Although Toyota is credited for the launch of the world’s first hybrid, Porsche, the German luxury automobile giant, has come up with claims that its founders had developed the world’s first hybrid almost a century back.
Porsche unvieled the Semper Vivus at the New York Auto Show. This car was a $750,000 reproduction of the series hybrid Ferdinand Porsche had built in 1900. It works on both batteries and engines, the batteries providing power to the hub-mounted motors and the engines driving the two 2.5-kilowatt generators which provide electricty when the batteries go down. The batteries have a range of 40 kilometers. The 3.5-horsepower engines can take it 160 kilometers further. The top speed is 35 mph and the tires were chiseled from solid blocks of rubber to support the massive 3,700 pounds weight of the car.
Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of Porsche, had developed the electrical hybrid with Viennese coachbuilder Ludwig Lohner. The car being displayed at New York was recreated from the little information available from the company’s archives.
Alchim Steiskal, director of the Porsche museum said:
The Porsche museum decided to rebuild this car in 2007. It represented a big challenge because nothing was in existence anymore. All we had was one sketch and one drawing to go by.
Porsche has been trying to make a place for itself in the rapidly developing hybrid vehicles segment. It is keen to make an impressive future by adding a flavor of its past.
Via: Autopia
