Porsche 919 Hybrid

Lore & Background

In mid-May 2011, Porsche decided to compete as a works team in the LMP1 category for the FIA World Endurance Championship. Two months later, Porsche publicly announced the plans and stated that the car would debut in 2014. The car was named the 919 Hybrid to acknowledge Porsche's embarkation into hybrid car technology and honour its tradition of having similarly named vehicles compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was Porsche's first sports car prototype built since the RS Spyder debuted in 2005, the first prototype Porsche constructed to compete in the top category of sports car racing since the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1-98 and Porsche LMP1-98 and the first sports car prototype to be raced by Porsche as a factory operation since the Porsche 911 GT1-98 and Porsche LMP1-98. A total of nine chassis were built.

In Their Own Story

The night air on the Mulsanne Straight was thick with humidity, but inside the cockpit of #2, Timo Bernhard focused only on the telemetry. The hybrid system hummed with stored energy from the braking zone at Indianapolis. As he approached the Porsche Curves, the V4 engine screamed in protest against the downforce settings. A single glance at the dashboard confirmed the battery was full; one more push before the pit window opened. The headlights cut through the darkness like twin blades, illuminating the tarmac where history waited to be written once again.

Reader's Guide

The 919 Hybrid had two separate energy-recovery hybrid systems. The rear exhaust system used a two-turbine electric generator to recover thermal energy from exhaust gasses. The front system utilised a 185 kW (248 hp) motor–generator (MGU) on the front axle; during braking, kinetic energy was converted into electrical energy, which was stored in water-cooled A123 Systems lithium-ion battery packs installed on the passenger side, and eliminating turbo lag. Under acceleration the motor-generator operates as an electric motor to run the front wheels via a differential while the petrol engine drives the rear wheels. This temporarily made the car four-wheel drive as the electric motor directed an extra 400 hp (300 kW) to the front wheels for a total of 1,000 hp (750 kW). The 2014 regulations divided the MGU hierarchy into 2 MJ (0.56 kWh) increments, from 2 to 8 MJ (0.56 to 2.22 kWh). Porsche chose the 6 MJ (1.7 kWh) category, allowing the 919 Hybrid to use 4.78 L (1.05 imp gal; 1.26 US gal) per lap at Le Mans, although Porsche designed it to operate in the 8 MJ (2.2 kWh) class due to incompatibility.

Did You Know?

• The car's engine is a two-litre 90-degree V4 mono-turbocharged petrol engine that acts as a chassis load-bearing member.
• In 2015, the car was further developed and was categorized into the 8 MJ (2.2 kWh) category.
• Earl Bamber, Nico Hülkenberg and Nick Tandy won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 driving a third 919 Hybrid.
• After 2017, the 919 Hybrid project was discontinued as Porsche entered Formula E.