Porsche Invites 42 Journalists To Prove That The Plug-in Panamera Uses More Gas Than Published
42 journalists who had the honor of being invited by Porsche to what was called a “Plug-In Hybrid Technology Workshop” found themselves used as lab rats, and to produce a mileage rating that supports Porsche’s published results for the hybrid Panamera. It didn’t quite work out that way. Says a Porsche press release:
”On the occasion of an international press event – in which over 42 test drives were conducted with journalists in the Panamera S E-Hybrid covering a total distance of over 1,200 kilometers – the model consumed just 4.4 l/100 km (53.5 mpg) averaged over all drives. The top value recorded on the circuit course for the world’s first plug-in hybrid in the luxury class was a low 2.8 l/100 km (84 mpg). These results illustrate that in real everyday operation, it is entirely possible to attain fuel consumption values of the same magnitude as the value determined in NEDC testing, which is 3.1 l/100 km.”
On a strictly non-EPA conversion, the average 4.4 l/100 km would equate 53.5 mpg. The top value of 2.8 l/100 km converts to 84 mpg. Porsche’s published 3.1 l/100 km rating would convert to 75.9 mpg. For the unwashed, NEDC refers to the New European Driving Cycle, which supposedly mimics the typical usage of a car in Europe, which it gloriously doesn’t.
The circuit, and the usage profile also were slightly atypical. According to Porsche, “the test circuit, which had a total length of 28.7 km, followed a course through and around the city of Hockenheim and comprised 6.5 km city driving, 9.2 km of country roads and 13 km of German Autobahn – some without speed limits. A prerequisite for attaining such values is systematically exploiting opportunities for charging the 9.4 kWh lithium-ion battery on the electrical grid.”
Great, in the meantime, we exploit opportunities to show pictures of the Panamera in a Stau, in a picturesque village, and in use. We also ask our Porsche-insider Doug Demuro for an inside view.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
More by Bertel Schmitt
Comments
Join the conversation
"NEDC refers to the New European Driving Cycle, which supposedly mimics the typical usage of a car in Europe, which it gloriously doesn’t." The NEDC doesn't show real world results, boohoo. It does show the differences between models and that is also interesting for a customer. Turbo- and hybrid-engined cars have an unfair advantage because they are better tunable to this cycle. This is caused by the low accelerations demanded in the cycle. A new test cycle is underway, but this takes of course some more time. For the interested www.spritmonitor.de has a fairly large database of real peoples MPG data. Real emission numbers (CO2, CO, PM etc) are within a certain bandwith of the NEDC except for NOx from diesels. Euro6 is so tight on NOx that manufacturers have to take extra precautions and this has the effect that NOx is within the bandwith as well. In the Netherlands you pay sales tax according to the NEDC measured CO2 emission. Although the test is not perfect the effect of the policy is that people buy cars that use less fuel/emit less and that is the goal of the policy. I don't see all the trouble. When was marketing about telling the truth?
Did you convert liters to US gallons, or Imperial gallons? (Never mind, I did the math and it looks like US gallons.)