motion. This brings a bit of four-wheel steering so the car can take corners more aggressively. Of course toe, camber and caster would be fully adjustable at the dealership to match the owner's preferences and tires. The velocity and distance would be GPS calibrated on every trip.

The fuel guess system would feed a 0.5 gallon (2 l) header tank with a precise quantity measurement system when the main tank ran out. Furthermore, the owner would have multiple ways of displaying the running fuel consumption including a log-scale, running average.

Everything above the tires is made of alloy or carbon-fiber not only for the weight savings but to move the center of gravity lower.

Above ~100 km/h in "sport" mode, the muffler has a by-pass valve for easy breathing. Don't forget the cooled exhaust recirculation to mitigate exhaust temperatures during high power operation.

The seats should have climate control outlets for heating and cooling. Of course they should be fully articulating. Furthermore, the rear seat bottom should easily come out allowing the front seats to fully recline. After all, you never know when you and your passenger, exhausted from the thrill of driving may need to "take a nap." Oh YES, YES, YES!!

Bob Wilson