Electric Porsche by Ruf
Ruf is a German automobile company that takes Porsche cars and tunes them up to even higher performance levels. The company was founded in 1939 and its most popular customization to date has been the CTR Yellowbird. With clean technology and green interest on the rise, Ruf has turned its attention to electric vehicles and produced one of the highest profile non factory electric cars around, the eRuf.
While still under production, the eRuf boasts several impressive performance statistics. With nearly 500 foot pounds of torque the car can reach 60mph in under seven seconds. It has a top speed of 160mph and range of 150 to 200 miles depending on conditions. The car chassis is almost completely filled with batteries weighing 1,200lbs and they're situated in the front, trunk, and where the passenger seats would be on a normal 997 (the model that the eRuf is based on). For this reason the car does not drive as consistently as gasoline powered Porche's and may be susceptible to accidents (as have been reported in some cases for the Tesla Roadster).
Regenerative braking helps to recycle energy and is set to 25% on the current prototype eRuf. The AC motor is being built by UQM technologies and is 15.9 inches weighing in at 200lbs. The only aftermarket AC motor we know of that is capable of similar performance is the tzero from AC Propulsion (the motor behind the Tesla Roadster) which also offers regenerative braking. The eRuf drivetrain is being fabricated by Calmotors out of Camarillo California and is still being fine tuned. In its current state the eRuf retains a clutch and six speed transmission which is unnecessary, high performance electric motors are capable of extremely high RPM's and can go in reverse with reversed electrical current. System voltage ranges from 300 to 420 volts at 550 amperes and the motor redlines at 5,200 RPM generating 200 horsepower.
The batteries powering the eRuff are 3.3V lithium ion phosphate cells, the standard in similar vehicles. Both light weight and high performance these batteries tend to be very expensive, making up about half of the total car value (as is the case with the $109K Tesla Roadster). The eRuf's batteries are being produced by Axeon of Great Britain and are said to have a life cycle of 3,000 charges which means replacement could be necessary within 10 years. The eRuf battery pack takes ~10 hours to fully charge at 16 amps.
For those of you who are stateside and don't want to wait for the eRuf or want a different Porsche body style, we recommend Salida Conversions out of Colorado. The founder, Pete Hansen, has partnered with a team in Aspen to deliver custom electric Porche's with both AC and DC motors. While visiting their shop in Salida I saw six of these cars in various steps along the conversion process including one rally Porche complete with roll cage and racing mirrors. Depending on your budget and need for speed, Salida Conversions offers many different configuration options. Every job is custom. For more information on purchasing and prices you can contact us here at EV Authority.
While still under production, the eRuf boasts several impressive performance statistics. With nearly 500 foot pounds of torque the car can reach 60mph in under seven seconds. It has a top speed of 160mph and range of 150 to 200 miles depending on conditions. The car chassis is almost completely filled with batteries weighing 1,200lbs and they're situated in the front, trunk, and where the passenger seats would be on a normal 997 (the model that the eRuf is based on). For this reason the car does not drive as consistently as gasoline powered Porche's and may be susceptible to accidents (as have been reported in some cases for the Tesla Roadster).
Regenerative braking helps to recycle energy and is set to 25% on the current prototype eRuf. The AC motor is being built by UQM technologies and is 15.9 inches weighing in at 200lbs. The only aftermarket AC motor we know of that is capable of similar performance is the tzero from AC Propulsion (the motor behind the Tesla Roadster) which also offers regenerative braking. The eRuf drivetrain is being fabricated by Calmotors out of Camarillo California and is still being fine tuned. In its current state the eRuf retains a clutch and six speed transmission which is unnecessary, high performance electric motors are capable of extremely high RPM's and can go in reverse with reversed electrical current. System voltage ranges from 300 to 420 volts at 550 amperes and the motor redlines at 5,200 RPM generating 200 horsepower.
The batteries powering the eRuff are 3.3V lithium ion phosphate cells, the standard in similar vehicles. Both light weight and high performance these batteries tend to be very expensive, making up about half of the total car value (as is the case with the $109K Tesla Roadster). The eRuf's batteries are being produced by Axeon of Great Britain and are said to have a life cycle of 3,000 charges which means replacement could be necessary within 10 years. The eRuf battery pack takes ~10 hours to fully charge at 16 amps.
For those of you who are stateside and don't want to wait for the eRuf or want a different Porsche body style, we recommend Salida Conversions out of Colorado. The founder, Pete Hansen, has partnered with a team in Aspen to deliver custom electric Porche's with both AC and DC motors. While visiting their shop in Salida I saw six of these cars in various steps along the conversion process including one rally Porche complete with roll cage and racing mirrors. Depending on your budget and need for speed, Salida Conversions offers many different configuration options. Every job is custom. For more information on purchasing and prices you can contact us here at EV Authority.
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