All-electric Porsche 911 is a bit RUF
The best known tuner of Porsche cars, RUF, has junked the iconic 911's thrummy six-cylinder engine in favour of an all-electric powertrain for its eRUF concept.
The best known tuner of Porsche cars, RUF, has junked the iconic 911's thrummy six-cylinder engine in favour of an all-electric powertrain for its eRUF concept car.
Normalish on the outside
The eRUF looks like a mildly tweaked but otherwise run-of-the-mill Porsche 911. Those four very prominent test vehicle stickers, one at each corner, hint at the car's experimental electric drivetrain. Although the electric motor only generates a trifling 150kW of power, there's an amazing 650Nm of torque available the instant you step on the gas.
But where will my Gucci handbag go?
The eRUF's 96 Lithium-ion batteries take up the entire front trunk, back seat, and a good part of the engine compartment. Reaching a full charge takes about 10 hours. Once full, the batteries will take you a maximum range of between 250 to 320km, depending on driving conditions.
No flyweight
Not only does the eRUF's battery pack take up most of the luggage space, it's the main contributor to the car's 1,910kg kerb weight; that's some 600 kilos heavier than the standard 911 Carrera. The extra weight also explains why RUF is targeting a 0-100km/h acceleration time of under seven seconds, a test an entry-level 911 will dispatch in 4.9 seconds.
Yes, there really is no luggage space
The eRUF's electric drivetrain comes courtesy of Calmotors, a Californian company specialising in hybrid and electric powertrains. For the eRUF, Calmotors mated the company's own electric motor, with the aforementioned 96-cell battery stack from Axeon and Porsche's own six-speed transmission.