Porsche has released today the full details of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid which will be premiered at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The technology under the hood of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid has been especially developed for racing and features an electrical front axle drive with two electric motors developing 60 kW each. The drive system of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid is completed by 4.0-liter flat-six rear engine that develops 480 bhp. Instead of batteries, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid is equipped with an electrical flywheel power generator which is fitted in the interior next to the driver.
The electrical flywheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid is actually a motor that revs up to 40,000
rpm and stores energy mechanically as rotation energy. The electric motor gives the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid an extra 120 hp for 8 to 9 seconds after each re-charge.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid can use its electric drive for both more power and to save fuel during racing.
After its official premiere, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid will undergo long testing on the
Nurburgring in preparation for the 24 Hours on the Nordschleife of Nurburgring on May 15th and 16th.
Porsche Press Release:
Exactly 110 years after Ferdinand Porsche developed the world’s first car with hybrid drive, the Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is once again taking up this visionary drive concept in production-based GT racing: During the Geneva Motor Show, a Porsche 911 GT3 R with innovative hybrid drive is making its debut, opening up a
new chapter in the history of Porsche with more than 20,000 wins in 45 years scored by the extremely successful Porsche 911 in racing trim.
The innovative hybrid technology featured in the car has been developed especially for racing, standing out significantly in its configuration and components from conventional hybrid systems. In this case, electrical front axle drive with two electric motors developing 60 kW each supplements the 480-bhp four-litre flat-six at the rear of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid. A further significant
point is that instead of the usual batteries in a hybrid road car, an electrical flywheel power generator fitted in the interior next to the driver delivers energy to the electric motors.
The flywheel generator itself is an electric motor with its rotor spinning at speeds of up to 40,000 rpm, storing energy mechanically as rotation energy. The flywheel generator is charged whenever the driver applies the brakes, with the two electric motors reversing their function on the front axle and acting themselves as generators. Then, whenever necessary, that is when accelerating out of a bend or when overtaking, the driver is able to call up extra energy from the charged flywheel generator, the flywheel being slowed down electromagnetically in
the generator mode and thus supplying up to 120 kW to the two electric motors at the front from its kinetic energy. This additional power is available to the driver after each charge process for approximately 6 - 8 seconds.
Energy formerly converted – and thus wasted – into heat upon every application of the brakes, is now highly efficiently converted into additional drive power.
Depending on racing conditions, hybrid drive is used in this case not only for extra power, but also to save fuel. This again increases the efficiency and, accordingly, the performance of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, for example by reducing the weight of the tank or making pitstops less frequent.
After its debut in Geneva the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid will be tested in long-distance races on the Nürburgring. The highlight of this test programme will be the 24 Hours on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring on May 15th and 16th. The focus is not on the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid winning the race, but rather serving as a spearhead in technology and a “racing laboratory” providing know-how on the subsequent use of hybrid technology in road-going sports cars.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid is a perfect example of the Porsche Intelligent Performance philosophy, a principle to be found in every Porsche: More power on less fuel, more efficiency and lower CO2 emissions – on the track and on the road.
