Pop The Hood: Five Great Innovations In The Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid

Welcome to Pop The Hood, a weekly autoMedia.com feature that examines the industry’s latest innovations and what makes them tick. Today, let’s dip into the hybrid to (figuratively) end all hybrids: The Porsche 918 Spyder.

For all the credit that Toyota deserves for making the world friendly to hybrid vehicles, it's the ever-growing Volkswagen family that has really pushed the envelope in developing hybrid technology since then. We profiled the electric Audi R8 e-tron a few weeks ago, and today we'll examine the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid which recently became part of the VW umbrella. After years of concepts and leaked images, Porsche unveiled the production version of the 918 Spyder this week and we managed to snag a few shots from the video before it was taken offline. Does it look like a car worth $845,000? That's up you. For now, let's examine the spiritual successor to the Carrera GT and the predecessor to a future era of hybrid super cars.

• Engine: In most hybrids, the eco-friendly engine isn’t much to get excited about. But Porsche doesn’t make most hybrids. The 918 Spyder is powered by a 4.6L V8 engine, producing 570 horsepower and derived from the screaming LMP2 RS Spyder racecar. And that scream will reach the ears of anyone within a mile, because Porsche has fitted top pipes which evacuate exhaust directly above the engine. Well. That’s one way to make a hybrid.

• Electric Motors: Ah, so here’s the environmentally friendly part. The 918 Spyder has a pair of electric motors: a 90kW motor ahead of the rear axle and an 80kW motor that powers the front wheels. They combine with the V8 to produce a total 770 equivalent horsepower and more than 550 lb.-ft of torque. All that power in an all-wheel drive package that will return 78mpg – that price tag is starting to make a little more sense.

• Battery Cells: Ahead of the mid-mounted engine lie 312 individual battery cells packing seven kilowatt hours of power. Porsche will outfit the plug to match whatever country you live in, and with a power charge the batteries can be at full strength in just four hours. Now, you must be thinking, I bet it gets awful hot with the cells and the engine under the same compartment. You would be right, and Porsche has developed a dedicated liquid-cooling system for the batteries that keep temperatures down.

• Driving Modes: Steering wheel controls that allow the driver to toggle from “Road” to “Track” are one of our favorite new automotive trends, but the Porsche 918 Spyder takes it one step further. A switch on the steering wheel controls five driving modes, that not only affect performance but actually control the type of power driving the car. From eco-friendly to speed by any means necessary, the modes are E-Power, Hybrid, Sport Hybrid, Race Hybrid and Hot Lap. Be as green as you wanna be.

• Regenerative Brakes: Porsche fits all of their hybrid models, like the Panamera and Cayenne, with regenerative brakes. But the 918 Spyder takes things a step further. Porsche Ceramic Carbon Brakes (PCCB) are standard, and tweaked to generate power to the batteries from 0.15g in other models to 0.5g in the 918. Brake with confidence and stay green in the process.

Come back next week for another inside look at a cutting-edge car!

Pop The Hood Archive

• Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC
• Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• Ford Focus ST
• SRT Viper
• Audi R8 e-tron
• Cadillac ATS
• 24 Hours of Le Mans Edition
• Hyundai Veloster Turbo
• Infiniti M35h
• Chrysler Pentastar Engine
• Audi S6
• Buick Regal GS
• BMW 335i
• Ford Shelby GT500
• Scion FR-S

Visit the autoMedia.com Mercedes-Benz Research Center for quick access to reviews, pricing, photos, mpg and more. Make sure to follow autoMedia.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Porsche - Official Website

Find a Porsche Dealer Near You