From a tuner of excessive Porsches comes a battery-powered green machine.
BY JAKE HOLMES
It seems like everybody’s touting electric cars these days, from the Chevrolet Volt, Mini E, and Tesla Roadster, to a potential set of electric Chrysler vehicles. Perhaps the most surprising, though, is this electric Porsche 911 from Ruf.
Typically, Ruf takes cars from Porsche’s production lines and turns them into hard-core racing machines with snarling, high-output engines and raw racing suspension setups. Now with the eRuf, the tuner is taking a stab at saving the planet.
A 200-lb electric motor now lurks where the 911’s rear-mounted flat-six engine usually resides, and it’s capable of making 150 kW (201 horsepower) and 479 lb-ft of torque. That horsepower figure might not sound impressive, but 479 lb-ft is more twist power than delivered by a Corvette Z06. Currently, the stock 997 clutch and six-speed transmission reside in the eRuf, although a production car would use a clutchless one- or two-speed transmission. A reverse gear isn’t necessary because the electric motor can spin forward or in reverse. Power comes courtesy of a 96-cell lithium-ion battery pack, installed in the place of the rear seats. The pack weighs 1212 pounds, raising the eRuf’s overall weight to a staggering 4210 lbs.
Full Story Via CarandDriver.com