Trends: Sports Cars Go Electric

Interesting trends are developing in the world of battery electric vehicles. On one side of the performance and cost scale are tiny city EVs like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Th!nk from Norway. At the other end there's the Tesla Roadster for those who want to make an environmental statement regardless of cost.

Consumers in the latter category could have another choice - an electric powered Porsche 911. Premier German Porsche tuner Ruf Automobile GmbH, an internationally known manufacturer of high performance automobiles and producer of the renowned CTR-series of sports cars, has just unveiled its eRuf Model A.

This battery electric sports car replaces the Porsche 911's flat 6 engine with a UQM PowerPhase 150 electric propulsion system energized by Axeon iron-phosphate, lithium-ion batteries. The brushless permanent magnet motor offers a peak output of 204 horsepower and a top speed of 140 mph. With an impressive 479 lbs-ft torque available from zero rpm, this electrically-propelled Porsche certainly qualifies as a thrill ride.

"The UQM electric propulsion system in the eRuf Model A puts many conventional combustion engines to shame," shares Ruf Automobile owner and CEO Alois Ruf Jr. In fact, says Ruf, the electric model's copious torque "rips into the driveshaft so impressively during acceleration that one is immediately reminded of the extremely powerful Ruf Rt 12."

This tremendous power at launch accelerates the eRuf Porsche from 0 to 60 mph in under 7 seconds. That performance is a few seconds slower than most 911s because of the realities of moving the car's 1210 pounds of batteries down the road. Overall, the 96 Axeon battery cells contribute to an overall vehicle weight some 1,000 pounds greater than a conventional 911. There's sufficient space for these batteries in the 911 since the UQM electric motor and associated equipment are quite compact.

Ruf says the electric 911 could be driven at its top speed for an hour, a range of about 140 miles. Driven normally, the car should have a range of 155 to 180 miles. The eRuf has regenerative braking to recoup deceleration energy to help keep batteries charged.

Axeon supplied the intelligent bus system that constantly monitors the car's battery system, with sensors on each cell sending critical information on cell temperature and voltage to the central control system. If irregularities appear during operation, the system can react within milliseconds to bring the values back in line, such as preventing the lithium-ion batteries from overheating while charging.

Ruf has not announced production plans for its electric Porsche. However, if and when it does, you can be sure that there will be a waiting line for this exciting electric sports car. Where do we sign up?