Seeking to capture that sadly underserved market of billionaire tech-crazed environmentalists, the folks at Porsche have announced that they are taking orders for a $845,000, 500-hp plug-in hybrid.
I’ll pause a moment, while you scribble out a check.
Known as the 918 Spyder — a name that evokes both the glory and gruesomeness of the James-Dean-killing 550 Spyder — this modest offering from Porsche is simply the latest in its expanding line of hybrid rides. (The Panamera sedan and the Cayenne SUV both come in eco-friendly versions.) Only 918 of these 918s will be made, limiting the company’s possible gross revenue on the vehicle to a paltry $775 million or so.
Cutting-edge stuff includes a carbon fiber and plastic body, electric motors on both front and rear axles, and “a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that can be recharged from a standard household outlet.” Should you eschew fuel entirely, you can recharge the batteries in seven hours. (Happily, Porsche is a working on a quick charge option.)
So, what’s all this eco-friendliness get you, performance-wise? Well, prepare to go from zero to 60 in 3.1 seconds, and should you really, really, need to get to Whole Foods in a hurry, you can top 200-mph in full hybrid mode, and even hit 94 mph in electric only mode.
Of course, at 94 mph you’ll run out of juice in about ten minutes. But no one said that saving the earth was going to be convenient.