Stuttgart, Germany – This may not do much for hybrid-electric vehicle sales, but it certainly sets the gold standard for performance in that category. The specs for the new Porsche 918 Spyder show a combined 770hp when the driver uses bother the electric and gas engine. That puts it 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds and apparently on par with Porsche's fastest gas-engine models.
Porsche 918 Spyder Promotional Video
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When I read this piece I immediately thought of the Tesla Model S all-electric vehicle. Like the Porsche, it's luxurious, environmentally-friendly, and fast. But without the gas-engine there's no way it can compete in the performance department.
An excerpt from Metro News: "[The Porsche 918 Spyder] is more economical than a Toyota Prius and its emissions are so low it will be exempt from the London congestion charge...the ‘plug-in hybrid' will be capable of 94mpg, making it twice as economical as a 1.6-litre Ford Focus. In comparison, a Prius will do 72.4mpg while the greenest version of the Ford Fiesta manages 78.5mpg."
Porsche is supposed to start production in September 2013 with the first models arriving in November that year.