Porsche's recently unveiled 992 generation for the 911 builds on the brand's rear-engined sports-car theme. But amid an automotive landscape increasingly turning towards hybridization and electrification, plenty of Porsche fans expected the 992 to include some new technology to help with power and efficiency—Porsche even got into the game in a big way this past year with the Taycan. But no such step for the 911 looks likely for a while, so a company called Vonnen has released the Shadow Drive, which essentially turns a 911 into a hybrid.

Powering Into The Future

Vonnen Shadow Drive Porsche 911 2
via Vonnen

The Vonnen Shadow Drive pairs an electric battery and motor with the quintessential rear-mounted Porsche flat-six in any 991-gen and later 911, including the Turbo and GT2/GT3 variants, as well as any Boxster or Cayman from model years later than 2009. The Silicon Valley startup's system is remarkably simple, if extremely—almost prohibitively—expensive.

Squeeze It In

Vonnen Shadow Drive Porsche 911 3
via Vonnen

The Vonnen Shadow Drive includes a battery pack mounted in the front trunk and a power inverter located behind the seats, all routing up to 110 kilowatts of power through an electric motor-generator squeezed between the engine and transmission. All told, the Shadow Drive can add up to 150 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque to the powertrain. Of course, that torque is instantaneously available at much lower RPMs than Porsche's factory internal combustion unit, enlarging the power band by leaps and bounds.

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All In For EV Tech

Vonnen Shadow Drive Porsche 911 4
via Vonnen

Other details of the Shadow Drive include two cooling units mounted behind Porsche's front radiators, plus an integral smartphone app that controls the whole system via Bluetooth and also serves as a display for power figures and stats. With different driving modes, the hybrid energy can juice the system at either 30% or 80% throttle—or in a drag-strip-special Overboost mode than will wipe the battery in just about a quarter-mile. In total, the system costs $75,000 and increases a Porsche's curb weight by only 170 pounds. Not bad, considering the Taycan starts just into the six-figure range and weighs around 5,000 pounds.

Source: Vonnen

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