Porsche 1966 912 on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche buys stake in carbon fiber partsmaker, Formula E runs on solar

The US Department of Energy is providing $35 million in new funding for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. The money will fund projects to advance technology and speed up adoption of fuel cell applications like light-duty vehicles. Categories for possible projects include deployment of fuel-cell electric hybrid vehicles, mobile refueling and one called "Crosscutting: America's Climate Communities of Excellence." Other possible projects include research and development for hydrogen production, delivery and fuel cell manufacturing. Read more from the DOE. Porsche will buy a 25.1-percent stake in carbon fiber parts manufacturer Capricorn Composite GmbH. Capricorn has provided parts for Porsche's LMP1 racecar and 918 Spyder. The deal will give the automaker better access to the lightweight material going forward, and will "build on joint work over many years in the motor-sports industry and secure the future," according to Porsche. Porsche's parent company Volkswagen owns almost 10 percent of Capricorn's competitor SGL Carbon SE, but an expansion of that ownership could be thwarted by BMW, which controls more of SGL's stock. Read more at Bloomberg. The electric racecars running in the Formula E Miami ePrix will use solar energy. Florida Power & Light (FPL) will provide the electricity the cars will be using for the race on March 14, and its Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center provided the electricity the cars used during the announcement event. "Our partnership with Formula E and the Miami ePrix is another example of our commitment to advancing zero-emissions solar energy and the use of electric vehicles in Florida," says FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy. FPL currently operates two other solar plants, with plans to install 1 million solar panels at three more power plants by the end of next year. Read more at Domestic Fuel. Featured Gallery 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder: First Drive View 51 Photos Related Gallery 2015 Formula E Buenos Aires ePrix View 28 Photos News Source: DOE, Bloomberg, Domestic FuelImage Credit: Porsche Government/Legal Green Motorsports Porsche Alternative Fuels Electric Hydrogen Cars recharge wrapup

Autocar pits Porsche 911 Turbo S against Formula 4 racer

There is a long-running argument among performance car fans: power vs. weight. In one corner you get cars generally with small engines making modest numbers but able to corner like they are telepathic, and in the other there are big thumping mills that are rocketships in a straight line but lumber in the turns. Autocar takes an interesting look this continuum in a recent video pitting a 552-hp Porsche 911 Turbo S against a 185-hp Formula 4 racecar. It hopes to find whether the Porsche's huge power advantage is enough to defeat the better grip and aero offered by the nimble racer.
There's no doubt that the Porsche is an utterly fantastic road car. The 911 Turbo looks mean with all of those intakes to suck in cool air, and it backs up the posture with huge amounts of grip available thanks to its all-wheel drive-system. However, at 3,538 pounds, it's a bit of a porker compared to the 1,135-pound Formula 4 car. The open-wheel car boasts just a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder from Ford and a six-speed sequential-manual gearbox, but it has loads of downforce to make up for it.
It shouldn't be a surprise that the formula car wins in the corners. After all, that's what it's made for. So do you think the massive horsepower superiority of the Porsche is enough to even the playing field? Scroll down to watch the video and find out, and even if you're not curious of the winner the 911 does some mean powerslides.

1974 Porsche 914 EV conversion still looks good

Looking through the pages of the EV Album is a great way to learn about the breadth and depth of the electric vehicle community. Branching well beyond the three dozen or so electric vehicles that are currently sold by major automakers in the US, EV Album showcases lots of DIY conversions of all types. A 1995 Fiat Cinquecento? Check. A 1992 Kewet Eljet 2? No problem. The site's old-fashioned looks (it was started in 1997) show just how long people have been passionate about their EVs. Many of the cars are throwbacks to a previous time and we found a prime example of that, a converted 1974 Porsche 914 (EV Album page here) this week. Now powered by a Prestolite MTC4001 Series Wound DC motor and some flooded nickel-cadmium batteries, the 914 has a top speed of 80 miles per hour and a range of 35 miles. But only "if you are taking it easy," of course. The motor has a peak output of 60 horsepower and 25 hp continuous. Converted over 600 hours (!) to electric power at a cost of $10,000, it is now owned by Charlie Garlow of Maryland. The car is on display at the Washington Auto Show this week and serves as a great reminder of what most EV drivers used to have to do to drive emissions free. Featured Gallery 1974 Porsche 914 Converted EV View 11 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2014 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Misc. Auto Shows Porsche AutoblogGreen Exclusive Green Culture Electric dc auto show washington auto show