Lohner-Porsche
| Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Also called | Lohner-Porsche Electromobile |
| Production | 1900–1905 |
| Designer | Ferdinand Porsche |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Horseless Carriage |
| Body style | 2-seater convertible 4-seater |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 10–14 hp Two/four hub-mounted electric motors, driven by battery and/or petrol engine. |
| Dimensions | |
| Curb weight | 1,500 kg (3,307 lb) |
The Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid (sometimes wrongly referred to as Löhner-Porsche) was the first hybrid vehicle developed by Ferdinand Porsche. First prototypes were two-wheel drive, battery-powered electric vehicles with two front wheel hub-mounted motors. A later version was a series hybrid using hub-mounted electric motors in each wheel, powered by batteries and gasoline-engine generator.
At the age of 18, Ferdinand Porsche boarded a train in North Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic), and headed for Vienna to embark on his first job. Despite Porsche having no formal engineering education, Jacob Lohner, at his Lohner-Werke, employed him to develop an electric powertrain for his coaches. Porsche's prototype car boasted a low-friction drivetrain, due to the hub-mounted electric motors directly driving the wheels. Each internal-pole electric motor was capable of 2.5 to 3.5 hp (1.9 to 2.6 kW) peaking to 7 hp (5.2 kW) for short bursts.
The 1898 "System Lohner-Porsche" created a press whirlwind across Europe. Lohner received his first order from E.W. Hart, himself a coachbuilder of Luton, Britain. Hart asked for significant modifications. His vehicle was to be capable of running on petrol, as well as electricity, of carrying four passengers, and employing four-wheel drive. The custom coach was a monster dubbed La Toujours Contente ('always satisfied' in French), a jab at record-holder Camille Jenatzy's electric La Jamais Contente, and was exhibited at the December 1900 Paris Exhibition. The enormous Lohner required 1.8 tonnes of batteries consisting of a 44-cell 80-volt lead-acid battery, all housed in a spring-suspended battery container to protect the fragile cells. The four electric motors weighed a total of 1280 pounds, contributing to a total vehicle weight of over 4 tonnes on its Continental pneumatic tires. With a battery capacity around 270 amp-hours and four forward speeds, the 56-horsepower coach ran in several expositions and competitions. It cost 15,000 Austrian crowns.
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