As Porsche Cayenne Hybrid news hits the internet worldwide, Motor Trend hitches a ride in one. And, well, it still feels like a Cayenne.
The Porsche Cayenne V-6 is reported to be 20 percent more fuel efficient with a 24.4-mpg average compared with the previous 17.9 mpg from the original V-6 engine. The hybrid V-6 is also a half-second faster than the stock V-6 and can tow up to 7000 pounds. This hybrid is still able to go off-roading unlike the Lexus RX 400h. It has no problem traveling in 20 inches of water because of the relocated the nickel-metal hydride battery.
Here's what Motor Trend says:
The hybrid system is being engineered in concert with VW and Audi and will also show up on their Touareg and Q7 SUVs, as well as, likely, future VW group sedans. The system is modular, so as to be installable in a range of platforms.
Crucially, it'll also give Porsche a V-6 hybrid Panamera sedan, which will permit it to claim a green version to compete against the upcoming wave of German high-performance clean diesels.
The system, which adds about 300 pounds in all, uses a donut-shaped 34-kilowatt electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the six-speed Tiptronic transmission. Between the electric motor and the V-6 is a clutch, operated automatically, to allow the engine to stop while the electric motor carries on. The battery -- twice the size and power of a Prius's, but a similar nickel-metal hydride type -- is under the trunk floor, in the spare wheelwell. There's also a transformer/inverter wedged under the hood.
Porsche's hybrid principle of operation is actually pretty simple compared with Toyota's. The electric motor turns at the same speed as the V-6, except for the considerable periods when the automatic clutch is open and the V-6 is stopped. If there's enough charge in the battery, the car can go along at highway speed on electric power alone, but the V-6 cuts in when charge gets low, powering the car and, because the motor becomes a generator when torque is applied to it, charging the battery at the same time. For max acceleration, the motor and engine both push the car in unison.
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