New Revel : RUF Electric 911 !

About a month ago , performance-tuning company RUF has announced that they would be making an electric Porsche . But their announcement was about an electric Cayman . Looks like they changed their minds , and based their new electric vechile on a Porsche 911 . So what does this electric Porsche has to give ?

First , as you see , they didn't change anything in terms of styling . You'd never really tell that something was different about this 997 . Although you shouldn't open the hood to anyone . Because they throw-out the soul-stirring 3.6L flat-6 , and replaced it with a quiet 317-volts of battery . So these batteries gives 204 hp , but a chesty 480 ft-lb of torque . So it can reach 160MPH . So it goes like a proper Porsche too . But at slower speeds , it's bad news , 0-60MPH in slow 6.9 seconds . But that's OK , because you can go 150 miles without even a sip of fuel . What about handling ? Well it got better ! because in a standard 911 there isn't any weight up-front , it usually understeers round fast bends . But this battery RUF Porsche , has batteries front & back . So it's much more balanced .Until now , this is still just a concept and its specifications are subject to change. But we can be sure, though, that this isn't the last electrically-powered sportscar set to hit the market.

PRESS RELEASE from RUF :

eRUF Concept Model A 2008" Emotion without Emission"Ruf Automobile GmbH, internationally well known manufacturer for high performanceautomobiles and the producer of the famous CTR-series is now introducing the firstelectrically powered sports car from Germany.The fundamental ideas that lead to the development of the eRUF concept vehicle came fromAlois Ruf. The car maker from the Bavarian town of Pfaffenhausen had a vision of a simpleenergy transfer concept: his hydroelectric power plants, which feed 35 million kW hours ofelectricity annually into the German electrical network, could also more or less directly powermodern autos. 35 million kWh is enough energy to power one of the prototypes eRUF asdescribed below for 3500 journeys around the globe – or 3500 of the cars one time around theworld each.The idea seemed even more inspiring, as it would be possible for him to connect cars directlyto the emission-free power plants for charging and drive away on the water-generated power.The eRUF Model A concept car is the first prototype to lead the technical development awayfrom the combustion engine.Actually, for the first time an electric motor is being used which comes to fitting into the Rufmodel range.The three-phase AC motor's performance easily puts many conventional conbustion enginesto shame. It produces its maximum 650 Nm torque output from 0 rpm onwards. This powerrips into the drive shafts so impressively during acceleration, that one is immediatelyreminded of the extremely powerful Ruf Rt 12It is actually enough simply to put the car in 6th gear and press down the accelerator pedal (an"amp pedal", not a "gas pedal" in this car!), and drive off.The eRUF Model A has such impressive acceleration that the project goal of 0-100 km/h inunder 7 seconds was achieved.The maximum power output is around 204 hp if you translate it into combustion engine terms.In direct connection to Volt and Ampere the maximum output level of 150 kW is a usefulfigure.A short discourse regarding efficiency might be helpful at this point: a highly-developed,modern petrol engine uses around 75 percent of the energy in its tank to heat the enginecoolant and exhaust gas and only 25 to 30 per cent for actual propulsion. A diesel manages toconvert a respectable 35 to 40 percent of its fuel energy into motion. The permanent magnetelectric motor, on the other hand, is a model of high efficiency: it offers over 80 percentefficiency over the majority of its power range, extending 90 per cent in the upper end of itspower range.Ruf engaged CALMOTORS in Camarillo, California, specialized in the implementation ofhybrid electric and electric only power train designed to combine the latest generation oflithium-ion batteries with its motor.Since the 150 kW electric motor unit is very compact, there is a lot of room for batteries in theRuf's bodywork.The Axeon iron-phosphate, lithium-ion batteries currently in use weight 5.6 kg and deliver160 Ah each. This means each one could theoretically deliver 160 amperes of electricity forone hour under normal temperatures or 1 ampere for 160 hours.The generation of batteries available from Axeon represents by no means the end of thedevelopmental curve. Current performance improvements in battery technology indicate thatend of this improvement spiral is nowhere near.The driving current in the eRUF is regulated by an electric "drive-by-wire" accelerator pedal.It is not the first electrical accelerator in a Ruf model. Other Ruf models also provided loadcontrol via potentiometer-pedals, nicely dosed for their powerful engines.The power and torque produced by the 3-phase motor can be used to recover just as muchpower as it can put out. When coasting, the motor becomes a generator producing electricityto charge the batteries. The torque and electrical amperage ratings below are therefore to beunderstood as theoretical absolute maximums and minimums.The 96-cell battery system is constantly monitored by an intelligent bus system from Axeon.Each individual cell is coupled with a sensor that sends critical information on celltemperature and voltage to the central control system. If irregularities appear duringoperation, the system can react within milliseconds to bring the values back in line,effectively preventing critical lithium-ion overheating behaviour during charging.Tech specs for the eRUF model A, status of September 2008All data are preliminary data as specified for the

eRUF Model ADrive Performance

· Acceleration 0-60 mph under 7.0 sec (development target)

· Vmax 160 mph, 225 km/h

· Cw 0.28

· Roll resistance 0.014· Driving range approximately 250 – 320 km, depending onperformance level

· Specific power pick-up 21 kW / 125 km/h

Vehicle data

· Engine power 150 kW / 204 PS

· Max torque 650 Nm 7 0 rpm

· Weight 1910 kg (preliminary data)

· Battery weight 550 kg

Motor Data

· Max torque + 650 Nm to -650 Nm

· Power + 150 kW to -150 kW (peak level)+ 204 hp to -204 hp100 kW / 136 hp continuous· Currency 300 – 420 Volt

· Current level max 550 A

· Rpm level max 5000 rpm

· Operating system brushless three phase alternating current withpermanent magnetsDimensions· Diameter 405 mm

· Length 241 mm

· Weight 91 kg

· Specific weight 1,65 kW / kg, 2,25 hp / kg

· Coolant flow 8 L /min max

Battery System

· Type Lithium-Ion, iron-phosphate base

· Manufacturer Axeon plc, GB

· Stored Energy (96 units) 50,72 kWh

· Nominal Voltage 317 Volt· Maximum discharge 480 A

· Max Power 152,16 kW = 210 PS

· Charging current, max

. 16 A· Charging time 10 hours

Single Battery Cell Data

· Capacity 160 Ah

· Operating voltage 4,25 V charging, 2,5 Volt discharging· Nominal Voltage 3,3 Volt

· Max. Temperature Level 80 °C

· Life cycle 3000 charging cycles· Self-discharge under 3 % per month

· Weight per Unit 5,6 kg

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