Published September 27, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
Porsche is lifting the wrap off an almost production-ready concept, the Panamera Sport Turismo concept car.
Yes, Porsche is testing the water to see if there is an appetite for a pseudo-wagon version of its sedan, but Porsche is also presenting with this concept what is the basis of its hybrid system.
One detail we learned is that e-hybrid will stand for plug-in hybrid technology from Porsche.
The drive technology of the Panamera Sport Turismo completes Porsche’s next development step towards the plug-in hybrid. The car’s new ability to be charged from the electrical power grid has been combined with higher performance components.
The concept vehicle with its 416 horsepower of peak system power is designed to be driven in pure electric mode up to a speed of 130 kph and can cover distances of over 30 km. The Sport Turismo also exhibits impressive fuel economy per the NEDC standard; its combined fuel consumption is less than 3.5 liters per 100 km, per Porsche, while CO2 emissions are under 82 g/km.
The drive system of the Panamera Sport Turismo is an advanced development of the parallel full hybrid system that Porsche already implements today in the Panamera S Hybrid and Cayenne S Hybrid. The new electric motor produces about 70 kw (95 hp), which is around twice as much as in today’s Porsche hybrid drive, while the supercharged three-liter V6 engine still produces 245 kw (333 hp).
In their interplay, they accelerate the concept car from zero to 100 kph in less than six seconds.
The electric power pack of the Sport Turismo e-hybrid consists of a lithium-ion battery whose performance is several times that of the nickel-metal hydride battery currently used in production, although it has practically the same dimensions. Its 9.4 kilowatt-hours of energy storage capacity and high peak power enable faster acceleration, longer electric driving range and higher speeds when driving without the internal combustion engine.
The default operating mode of the e-hybrid prioritizes all-electric driving, but the driver may deactivate this by pressing a special button on the steering wheel. In addition, when the car is being operated in hybrid mode the driver can select the e-charge mode by pressing the steering wheel button to intentionally intensify charging of the high-voltage battery.
This is especially useful when one section of the driving route on a motorway is followed by a section through a city that should be driven in pure-electric mode without local emissions. In the e-charge mode, the internal combustion engine charges the battery by load point shifting, while satisfying rational energy management criteria.
Being a concept car, a few details are all about the “show.” For example, the milled aluminum battery housing is mounted under the trunk floor, which is made of electrochromatic glass and reveals a view of the energy source illuminated in Acid Green at the press of a button.
As a plug-in hybrid, the fluid-cooled lithium-ion battery can be externally charged in 2.5 hours or more, depending on the power supply.
Porsche’s concept car utilizes a universal AC charger that is wall-mounted in a home garage and has a standardized charging plug.
