Porsche 2013 Annual Report Download - page 31

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 31 of the 2013 Porsche annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 132

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • 112
  • 113
  • 114
  • 115
  • 116
  • 117
  • 118
  • 119
  • 120
  • 121
  • 122
  • 123
  • 124
  • 125
  • 126
  • 127
  • 128
  • 129
  • 130
  • 131
  • 132

wards slowly – almost soundlessly apart
from the subdued squeaking of the rubber
tires on the sealed garage floor surface.
Place the gear selector in “D”, turn in to
the street and apply a little more pressure
on the gas pedal. The Panamera glides
ahead and the speedometer needle quickly
moves up to 50 km/hr. The only thing you
can hear is the rolling sound of the tires.
The thrust generated by the electric motor
cannot be imitated, but it provides full
torque above zero rpm. This is a sensation
you need to enjoy with all of your senses.
That is why the phenomenal Burmester
stereo system remains off for now. You get
the sense of gliding with the certainty of
having complete access to the Porsche’s
high power reserves – but in this car,
with a hushed noise like something from
a science fiction movie, these moments
are thoroughly enjoyable. It is all part of a
supremely satisfying, high-tech experience.
The Panamera S E-Hybrid is already the
second evolution of the electrified Gran
Turismo. The key innovation is that the
battery provides an electrical range of
up to 36 kilometers.
That’s ideal for our driver who has now
reached the highway and is gliding along in
commuter traffic. It’s a 24-kilometer drive
to the office each day, and he’s pleased
that he can cover the distance with zero
emissions in a new, sophisticated way. The
underground garage under the office build-
ing in the city offers charging stations. He
parks the Panamera here during the day,
plugs in the battery, and knows that his car
will be ready for the electrically powered
drive home in the evening.
Cars are an integral component of his life-
style. He’s been driving them ever since he
got his driver’s license. He’s moved upward
in the car world over the last 25 years or
so, yet sometimes he has asked himself,
despite being a technology geek, “Is this
gizmo really necessary?” That question
came up most recently with the Panamera S
E-Hybrid. The car dealer had pointed the
new car out to him and enthusiastically
explained the concept and technology
behind it. After the test drive, the high level
of refinement with which the engineers had
designed the drive train was clear. In fact,
not only was it perfectly matched to the
Porsche, but to our times, too. Our driver
understood that the foundation is currently
being laid for automobility of the future.
There’s no doubt that combustion engine
cars will still transport people around the
world for a while yet, and even experts
are not sure what kind of a power cars will
actually have in 20 years, but the road into
the future will be shaped by the technology
best suited to decrease fuel consumption
and emissions. For now, a plug-in hybrid
combines the best of several worlds.
At the push of a button: In “E-Power,” the Panamera S E-Hybrid runs solely on electricity, and in “E-Charge,” it recharges the lithium-ion battery while driving.
EFFICIENCY COMBINED WITH PERFORMANCE AND DRIVING PLEASURE // 029