Hybrids. Blech. Sick of hearin’ about em. I don’t know if you are too. Electric motors, like CVT’s, don’t do a whole lot for me. I like gasoline engines, the sound of a working valvetrain, the ticking of injectors, the blare of quad exhaust pipes on the back of a Carrera S as it pulls off of a stoplight. I doubt Porsche really likes hybrids either, which is why it’s been doing them it’s own way. In the past few days, details have snuck out regarding two Porsches with electric motors, and both are interesting from an enthusiast perspective.

First up is the Boxster E. Oh, lord – an Electric Boxster? That’s just what we need. Take the flat six out of the world’s most balanced, neutral automotive chassis and shove in a DC Brushless and some batteries, then let me go take a nap. Actually, don’t hang yourself yet! First of all, there are only three of them, and they’re prototypes, not production vehicles. Porsche is using these Boxster E prototypes to evaluate an all-electric powertrain, and they’ll be rolling around Stuttgart accumulating miles and data. Not a whole lot has been said about the technical specifications, besides the fact they use two electric motors that combine to make 180kW (241bhp) and are powered by a 29KwH battery pack, which is pretty strong. Performance should be similar on the low end to a regular Boxster, but all they’ve given us is a German-language press release and a picture of this vinyl-slathered Boxster, so stay tuned.

More important to consumers who want to buy a car, is the new Panamera S Hybrid. While on paper this combines two of my least favorite things (the Panamera, and Hybrids), the technical specifications are pretty impressive. Under the hood is Audi’s 3.0L supercharged V6 (used in the S4, A6, Q7, etc as well as the Cayenne Hybrid) with 333bhp. This is mated to an electric motor producing 47bhp, for a total of 380bhp. The electric range is about 2km on electric power only, at speeds up to 53mph, although the Panamera S hybrid can be propelled by either or both. The electric motor also acts as the starter for the gas engine as well as a generator (instead of an alternator) for the electrical system.

All that power is sent to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission, and both performance and fuel economy figures are eye-opening. The Panamera S Hybrid will hit 60mph in 5.8 seconds, with a top speed of 168 – hardly a Prius. Fuel-economy figures depend on whether or not the car is fitted with the optional Michelin low-rolling-resistance tires (which seems like an awful idea, honestly) – an average of 33.1mpg on the US with standard tires, or 34.6 with the Michelins. Coincidentally, that makes it the most efficient Porsche ever made – which is like saying you’re the sexiest spelling-bee champion ever, but alright.


Are having crappy, squalling tires on your Porsche worth 1.5mpg? Probably not. Especially when you consider the Panamera’s pricetag: in Europe, where it goes on sale in June of this year, you can pick one up from €106,185. When it goes on sale in the US, it’ll be priced right around $95,000 minus destination fees. The S Hybrid will include adaptive air suspension with PASM, as well as a hybrid-specific display that will monitor system states. Consider though, that the Lexus LS600hL is about $20k more expensive than the Panamera Hybrid S, is significantly more complicated (5.0L V8, complex gear-based CVT, AWD) and doesn’t return nearly as good gas mileage. And let’s not even talk about Mercedes’ oddly-position S400 Hybrid, which is a bit of a snail (0-60 in 7.2 seconds) and can easily top $100k with options. Will the S Hybrid be a big seller? Time will tell. In the mean time, look out for more details and pictures as we approach the Geneva show, where Porsche will be debuting the big hybrid sedan.