Porsche Cayenne Hybrid
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This is a review of the Porsche Cayenne hybrid. The reviewer discusses fuel consumption, MPG, engine design, speed, and availability in 2009.
Porsche, the company known for its high performance sports cars is keen to demonstrate its ability to go green, and has decided to produce a hybrid; the 2009 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid.
The goal is 25 percent less fuel consumption, especially in city traffic, and this equals to around 24 miles per gallon for the hybrid system. Porsche states that future developments could allow 26 miles per gallon (MPG).
The new hybrid design is a full series-parallel system, however it has an electric motor and a clutch positioned between the engine and the transmission, rather than integrating the electric motor into its transmission. This new design, says Porsche, allows for the existing configuration of the drive train to be used, this format proved to be more efficient than integrating the motor into the gearbox.
The hybrid system adds about 300 pounds to the Cayenne weight total, and for a short period of time the Cayenne can run on electric power alone. The hybrid system is controlled by the Hybrid Manager, which monitors 20,000 data parameters – whereas the conventional engine only monitors 6,000 data parameters.
In addition to the new hybrid system, the 2009 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid also has electric power steering, a vacuum pump for the brakes and the air conditioning. The AC no longer draws power from the engine, but from the nickel metal hydride battery found under the trunk floor.
The hybrid battery is two times the size and twice the power of a Prius’ battery. Like the Toyota Prius , a Cayenne hybrid’s engine shuts off when it is stopped, the electric motor and clutch start the engine again when the SUV starts to drive off. Similar to the Prius, when braking the electric motor becomes a generator, using regenerative braking to generate electricity to charge the battery.
Not only is the Cayenne hybrid quicker to 60 mph by about half a second than the standard Cayenne V6 version, it also uses less fuel . Unlike other SUVs with hybrid drivetrains, the Cayenne is not hindered by restrictions on water wading depth, so the SUV can still go off road.
The hybrid system is being developed in collaboration with Volkswagen and Audi , which will allow those auto makers to produce hybrid versions of their Touareg and Q7 , respectively. The upcoming four door Porsche Panamera , which debuts in 2009, will also use the Cayenne hybrid’s drivetrain. The hybrid version of the Panamera will be coming along at a later date.